UNews - Laura Keffer-Wilkes

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM teams bring home medals

caroline.zentner — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 17:45:58 +0000

After devoting months of work to their projects, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s high school and collegiate iGEM teams brought home the hardware at the recent iGEM grand jamboree held in Paris.

The 26-member collegiate team was awarded a gold, with a dozen team members making the trip to Paris for the competition. The 18-member high school team was awarded a silver and attended the jamboree virtually.

“We are the only university in the province that won gold,” says Dr. Vineet Rathod, team supervisor. “I was proud of the students, and they felt proud, too. It’s the hard work of eight months; we started working on the project in February.”

The collegiate team project centred on developing an early detection kit that farmers could use to test for clubroot, a soil pathogen that affects canola, mustard and cole crops like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.

“Participating in iGEM has been an incredible experience for me,” says Jenna Letain, a master’s student in biochemistry. “Being able to apply my research knowledge towards a collective project while also mentoring a group of students has helped me grow as a graduate student. I highly recommend iGEM to any student who is looking to gain more experience working collaboratively as a team in a research setting.”

"It has been an unbelievable experience and I have gained an incredible amount of appreciation for the world of research beyond going to lectures at the university,” says Nolan Fomradas, a second-year biology student. “iGEM has exposed me to a great network of people, made me appreciate my studies even more and made me a better student.”

The 18-member high school team’s project focused on building a protein biosensor that would change colour in the presence of velvet fish disease. Velvet fish disease is a parasite that can get into the slime coat of fish and eat away at their cells, eventually killing them. The only way to test for it now is by a visual inspection of the fish and by that time, it’s usually too late for treatment.

“They did a great job,” says Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes, team supervisor. “I’m super, super proud of them. They did a really good job during their judging session.”

“I am thrilled about everything the team accomplished this year,” says Mercy Awosoga, a student at Catholic Central High School. “Receiving silver is encouraging and reflects all the hard work put into planning, community outreach, lab work, engineering, modelling and research. Throughout my iGEM experience, I have formed amazing friendships and understood the importance of collaboration.”

With their sights set on next year, recruitment of team members will soon get underway. Any high school students who’d like to participate in next year’s iGEM competition can contact Keffer-Wilkes at kefferwilkesl@uleth.ca. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students looking to get involved can get in touch with Rathod at vineet.rathod@uleth.ca.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge names the 2022-2023 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Scholar

caroline.zentner — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 16:11:51 +0000

Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes (MSc ’12, PhD ’16) an instructor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been selected as the 2022-2023 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Scholar.

“We are pleased to announce that Laura will be the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s EDI scholar for this year,” says Martha Mathurin-Moe, executive director of equity, diversity and inclusion. “Her project is broad based and not only seeks to remove barriers that women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) face, but also encourage younger women to consider STEM careers.”

As EDI Scholar, Keffer-Wilkes, who’s also recently been named as the director of Synbridge, will work on a project titled Women in STEM – Support Our Sisters.

“I’m very honoured to be named this year’s EDI Scholar,” says Keffer-Wilkes. “Women in Canada are still under-represented in STEM fields. While many women study STEM subjects as undergraduates, there’s a disconnect once they finish graduate school. They’re just not being hired as instructors or professors. This isn’t a Lethbridge-only issue; it happens across North America.

“The goal of my project is to use a cooperative model to reach out to women who are already at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and work together to create a strong, safe environment and remove the isolation between departments. We also want to partner with young women and gender-diverse individuals to create safe spaces to learn.”

The project includes establishing a coordinator position and creating a Women-in-Stem organizing committee to identify ways to remove barriers, such as inclusive language and mentorship programs.

In addition, the project aims to connect with the Alberta Women’s Science Network and participate in Operation Minerva, which provides half-day workshops and half-day job shadowing to Grade 8 students who identify as girls or gender diverse.

Keffer-Wilkes also hopes to promote STEM to the broader community through public lectures and to provide focused learning opportunities for high school students. Coding and synthetic biology workshops could be offered through Agility, while lunch-and-learn sessions on STEM careers could be used to promote research and form bonds between colleagues. Networking with various groups on campus could increase awareness of STEM-focused events and educate faculty on the inherent biases and barriers women face in STEM.

