iGEM Calgary 2017
Donation protected
Introduction
Governments and private enterprises alike are gearing up for travel across the Solar System. Plans to colonize the solar system are underway, with Elon Musk spearheading the initiative to have a Mars colony by 2030. In a parallel vein, NASA is planning a manned exploratory mission to Mars as soon as the 2030s (and several other space agencies have similar plans and timelines for their own respective Mars explorations). This exciting time in our history nonetheless comes with the challenges of long-term space travel. Two specific issues which make frequent space missions economically and ecologically challenging are the high cost of shipping materials up to space, and how to sustainably manage the waste that is produced on a spaceship.
We are an undergraduate team of students from Calgary, Canada who aim to use synthetic biology to solve these two issues. This year, our project involves using genetically engineered E.coli to turn human waste into bioplastics. We envision our project as a start-to-finish integrated system which can be used in space to generate items useful to the astronauts who will be undertaking early Mars missions. This solves the problem of waste management, since it essentially upcycles the solid human waste into a usable product, and it will likely reduce the cost of space travel, as fewer materials would have to be shipped up to space.
We are also planning a wide array of community outreach events to share our project with the public and have meaningful discussions about synthetic biology and its applications.
What happens when you donate:
1. You help us purchase lab materials.
Some reagents and other equipment can cost thousands of dollars. We’d like to be able to perform our experiments with the materials we need.
2. You help us cover costs for travel to Boston this November. We’d love to present our research at the iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine) Giant Jamboree. Sharing our findings with the broader community is very important to us and your help getting us there would be immensely appreciated.
3. You will be mentioned on our sponsorship page. We’ll place your name in one of the following three categories, based on your donation (in CAD):
Bronze
$5.00 - $49.99
Silver
$50.00 - $149.99
Gold
$150.00 and above
4. You will be updated on our team’s progress. In addition to the updates posted on our team’s social media, if you so choose, monthly updates on our experiments and community events can be emailed to you from our email address: [email redacted].
Silver donor benefits: If you donate more than $50.00 to our project, you will receive a personalized thank you card signed by our team.
Gold donor benefits: If you donate more than $150.00 to our project, you will have the opportunity to come visit our team in the lab to see what we do in person!
FAQ:
What is synthetic biology?
Synthetic biology is a discipline where naturally occurring genetic pathways are optimized to be more efficient or applied in novel ways. Well-known examples of synthetic biology in the real world include many pharmaceuticals (such as insulin for diabetics), or genetically modified crops.
What is iGEM?
iGEM is a synthetic biology competition held in Boston every November. Over 300 high school, undergraduate, and graduate teams from around the world present their research over a five-day period. The competition is open to academics as well as the public, allowing people from all walks of life to access the research done by these teams.
How is the University of Calgary involved with iGEM?
The University of Calgary has participated in iGEM competitions since 2004. This year, we have a team of 15 undergraduate students from various disciplines, which include Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Bioinformatics, and Computer Science. The team is supervised by Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio at the University of Calgary and mentors from previous iGEM Calgary teams. In previous years, our teams have successfully worked on projects such as designing a tool to detect toxins in tailing ponds (2011 and 2012) and monitoring pathogenic bacteria in the beef supply chain (2013). The 2016 team worked on developing a transdermal patch to protect astronauts from harmful ionizing radiation in space and won a gold medal and an award for best integrated human practices.
If you have any further questions about our team or our project, feel free to contact us via email ([email redacted]), our Facebook page: iGEM Calgary, or our Twitter and Instagram: @igemcalgary.
Thank you!
Governments and private enterprises alike are gearing up for travel across the Solar System. Plans to colonize the solar system are underway, with Elon Musk spearheading the initiative to have a Mars colony by 2030. In a parallel vein, NASA is planning a manned exploratory mission to Mars as soon as the 2030s (and several other space agencies have similar plans and timelines for their own respective Mars explorations). This exciting time in our history nonetheless comes with the challenges of long-term space travel. Two specific issues which make frequent space missions economically and ecologically challenging are the high cost of shipping materials up to space, and how to sustainably manage the waste that is produced on a spaceship.
We are an undergraduate team of students from Calgary, Canada who aim to use synthetic biology to solve these two issues. This year, our project involves using genetically engineered E.coli to turn human waste into bioplastics. We envision our project as a start-to-finish integrated system which can be used in space to generate items useful to the astronauts who will be undertaking early Mars missions. This solves the problem of waste management, since it essentially upcycles the solid human waste into a usable product, and it will likely reduce the cost of space travel, as fewer materials would have to be shipped up to space.
We are also planning a wide array of community outreach events to share our project with the public and have meaningful discussions about synthetic biology and its applications.
What happens when you donate:
1. You help us purchase lab materials.
Some reagents and other equipment can cost thousands of dollars. We’d like to be able to perform our experiments with the materials we need.
2. You help us cover costs for travel to Boston this November. We’d love to present our research at the iGEM (international Genetically Engineered Machine) Giant Jamboree. Sharing our findings with the broader community is very important to us and your help getting us there would be immensely appreciated.
3. You will be mentioned on our sponsorship page. We’ll place your name in one of the following three categories, based on your donation (in CAD):
Bronze
$5.00 - $49.99
Silver
$50.00 - $149.99
Gold
$150.00 and above
4. You will be updated on our team’s progress. In addition to the updates posted on our team’s social media, if you so choose, monthly updates on our experiments and community events can be emailed to you from our email address: [email redacted].
Silver donor benefits: If you donate more than $50.00 to our project, you will receive a personalized thank you card signed by our team.
Gold donor benefits: If you donate more than $150.00 to our project, you will have the opportunity to come visit our team in the lab to see what we do in person!
FAQ:
What is synthetic biology?
Synthetic biology is a discipline where naturally occurring genetic pathways are optimized to be more efficient or applied in novel ways. Well-known examples of synthetic biology in the real world include many pharmaceuticals (such as insulin for diabetics), or genetically modified crops.
What is iGEM?
iGEM is a synthetic biology competition held in Boston every November. Over 300 high school, undergraduate, and graduate teams from around the world present their research over a five-day period. The competition is open to academics as well as the public, allowing people from all walks of life to access the research done by these teams.
How is the University of Calgary involved with iGEM?
The University of Calgary has participated in iGEM competitions since 2004. This year, we have a team of 15 undergraduate students from various disciplines, which include Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Bioinformatics, and Computer Science. The team is supervised by Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio at the University of Calgary and mentors from previous iGEM Calgary teams. In previous years, our teams have successfully worked on projects such as designing a tool to detect toxins in tailing ponds (2011 and 2012) and monitoring pathogenic bacteria in the beef supply chain (2013). The 2016 team worked on developing a transdermal patch to protect astronauts from harmful ionizing radiation in space and won a gold medal and an award for best integrated human practices.
If you have any further questions about our team or our project, feel free to contact us via email ([email redacted]), our Facebook page: iGEM Calgary, or our Twitter and Instagram: @igemcalgary.
Thank you!
Organizer
Preetha Gopalakrishnan
Organizer
Calgary, AB