Mission

CSU iGEM (and our counterpart of which all iGEM members are a part, CSU Synthetic Biology Club) are dedicated to representing Colorado State University, iGEM, and Synthetic Biology in our community. This includes participating in student organization fairs, outreach events, and collaboration with other teams. Below are highlights of particular activities we did to help get the word out about undergraduate research, synthetic biology, and science in general.

Putnam Elementary School

Putnam Elementary School hosts a science club for 2nd and 3rd graders on weekday afternoons; for two of these meetings, members from CSU iGEM came to conduct experiments and encourage students to learn the scientific method. For the first experiment, the students discussed locations where they thought the most germs would be in the classroom. Then, they wrote a hypothesis about which locations in the school would have the most germs. Then each student swabbed two locations in the school - either outside, in the restroom, or in the classroom - and CSU students helped them to plate their samples on TSA (general media) plates. The plates were then incubated for one week at room temperature.
Photos from Week 1

The second week, students observed the results of their experiments, and learned about different kinds of growth. Additionally, we discussed proper handwashing and how to avoid sickness. We had each student cover their hands in GloGerm - a lotion-like agent which causes germs to fluoresce under UV light. Then they observed their hands before and after washing them to see the difference.

Engineering Exploration Days

CSU College of Engineering annually hosts a day to encourage students who are undeclared in engineering discover which discipline they would like to pursue at CSU. As part of this event, CSU iGEM gave a lab tour and discussed the undergraduate research opportunities available.