The first initiative — I am a Scientist — is well underway and consists of a series of posters of women in STEM at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in conjunction with Science Literacy Week from Sept. 19 to 25. These posters will be circulated on campus, shared on social media and posted at local libraries.

Additional plans include establishing a women-in-STEM speaker series and a organizing a women-in-STEM conference in February to coincide with International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11. Activities are also being planned for Women in STEM Week in Alberta from Oct. 9 to 15.

“I’ve always been a really big advocate for women in STEM,” says Keffer-Wilkes. “As I was moving through undergraduate and graduate school, and then moving on to become an instructor here, I’ve seen a lot of peers not continue in STEM. I want to know why and what can be done to improve retention of women in STEM fields.”

Chinook Symposium showcases student work

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 22:19:11 +0000

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry held the 15th annual Chinook Symposium recently, showcasing the amazing research being done by students within the department.

This year, a total of five high school participants from the 2022 HYRS cohort, the most ever, presented their posters as well. Co-organizers Drs. Jean-Denys Hamel and Laura Keffer-Wilkes were thrilled with the event and appreciative to all the participants and judges.

“The event was such a success and that goes entirely to the wonderful students within our department and the judges who took time out of their day to volunteer for the symposium," says Hamel. “We’re super thankful to our sponsors and we’re looking forward to planning the next one in 2023.”

Chinook Symposium Winners

Oral Presentations

Sarstedt 1st prize for an oral presentation by a master’s student — Elizabeth Trofimenkoff

Blue Sky Analytical Labs 2nd prize for an oral presentation by a master’s student — Sam Drescher

KPrime Technologies 1st prize for an oral presentation by a PhD student — Felix O'Donnell

Blue Sky Analytical Labs 2nd prize for an oral presentation by a PhD student — Rajwinder Kaur

Poster Presentations

Agility Award for Innovation Poster Prize — Jenna Sullivan and Colyn Cleland

Poster Presentation (Undergraduate, Biochemistry)
1st — Zachary Robinson
2nd — Julia Stroud

Poster Presentation (Master’s, Biochemistry)
1st — Mitchell Geeraert
2nd — Jessica Semmelrock

Poster Presentation (PhD, Biochemistry)
1st — Darren Gemmill

Poster Presentation (Undergraduate, Chemistry)
1st — Trinity Deak
2nd — Kaileb Olson

Poster Presentation (Master’s, Chemistry)
1st — Elaura Lilienthal
2nd — Nathania Takyi

Poster Presentation (PhD, Chemistry)
1st — Dylan Nikkel

Posters, Best overall

RSC Advances Award for Best Undergraduate Student Presentation — Trinity Deak

RSC Advances Award for Best Graduate Student Presentation — Elaura Lilienthal

Rookie of the Year

New England Biolabs Rookie of the Year Award — Allison Baptista

EDI Scholar WinSTEM award of excellence — Elaura Lilienthal, Audra Lutterotti, Katherine Anderson-Bain, Veda Hegde, Allison Baptista

U of L’s Synbridge helps launch Paramoria Agri-Science

caroline.zentner — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 20:54:29 +0000

Biotech startup companies face a number of hurdles getting their businesses off the ground, not the least of which is the cost of specialized tools and equipment.

That was the case for Brent Puchalski, a molecular plant pathologist and founder of Paramoria Agri-Science, when he looked to launch a company to help grain and oilseed farmers better fight fungal infections in their fields. Luckily, he was able to connect with Synbridge, a synthetic biology makerspace at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Paramoria was able to gain access to Synbridge’s specialty lab and biotechnology equipment on a fee-for-use basis.

“It’s been great working with Paramoria,” says Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes (MSc ’12, PhD ’16), manager of Synbridge. “It’s exciting to have them on campus and work in our space. Synbridge gives businesses a chance to fulfil the biotechnology side of their business plan by offering them lab space and use of our equipment at a reasonable cost.”

