Week 1 (June 2 - June 8)

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  Wet Lab Overview

  We have finally done stuff! Student team members continued their initial safety training, as well as learning how to do basic techniques (e.g. LB preps, 60% Glycerol stock, Colony selections and Plasmid preps). Meanwhile, our senior team members came up with a more detailed plan than just "biosensor". By modifying Lsr Operons, we hope to use Quorum sensing to detect the presence of E.coli bacteria other than those that we use. Training continued today (07/02/15) by introducing students to plasma preps. The "Quorum" group looked up two parts we need for the sensing project(LsrR and such), and decided to teach the students how to take DNA out of the registry. The first day of Wet Lab training began on the 7th! We started working on amplification of metallothionein genes - so far nixA and GST-PMT appear to be working.

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  Dry Lab Overview

  Today was entirely dedicated to researching, spiting the team in two to make the most efficient use of our time. The adults and undergraduates focused on quorum sensing. The high school students looked through different promoters that activated in the presence of molecules common to human sewage.