Week 11 — Cloud Labs & Cell-Free Protein Optimization

Part A: Global Pixel Artwork

In progress.

My contribution: I added a single red pixel late in the project to correct a gap in the pattern. A small fix, but satisfying to slot into place.

What I liked: The collaborative nature immediately reminded me of Reddit’s r/Place — the emergent coordination between strangers to build something coherent out of individual dots is genuinely fun to watch. That same energy translates well here, especially with a class-sized group where you can actually track who did what.

Suggestions for improvement: Taking end-of-day screenshots to document how the image evolves over time would add a lot — it’d be interesting to watch the artwork form progressively rather than just seeing the final state. A timelapse of the build would be a nice archive to keep.

Part B: Cell-Free Reagents

Component Roles in the Cell-Free Reaction

In progress.

Differences: 1-Hour PEP-NTP vs. 20-Hour NMP-Ribose-Glucose

In progress.

Bonus: Transcription Without GMP

In progress.

Part C: Fluorescent Protein Properties

sfGFP

In progress.

mRFP1

In progress.

mKO2

In progress.

mTurquoise2

In progress.

mScarlet-I

In progress.