Reducing fungicide use

“In a nutshell, what we are doing is developing a microbial radar system which allows farmers to measure the amount of disease-causing agents or spores in their fields in real time,” says Puchalski. “We’re developing tools and technologies to try to mitigate the reliance of Canadian agriculture on fungicide application. We believe, based on the data and based on our protocol, we can significantly reduce the amount of fungicides that are applied across the Prairies and potentially around the world.”

Brent Puchalski holds a petri dish containing sclerotinia, a fungus that can cause disease in canola.

Puchalski and his father, Byron, a retired plant pathologist, estimate up to 75 per cent of all fungicide applications may be unnecessary, as farmers spray out of an abundance of caution, not because they know they have a fungal problem. That caution is well-placed as fungal infections can result in significant yield loss. The Puchalskis have developed an inexpensive spore trap that harvests spores from the air, which are then taken back to the lab for analysis using Synbridge’s molecular tools.

“We want to give farmers tools to better manage their fields by telling them exactly what they do and don’t have, rather than guessing and worrying,” says Brent. “Right now, farmers rely on models and predictions and their own skill and gut feeling. We aim to limit this practice by giving them a weekly measurement of what’s in their field at any one time.”

Testing the tools

Since gaining access to the lab in April, Paramoria has been busy prototyping and testing its technology with four farmers across a dozen fields during the past growing season. Their testing focused on detecting the presence of stripe rust, which affects cereal grains like wheat, and sclerotinia, which can attack all major crops in southern Alberta. The samples and analyses done over the summer showed them the system worked and will give their clients actionable data to use when deciding to apply fungicide.

“We are very confident in our results, and that this system will do what it’s supposed to do,” says Brent. “We believe we can cut down farmers’ fungicide applications.”

Not only will farmers save money by spraying only when and where needed, reducing fungicide use is also beneficial for the environment and helps reduce the likelihood of resistant strains developing.

Now that the prototyping and testing phases have been completed, the Puchalskis want to expand their operations in more fields next year. Anyone interested is welcome to contact them through their website, by calling 587-282-1285, or by sending an email to puchalsk@ualberta.ca.

About Synbridge

Synbridge was formed in 2016 with the assistance of a $1.5-million grant from Western Economic Diversification. The grant enabled the purchase of specialized equipment like a fluorescence activated cell sorter, protein purification systems, centrifuges and more.

Located in Science Commons, Synbridge’s lab and services are open for anyone to use from small startups to multinational companies. Synbridge provides space for different research groups on campus, gives students training opportunities and hosts both the high school and U of L iGEM teams. Synbridge is also involved in two R & D challenges with industry as part of the U of L’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program.

Anyone interested in working in the Synbridge facility can contact Keffer-Wilkes at synbridge@uleth.ca.

Virtual iGEM Giant Jamboree sees ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge-supported teams garner silver and bronze

trevor.kenney — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:29:10 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge-supported teams earned silver and bronze medals as the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Giant Jamboree took place in the virtual space recently.

The annual celebration of synthetic biology and genetic engineering is usually hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, MA and was moved online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, 4,000 participants attended, with the U of L represented by its collegiate entry and the Lethbridge high school team.

High School iGEM team members present during their virtual appearance at the Giant Jamboree.

Both groups chose to tackle problems related to agriculture, with the collegiate team presenting FriGEM, a project aimed to fight post-harvest potato diseases, and the high school entry’s tPectin-ACE project, which focused on creating a biological catalyst to accelerate compost degradation.

Collegiate (bronze medal)

The university team worked extensively with Dr. Dmytro Yevtushenko, the U of L’s Research Chair in Potato Science, and research associate Dr. Mariana Vetrici. Their project aims to fight post-harvest potato diseases caused by Fusarium and other plant pathogens by using targeted expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in tubers. They were awarded a bronze medal standing for their work.

The team has become fascinated with this diverse group of small, naturally occurring peptides (also called host defense peptides) that are part of the host innate defense system against pathogen invasion. By engineering the AMP-expressing potato plants, less pesticides would be required to combat plant diseases.

