Team:OLS Canmore AB CA/Practices
Human Practices
This year, because our project has real potential to positively impact our small community, we did a lot of work in human practices. Evidence of our impact are the two articles in which we have been featured in our local newspaper, “The Rocky Mountain Outlook”. The first article published introduced who we are what the iGEM competition actually is. It outlined our project as well as the potential impact on our communities’ wastewater treatment challenges. The second article was published when we hosted an Alberta Innovates and GeekStarter jamboree at our school, where all five Alberta iGEM teams competed against each other in a pre-competition. This allowed for us to learn about others projects and meet our nearby teams. This article focuses on the $8,000 grand prize that we won at this Alberta GeekStarter jamboree, earning us the distinction of best overall project, and “most potential impact”. |
 The team after the Alberta Jamboree |
We have also been interviewed by the local radio station, mountain FM, where they asked us many questions about our project, iGEM, and the upcoming competition. The interview allowed us to get the word out about our project and connect with not only Canmore, but also the surrounding communities such as Banff, Exshaw and Lake Louise. |
 Maria Buchko and Alina Arvisais at the Radio Station |
A significant human practices achievement was having one of our team members, Alina Arvisais and one of our teacher supervisors, Mrs. Puurunen, went to visit the wastewater treatment plant in Canmore. They learned about the current methods employed to deal with the hair issue, as well as the workers’ opinions concerning our project and it’s potential application in this industry. This visit allowed us to learn more in depth-information about the issue, and really visualize and understand how a Keratinase-expressing bacteria could be used in bio-reactor systems already in place. We got some amazing photos… and won’t soon forget the smell. |
 Picture of team member Alina Arvisais at the Waste Water Treatment Plant |
Our team also did a few presentations to not only educate our community's leaders, but also to help in our fundraising goals. We spoke with our local Rotary Club chapter, including presenting to their members at a breakfast meeting. We received a gracious donation from them for our efforts to solve a community issue, and got some valuable mentorship from them regarding how to approach our ongoing fundraising plan. |
We also presented to our Mayor and Town Council for the second year in a row. This presentation allowed us to teach our community leaders about iGEM, to highlight a new avenue to a potential solution, and to celebrate our educational achievements. These community leaders also encouraged us to apply for a Town grant, which we eventually were granted in the amount of $5,000. Through our various presentations and fundraising efforts this year, we were able to fundraise $40,000 for our team! This speaks to the interest we garnered, the severity of this local issue, and the desire of our community to partner with us in an attempt to find a real solution utilizing synthetic biology. |
 Picture taken by a Geekstarter/Alberta Innovates representative at the Alberta High School Jamboree. |
This year our teachers worked with Dr. Magda Pop (a Geekstarter Mentor) and pushed for the creation of an Alberta curriculum centered around synthetic biology. This curriculum has been approved (LINK HERE) providing what we think is the FIRST opportunity for high school students to earn credits towards graduation while studying synthetic biology and competing in iGEM! |
Early this year, one of our students, Talia Dixon presented at the Alberta Teachers’ Association Science Council Conference held in Banff, Alberta, along withmentor Dr. Magda Pop and Mr. Arvisais. This allowed them to share the learning opportunities in iGEM and show many teachers that their students can truly take part in this amazing competition. |
Our 2 teacher advisors also presented at the Alberta Teachers’ Association Annual Teachers’ Convention. The talk was entitled “E. Coli Happens: Synthetic Biology as a Ticket to MIT”, and was open to high school educations across the province. They even brought innoculation loops and made teachers practice streaking plates. |
Our last outreach mission is still in progress. One of our teachers, Ms. Puurunen, will present a Ted Talk at TedX Canmore in October 2015. Her presentation will spread the word about iGEM, our team, the project, synthetic biology, and elevating science education in general. Ideally, her talk will reach a global audience! |