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Team:Carnegie Mellon/Talks
From 2014.igem.org
On July 11th, the Pitt and CMU iGEM teams went to give project presentations at Pitt with the TecBio group. Training and Experimentation in Computational Biology (TecBio): "Simulation and Visualization of Biological Systems at Multiple Scales" REU program is a 10-week summer program that provides a challenging and fulfilling graduate-level research experience to undergraduate students. Students receive classroom training in topics pertinent to the emerging field of computational biology, such as computational structural biology, cell and systems modeling, computational genomics, and bioimage informatics. For CMU and Pitt iGEM, this provided a wonderful audience for giving our first presentations of iGEM, biology, modeling, and outreach being worked on by the teams. A heavy emphasis was placed on the modeling aspect because of the nature of the program being more related to computational biology than anything else. Once the two presentations were done, we took questions and socialized over pizza and drinks. It was a good group to give our first presentations to and helped us tighten up our public speaking skills.
Also on July 11th, the CMU iGEM Team presented to the Summer Research Institute (SRI) participants. In this summer program, students spend ten weeks working on a research project with a faculty member. Research projects involve recombinant DNA techniques and biochemical methods directed towards the functional analysis of proteins and enzymes. In addition to wet laboratory techniques, students use software for DNA analysis and experimental design. This provided another platform for the CMU iGEM team to practice their project presentation and receive feedback along with the questions.
The SAMS girls that we experimented Creature Feature with were working on different projects on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO). Using newly acquired laboratory techniques and skills, they were tasked to analyze a favorite food or snack across different brands and test for labeling “truths.” For example, labels such as “organic” or “non-GMO project certified” were tested for validity against the same product with no label, and therefore assumed to be genetically modified. Using gel electrophoresis, the girls were able to tell whether or not the product had been genetically modified in comparison to a control and had to present their results. The CMU iGEM Team were asked to come in as a panel and audience to ask questions and further help them analyze the results. Since these projects were individual, each SAMS girl had to confidently present what the results were and any error that may have occurred in the procedure. Knowing the nature of laboratory techniques and mistakes made, the CMU iGEM team learned from the presentations, gave feedback, and gained insight on how complex the food biotech world really is. Overall, it was a great experience to be apart of and helped both the SAMS girls and the CMU iGEM team to foster intellectual conversation on the topics of label definitions and genetically modified organisms.