“The COVID-19 restrictions made it especially difficult to complete experimental laboratory work this year,” says second-year chemistry student Mark Lea. “Ebven though we only had a short time to experiment on the potato plants and obtain preliminary results, that work will be very helpful in the continuation of our project.”

The team is also exploring the suitability of potato tubers as a low cost, safe and efficacious platform to produce therapeutic AMPs. In particular, they test the hypothesis that a targeted, high-level accumulation of therapeutic BMAP-18 peptide in potato tubers retains its direct toxicities to trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness, which may lead to the development of edible therapeutics.

“It’s amazing how much work the undergraduate students got done on their personal computers before they could get access to campus, work that I could not have achieved by myself in such a short time,” says Dr. Vetrici.

Check out their promo and project videos, wiki and poster for more information.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge team members included: Deepika Anupindi, Sara Balderas, Abel Belay, Trinity Deak, Rowan Fehr, Seanna Goeseels, London Gokarn, Rebecca Ha, Emily Hagens, Ilyanna Janvier, Dia Koupantsis (student leader), Mark Lea, Reece Martin, Mehreen Kabir, Joshua Omotosho. Supervisors/advisors were Justin Vigar, Fabian Rohden and Dr. Angeliki Pantazi.

High School (silver medal)

The high school team focused its project on creating a biological catalyst to accelerate compost degradation via enhanced pectin digestion. The group collaborated with City of Lethbridge Waste and Recycling officials, local restaurants and researchers at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre.

Using unique pectin degradation enzymes from the organism P. amylolyticus, the team engineered a system that would accelerate the breakdown of homogalacturonan, a major component of pectin. The engineered enzymes would also be heat stable, ensuring they survive the high temperatures required for efficient composting. While initially designed for use in at-home composters, discussions with Lethbridge Waste and Recycling engineer Bill MacMillan led the team to pivot their project to target industrial compost facilities instead. The team intends to continue work on the project in 2021.

Their project was awarded a silver medal and was nominated for Best Integrated Human Practices.

“We’re super proud of what we could accomplish this year and really happy the judges liked our work,” says team member and project presenter Thomas Byrne, a grade-12 student at Winston Churchill High School.

You can watch their promo or project videos, read their wiki and check out their poster.

Lethbridge high school team members included: Shada Aborawi, Rebecca Avileli, Jasmine Belisle, Thomas Byrne, Wenyu Chen, Kimoya Edwards, Olive Graham, Linda He, Livia Kadezabek, Xinhong Li, Dominic Piper, Declan Sander, Lana VanGenderen, Elisha Wong, Marissa Wong, Michelle Wu, Damian La Rosa Montes (Grad Student Advisor), Kristi Turton (Grad Student Advisor), Luke Saville (Mindfuel Advisor), Jalyce Heller (Primary Investigator), Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes (Primary Investigator).

Both teams were supported by the U of L Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI), SynBridge, the Regional Innovation Network of Southern Alberta (RINSA), Agility, and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students’ Union (ULSU).

The full iGEM Giant Jamboree experience is also available to view on the iGEM website.

You can also follow iGEM on social media:

Twitter @LethHS_iGEM and @LethbridgeiGEM
Instagram @lethbridgehsiGEM and @uleth.igem
Facebook @lethbridgehsiGEM and @LethbridgeiGEM

iGEM teams continue to work on their projects despite no lab access

caroline.zentner — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:38:05 +0000

Campus closures won’t stop these dedicated students! The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge undergraduate and high school iGEM teams are continuing their competition seasons even without access to wet lab space.

Using Zoom, shared online drives, and their own ingenuity, the teams have been connecting and are making the best of a bad situation. While they may not be able to get into the lab, teams still have many tasks to complete — writing papers, building a website, creating online workshops, organizing fundraisers and lots of research.

“We will not let this virus dampen our spirits and cancel iGEM for the year, so we’ve decided to make the best out of what we have,” says Kimoya Edwards, a Grade 11 student from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI). “There is a musical recital that was planned before this virus and as a team, we will continue with this recital virtually on May 23, because what’s a better way to liven the spirits than music?”

