Purdue iGEM: Looking Back and Moving Forward

 

Once again, we, Purdue iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine), would like to thank each of you for your support on our project. Last April, we had the exciting opportunity to travel to Washington DC to present at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s event Posters on the Hill. Chosen as one of 60 projects from over 300 applications nationwide, we got the opportunity to present the findings of a year of research and speak with congressional representatives about the importance of continuing to fund undergraduate research. Ties to agriculture, water quality, and energy made this proposal both relevant and timely in the face of annual summer algal blooms.

In the first day of the event, we attended an advocacy training session to help us prepare elevator pitches to describe the importance of receiving support for these projects that sparked our interests and propelled us toward research-oriented careers. The second day was show time— we met with Indiana Senators Donnelly and Young to discuss the impact their research experience has had on us and asked for consideration in this year’s revision of the Higher Education Act as well as future legislation. After the opportunity to explore the capital in the afternoon, all students involved with PoH returned to the Capitol for an evening poster session targeting senators, representatives, and their staff. This was a great opportunity for us to not only discuss the potential of undergraduate research to address global problems, but also for us to discuss the important role that undergraduate research has on training the next generation of scientists.

Purdue iGEM is continuing to train the next generation of scientists as they prepare for the 2017 iGEM Giant Jamboree competition. Armed with a new project and fresh faces, we plan on engineering bacteria to degrade and neutralize benzene. Benzene, a toxin and carcinogen linked to leukemia, is used as an intermediate in the production of many daily goods, is produced during many building fires, and is also found in cigarette smoke. This leaves factory workers, firefighters, and smokers at risk. Our bacteria can be used to protect these vulnerable populations in two ways. As a preventative medical therapy, the bacteria that naturally live in healthy lungs can be engineered to neutralize benzene and then be reintroduced into the lungs via a nebulizer. External of medical therapies, our bacteria can be used in industrial safety features by immobilizing our bacteria on a filter in order to trap and neutralize benzene present in the open air. You can learn more about our 2017 project at our current Experiment campaign. We would greatly appreciate your continued support of our team.