Homework
Weekly homework submissions:
Week 1 HW: Principles and Practices
IDEA Through art, design, biology, and apparel, I am interested in exploring how wearers can become more attuned to their identity by expressing their unique microbial genomes and ecosystems that make up their bodies through a bio-engineered second-skin-like textile. This project explores clothing as a custom, an expression, and a living interface that evolves with the body, offering an alternative to the rapid cycles of novelty and replacement characteristic of fashion today. The garment becomes a second skin that is not consumed or discarded, but lived with, every day, shifting gradually and meaningfully over time (National Institutes of Health).
Week 2 HW: DNA Read Write & Edit
Part 1: Benchling & In-silico Gel Art https://benchling.com/s/seq-B1mFk0Oh2ZF9coVeqBMH?m=slm-ySVijsqZThHxK3Qq6kwq Part 2: Gel Art - Restriction Digests and Gel Electrophoresis I am interested in the protein Reflectin. This protein is common in Cephalopods and is responsible for their structural colour as their skin changes with the environment. I am interested in the potential applications of Reflectin in smart materials/textiles. Reflectins’ optical properties can be reversibly engineered to change colour under different conditions. There is one study in which Reflecin was used in this way in a thin film substrate, and responsive to hydration or dehydration of the material.
Post-Lab Questions Find and describe a published paper that utilises the Opentrons or an automation tool to achieve novel biological applications. Write a description about what you intend to do with automation tools for your final project. You may include example pseudocode, Python scripts, 3D printed holders, a plan for how to use Ginkgo Nebula, and more. You may reference this week’s recitation slide deck for lab automation details. While your description/project idea doesn’t need to be set in stone, we would like to see core details of what you would automate. This is due at the start of lecture and does not need to be tested on the Opentrons yet.