The high school team is also excited to participate in the online BioTreks conference May 2 and present their project paper: Understanding the mechanisms of small-scale composting and potential enzymatic improvements in pectin degradation using synthetic biology.

“Being a part of iGEM means a lot to our team members and our love for it is what keeps pushing us to continue,” says Shada Aborawi, a Grade 11 LCI student. “Even though we can’t use the lab for our project, we have found fun and easily accessible ways to further our research and make our project possible.”

This year the high school team chose to focus on making at-home composting as efficient as possible by engineering an enhanced pectin-degradation enzymatic pathway. Each team member will build a standardized composting unit at their own homes and record their observations and take samples of the microbial populations to hopefully analyze at a later date.

They will use advanced modeling techniques to predict important amino acid regions within pectin-degradation enzymes in order to create a theoretical minimal protein model. When the team is allowed to return to the lab, they will have lots of testing to complete.

From online fundraisers to YouTube channels to doing science at home, the high school iGEM team is getting it done!

“I am so proud of the resilience that the team has shown in the face of a very difficult situation. They are all still super excited about their project and we’re all learning together on how to translate a majority hands-on program to an online and at-home format,” says biochemistry instructor and team lead, Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM undergraduate team is also staying busy this season and will focus on advancing the use of antimicrobial peptides to combat agricultural pests prevalent in Alberta and elsewhere.

“iGEM is more than the lab bench, there are several aspects that we need to consider,” says Dia Koupantsis, student leader for the iGEM undergraduate team 2020. “In order to form a project, you need to have in mind how that will affect the user and the environment, what are the purposes and your end goal, etc. Luckily, our team is composed of individuals from different fields which gives a broad view on the project.”

“Despite these unprecedented circumstances we are continuing to train our students through the iGEM program activities, including a dedicated synthetic biology course that is now offered online by the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry this summer,” says Dr. Angeliki Pantazi, biochemistry instructor and university team supervisor.

With the current global situation, the impact science and research can have on our society is clear. The iGEM program is a great way of introducing young people to science, technology, engineering, and math and help to solve real-world local and global problems.

To support the Lethbridge high school iGEM team, please consider donating to their GoFundMe page. For more information send an email to iGEM@uleth.ca.

Follow them on social media:

Instagram @lethbridgehsiGEM/@uleth.igem

Facebook @lethbridgehsiGEM/@LethbridgeiGEM

Twitter @LethHS_iGEM/@LethbridgeiGEM

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM team earns gold for project that designs oral insulin delivery system

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:34:18 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Collegiate iGEM team set its sights on solving a problem that affects nearly nine per cent of the world’s population, and earned a gold medal for their efforts at the recently concluded International Genetically Engineered Machines World Jamboree in Boston, Mass.

The collegiate team, accompanied by the U of L’s High School iGEM entry that achieved a silver medal standing for its project, presented Algulin, which is the development of a novel method for the manufacturing and oral delivery of insulin to diabetics.

U of L iGEM collegiate and high school team members and their advisors in Boston. Back row (L–R) Catrione Lee, David Basil, Mark Lea, Dia Koupantsis, Laura Keffer-Wilkes, Thomas Byrne, Angeliki Pantazi and Chris Isaac. Middle (kneeling L–R) Linda He, Dewuni De Silva, Michelle Wu and Luke Saville. Front – Julien Todd.

“We wanted to do something different and meaningful, something that will have a positive effect on the people around us,” says Dia Koupantsis, a third-year biological sciences student. “So, we developed the project Algulin, an oral insulin manufactured in microalgae, in an attempt to democratize the manufacturing of insulin so that it can be widely available for individuals who need it.”

Diabetes is a massive global issue that requires lifelong management for those affected, imposing an enormous economic health burden that amounts to a $673 billion global expenditure annually. Currently, the most common method of relieving diabetes symptoms is through painful, expensive insulin injections. Some patients must self-administer the drug up to six times per day.

