For our first team meeting we distributed handouts, reviewed the Art & Design track guidelines and introduced a few project ideas.

We discussed preliminary research and possible manifestations of a project about testing soil, which included an iPhone case that coordinates with an app to process physical samples in the field and a large (weather like) map showing soil health in Manhattan.

Sites of interest for sampling soil: Parks, retro manufacturers, cemeteries, backyards. *Expand list and make map*

NEXT MEETING:

Check out project NOAH for soil. Also look into previous iGEM projects.

WET LAB 1:

5/18 - First iGEM syllabus meeting
5/19 - Preliminary research on nutrient activated promoter

Distributed lab coats and iGEM pins
Team members signed up for iGEM usernames
Brainstormed project titles
Took group photo
Drafted list of subcommittees and preliminary tasks
Extended sample collecting to other boroughs
Emailed LaMotte handbook to team

Potential names for project:

“SOIL-SCAPE”
“Super Duper Soil SenSomatic!”
“DIRT-BOW”
“SOILED”
“Soil Spectrum”
“ChromaDirt”

Everyone will research their assigned soil topic as well as think about:
What is the definition of soil? The chemicals used in the testing of soil nutrients are toxic- what are non-toxic solutions? is soil toxic? what nutrients are present? can you neutralize soil? what is soil health?

pH- Suzanne
Nitrate Nitrogen - Sebastian
Potassium - Jennifer
Phosphorous - Martica
Humus - Shane
Magnesium - Daniella
Calcium - Tarah
Sulfate - Andrew
Aluminum - Victor
Chloride - Daniella
Ferric Iron - Darya
Nitrite Nitrogen - Beckett
Ammonia Nitrogen - Mike
Manganese - Tiffany

First deadline: JUNE 26TH

WET LAB 2:

5/25 - Research led to the possibility of using microfluidics

- Team members presented their research on assigned soil nutrients to the group.
- Looked at an app that tests soil.
- Discussed the legalities of sampling: taking samples in public is going to need more formalities. Personal spaces and community gardens will be a more realistic place to begin sampling.
- Plotted iGEM deadlines onto a calendar.
- Ordered 6 soil augers, spray bottles, tape measures, location markers, etc. for collecting samples.
- After reviewing the SDS sheets for the LaMotte kit reagents we discussed chemical hygiene and trained new team members on our lab protocol.

After realizing just how toxic the kit is, the team continued to brainstorm about non-toxic sensors. Ideally we will find biological substitutes for LaMotte soil tests - if that is not an option we can greatly decrease the amount of the substance needed for testing, by using a microchannel chip and spectrophotometer, possibly interfaced into a device for a smart phone.

Sebastian explained that exposure time for the biosensors we make would not be an instant result, like the LaMotte kit, but need at minimum a few hours to process. We also discussed how (some of) the biosensors function to change colors- once they bind the to soil sample the molecules change shape, therefore changing the way the light refracts which makes the color visible.

NEXT MEETING:

We will test out the LaMotte soil kit for the first time as a group.

Need to make a map of community gardens and draft a letter to introduce our project and ask for access. How do we encourage citizen participation? Offer participants a survey of data pertaining to their soil.

WET LAB 3:

6/2 - Found Arsenic activated biosensor in biobrick registry

Sebastian leads a demonstration on how to use the LaMotte Soil Kit to test a soil sample for different nutrients, starting with the process of filtering nutrients from soil into container with liquid extraction. We discussed possible ways to streamline and expedite the slow drip extraction, while keeping in mind we must use individual containers and utensils for each sample to AVOID CROSS-CONTAMINATION. Miniature French presses? Centerfuge?

After performing LaMotte nutrient tests, several issues were discovered:
- Some nutrients produced very small quantities, too little to fill cuvette.
- Due to subjectivity in the perception of colored results, it was difficult to read precise amounts for each nutrient. Several tests, like the one involving a black line and shade of grey, exacerbated this problem.

A handful of team members took augers home to get samples from their yards. Next week we will hear feedback from those that used the augers and begin drafting protocol and assembling a kit for sample taking: including recording of gps/time/temp, etc. Environmental limitations: nearby buildings, trees, dog pee, rain within 48 hours.

WET LAB 4:

6/08 - Transformed mRFP1 from kit-4 well-2F ("SVA 1").
6/10 - Preliminary testing of La Motte soil kit.
6/11 - Majority of biobrick registry research to create potential cassettes.

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