After interviewing diabetic patients, doctors and pharmacists, the iGEM team went about trying to find a way to deliver insulin to patients orally. The challenge, which has thwarted previous attempts, is to find a way to get the insulin through the stomach acid and into the small intestine for absorption without becoming seriously degraded. Their solution – microalgae.

Algulin is an oral insulin produced in microalgae. After testing three different microalgae, the group determined Cyanidioschyzon merolae, with its innate acid resistant membrane, could survive the stomach environment. Additionally, with a carbohydrate-based cell wall, C. merolae would degrade in the small intestine and allow for the therapeutic insulin to be absorbed through to its intended target — the portal vein.

“It was a challenging project because it involved working with an organism we’d never used before,” says Luke Saville, a fourth-year biochemistry student. “This promoted challenges in learning how to grow the organism and how to genetically engineer it to produce our insulin.”

U of L chemistry & biochemistry instructor Dr. Angeliki Pantazi is one of the team’s faculty mentors and lauds the team for the work they put in and the further potential of their project.

“The gold medal is exciting but it’s a little bit less about what we came back with and more about how we are training the next generation of scientists and leaders through these programs,” she says. “It’s a very student-driven program and I was impressed with why they wanted to pursue this project. They were concerned about people not being able to afford insulin and inspired by the first two Canadian scientists who isolated purified insulin and how they didn’t patent it for themselves but instead offered it to humankind for free.”

Now that the iGEM season is over, it’s up to the group to find possible investors to continue their work and eventually try and get a product to market. The next stage would be performing animal studies to see how the insulin is being transferred into the bloodstream and how it functions.

“I think it has great commercial potential,” says Saville. “By moving away from injectables and purification free insulin growth, we can dramatically lower the cost of diabetes management while providing a more comfortable way to administer medicine.”

Other members of the collegiate team included: Catrione Lee, Kalob Barr, Jesse Holbein, Allyson Lawrie-White, Landon McCabe, Joshua Omotosho, Kera Whitten and Dong Ju Kim. Graduate student advisors included Sydnee Calhoun, Aubrey Demchuk, Chris Isaac and Kristi Turton while Dr. Trushar Patel (chemistry & biochemistry) was the secondary investigator.

High school team earns silver

All four local high schools contributed to the team that presented CADAR (CRISPR assisted detection and removal) at the World Jamboree, a project designed to create a rapid diagnostic tool for identifying bacterial pathogens.

“Our team decided to choose CADAR because we saw the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria,” says Mark Lea, a Chinook High School graduate who is now in his first year at the U of L. “We found, through initial research, that there is a lot of over-prescription of antibiotics that further increases the amount of bacterial resistance. We thought finding an alternative and more novel approach to traditional antibiotic methods of identifying and then eliminating those pathogens would be an interesting project.”

Dr. Laura Keffer-Wilkes, the manager of Synbridge and high school team advisor, says the project was very ambitious for the high school group and she was pleased with the work they put in to try and develop a product that could be used in health care and patient care settings, in processing plants and even ambulances as a means to validate cleaning practices.

“It’s really student-driven, so they go after whatever motivates them, whatever passions they have,” she says. “As a high school instructor, I don’t want to stifle their creativity, and they used some very advanced technology in their work.”

The high school team consisted of: Alice Zhang, Andy Sun, Aroma Pageni, David Basil, Dewuni De Silva, Elisha Wong, Julien Todd, Karen He, Linda He, Katie Vienneau, Mark Lea, Michelle Wu, Mina Akbary, Natasha Woitte, Rachel Avileli, Rebecca Avileli, Shada Aborawi and Thomas Byrne.

iGEM culture the real driver of student success

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 18:06:54 +0000

The headlines for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s consistently successful international genetically engineered machine (iGEM) teams read like a wash, rinse, repeat cycle. Achieving a gold-medal standing at the annual iGEM World Jamboree is almost a surety, but those who participate as team members and advisors say the results they achieve are far less a focus than what is learned throughout the iGEM experience.

Members of the High School iGEM team speak to judges and other participants during a poster session at the iGEM World Jamboree in Boston, MA recently.

“This is an exceptional program that really opens up a window for our students,” says U of L chemistry & biochemistry instructor Dr. Angeliki Pantazi, in her second year as an iGEM faculty advisor. “At the competition there is a list of things you have to check off to see whether you earn a gold or a silver but that doesn’t really reflect the background work they put into their project. At the end, we have students who understand and apply science more effectively, and who are also able to present in front of experts and deliver presentations that reflect months of work.”

The skills they acquire, beyond the hard science they do in the wet-lab setting are many, including teamwork, networking, business development and more.

“The team takes a multifaceted approach to produce a project that is safe and will contribute to the lives of all of the people it will impact,” says fourth-year biochemistry major Luke Saville, an iGEM veteran who worked on this year’s Algulin project that won gold. “This is done through engaging with the community, using sociological approaches to understand how it affects the community and entrepreneurship — to take it from the lab and into the real world.”

Dia Koupantsis is in her third year of biological sciences and says the culture of iGEM is family oriented, with senior members mentoring newcomers to the group in a continual cycle that keeps the projects fresh and innovative.

“I say it’s like a family because you have a group of individuals from different sciences or non-science backgrounds who all come together and for six months, they spend countless hours working side-by-side,” she says. “Everyone has something to contribute. It can be a very intense environment, but you have your teammates, advisors and principal investigators who understand the pressure, inspire you to continue on and enhance your passion for the project. And they remind you that your goal is pure and important.”

Mark Lea, who is in his first year at the U of L, was part of the high school iGEM team that also travelled to Boston for the World Jamboree. His iGEM experience revolved around the well-established culture of teamwork.

“It is a very collaborative environment between the high school and collegiate teams because wet lab, dry lab, and team meetings all take place at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ,” he says. “This helped our group significantly as we knew we could always send our questions to our advisors to ensure we understood the complex science behind our project.”

Lea’s first exposure to iGEM opened his eyes to the research world and the opportunities that exist for undergraduate students. Their project, CADAR, earned a silver medal.

“I was drawn to iGEM initially because I wanted to use and apply the things I was learning in school to the real world,” he says. “Having access to the laboratories seemed too good to be true, and I thought that it was amazing that high school students could gain experience in so many different areas. iGEM has increased my skill inventory in so many areas in science, but also non-scientific areas such as the ethics of our project. It has definitely helped me grow as a person, and I would suggest it to anyone.”

The recruiting season is now underway for next year’s iGEM projects, which begin in January. Anyone interested can contact Drs. Laura Keffer-Wilkes (kefferwilkesl@uleth.ca) or Angeliki Pantazi (angeliki.pantazi@uleth.ca).

High School Synthetic Biology Team Wins Six Medals for BioTreks Paper

caroline.zentner — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:27:38 +0000

The 2018 iGEM season continues to be a great success for members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge-mentored Lethbridge high school team. The team submitted a scientific paper outlining their synthetic biology project, as well as participated in an online conference.

Members of the Lethbridge high school synthetic biology team pose for a photo in the lab.

“This was a great experience for the students,” says team mentor Sydnee Calhoun, a U of L biochemistry student. “We are so proud of their progress and how much they have learned this year.”

For their efforts, the team received medals for problem solving, conference participation, scientific rigor, innovation, collaboration, and visual communications. Michelle Wu also received special recognition for her excellent participation in the BioTreks Conference on April 28. The paper can be found here.

Taking a break from studying for exams, team members participated in a wet lab skills workshop June 16 and 17.

“I loved it! It was so much fun to get in the lab and learn all these new things,” says Mark Lea, a grade 11 student from Chinook High School.

The team was introduced to pipetting, transformations, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), restriction digestion and making competent cells – all techniques they will need for their project. They hope to create a more cost effective and energy efficient method of removing metal contaminants from effluent water and tailings ponds.

In order to complete their project, a significant amount of external funding is required. As this is an extracurricular activity, it is the team’s responsibility to cover all the operation costs – chemicals, equipment, competition and travel fees. To help offset some of these costs, the team has set up a gofundme campaign. All donations are welcome and will be acknowledged during the presentation at the iGEM Giant Jamboree in Boston. The team is made up of students from Winston Churchill High School, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Chinook High School and Catholic Central High School.

Follow the team’s progress on social media: @LethHS_iGEM and @lethbridgehsiGEM.

An iGEM team member works in the lab.

iGEM, the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, is the largest synthetic biology community and the premiere synthetic biology competition for both university and high school level students. iGEM inspires learning and innovation in synthetic biology through education, competition and by maintaining an open library of standard biological parts, the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.

Combining molecular biology techniques with engineering concepts, students work in interdisciplinary team to create novel biological systems. At the beginning of the competition season, each registered team is given a kit of 1000+ standard interchangeable parts called BioBricks from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools, teams use these parts and new parts of their own design to build, test, and characterize genetically engineered systems and operate them in living cells in an effort to address real-world issues. Along with submitting their newly created BioBricks to the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, teams are required to actively consider the safety implications of their work and document their projects on team wiki pages. At the end of the competition season, teams converge at the Jamboree event to showcase their research. Teams present their work through posters and oral presentations, and compete for prizes and awards, such as the coveted BioBrick trophy.

For more information about iGEM, visit http://igem.org/Main_Page.

Spooky Science has genome goo, ghost cannons and yes, exploding pumpkins

caroline.zentner — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 15:56:41 +0000

The organizers of Spooky Science Weekend aim to occupy youngsters with activities that are fun and engaging while at the same time sparking an interest in the sciences.

“Spooky Science is of course a fun event for the children and a way for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge to engage with the community, get together and share some fun. But the bigger purpose behind that is really to excite the children and the next generation for science,” says Dr. Ute Kothe, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the faculty supervisor for the Let’s Talk Science Outreach program. “If we instill a sense of curiosity and questioning this early, it’s a lifelong attitude that the children will carry with them.”

Batman spent some time with his namesake at last year's Spooky Science Weekend.

An interest in science has never been a problem for Laura Keffer-Wilkes, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge PhD candidate and co-ordinator of Spooky Science Weekend. As a high school student, she recalls having fun isolating the DNA in bananas. The same experiment is in this year’s lineup of activities under its Halloween name — genome goo.

“It’s really easy and kids love it,” she says. “You just crush up the banana and you mix in some dish soap and salt and then you rinse it with some isopropyl alcohol — all things you have in your house, right? Then you get these goopy strings.”

Genome goo is one of 10 activities in the lineup, along with a magic show by Wayne Lippa, an instructor in the department. Spooky Science enlists the help of about 20 undergraduate and graduate students for each of the three sessions.

“We couldn’t do it without our volunteers. They’re amazing,” says Keffer-Wilkes.

Getting youngsters interested in science at an early age gives them a foundation for learning about scientific inquiry and skills they’ll use throughout life.

A father and daughter perform an experiment at last year's Spooky Science Weekend.

“We believe strongly that this enables them to become critical citizens who are able to deal with problems in everyday life. Often, applying science skills of inquiry and questioning really helps you get along. That’s why we do science outreach,” says Kothe.

Keffer-Wilkes, who’s originally from Ontario, completed an undergraduate degree at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph. A six-month internship at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Station brought her out west. Following her internship, she decided to resume her studies, completing a master’s degree at the U of L and now working on a doctorate. Keffer-Wilkes joined the Let’s Talk Science Outreach program at the U of L a few years ago.

“I want to get young kids excited about science so they understand it,” she says. “I want to educate more people that science isn’t scary and we need to understand to be able to make informed decisions for our country.”

Because of its popularity, all sessions of Spooky Science filled up shortly after registration opened on Oct. 8. The activities are free but cash donations are never booed.

Media are welcome to attend any session of Spooky Science. The Friday session goes from 6 to 8 p.m. and the Saturday sessions go from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium.

UNews - Laura Keffer-Wilkes

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