Team:KEYSTONE/Collaborations


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Overview

As iGemers, we value collaboration as a significant component of our project. Therefore, we have hosted and participated in numerous collaborated events to spread and exchange our information and passion on synthetic biology. Despite the difficulties that we have encountered due to COVID-19, we still managed to maintain our goal of cross-team communication. Therefore, we have recorded the collaborations that we have had throughout the process of the project until Oct. 21st. The collaborations are listed below. They respectively are:
1. The Synthetic Biologic Fair
2. The Collaboration with Team Whittle
3. The Environmental fair
4. The Meetup at QHFZ_China
5. The Meetup of the Plasticase


Collaboration with Team Whittle

Content

We have formed a collaboration with Team Whittle through sharing the protein Laccase. Team Whittle’s original project was to inhibit the growth of creepers and to biodegrade the Graffiti on the walls. Even though they have changed their project into the inhibition and promotion of plant growth via plant hormone, which means their project no longer utilizes Laccase, we still shared the protein Laccase, and used it in the final project of Team Keystone.

Team Whittle


The reason that we invited Whittle into this collaboration was because we realized, through research, that Laccase can help the secretion of Lcp too. Therefore, we reached out to Team Whittle, and asked if they could share their source of protein Laccase.

The discussion with Team Whittle

Outcomes

Since Team Whittle have reached agreements on our collaboration, we have utilized Laccase in our project as an reporter of Lcp1VH2 secretion. Throughout our experiment,we gained an unexpected benefit: Laccase by itself can act as a secretion agent.

Therefore, This collaboration has largely benefited our project. We have gained two major benefits:
1. Laccase as an indicator to report Lcp1VH2 secretion .
2. Laccase as a secretion agent to promoting Lcp1VH2 secretion.

Synthetic Biologic Fair

We have hosted a Synthetic Biologic Fair at Keystone. The goal of this fair is:
1. To promote collaborations and communication between teams.
2. To popularize and spread the awareness of all teams’ project and synthetic biology as a form of public education.

The sales on the Syn Bio Fair


Content

On October 16, we hosted an offline Synthetic Biology Fair at our school, Keystone Academy, and invited several iGEM teams to join the meet-up: BJU-China, CKWA-China, iBowu-China, QHFZ_China, BHSF 2021, and RDFZ iGEM team. Due to Covid-19 regulations, we were only able to invite teams locally in Beijing. In this meet-up, we each set up our own booths and shared our projects with one another.

Team iBowu's booth

Outcomes

This fair was fruitful, in which we were able to exchange valuable information and results about our projects with other teams. We asked questions to other teams and learned the fundamental theories and designs of their projects. Besides, we also collaborated to share our knowledge and passion on synthetic biology to audiences at Keystone. Therefore, this fair has also been proven to be a successful platform of public education.

Team BJU's booth and the RDFZ_China members

Keystone's booth


Environmentalism Fair

We have participated in a student-led Environmentalism Fair at our school. The goal of this fair is:
1. To exchange insights on environmentalism through the showcase of various successful projects.
2. To raise the awareness on environmental protection.

Content

Our team was invited to an Environmentalism Fair hosted by a group of students at Keystone Academy who completed several successful projects in and out of school on environmental protection. A few representatives from other organizations, including Beijing Energy Network, Peking University, Shan Shui Conservation Center, and Chinese Felid Conservation Alliance (CFCA) also participated in the meet-up. Each team set up their booth stations and shared their current achievements on environmental protection.

Keystone 2020's booth at the Environmentalism Fair


Several representatives also shared their experiences and knowledge on environmental protection through means of lectures.

Chinese Felid Conservation Alliance (CFCA)'s booth

Keystone Students' booth


Outcomes

Through participating in this fair, we exchanged ideas with other student and professionals within the field of environmental protection. We learned what other organizations has achieved in mitigating environmental issues and protecting wildlife. This allowed us to reflect on how our project in general contributed to promoting environmentalism through rubber biodegradation. It was also a favorable opportunity whereby we carried out our public education to the audience.

Our team members (Suri and Lisa) with the merchandises!


The Meetup at QHFZ_China

Content

We have attended a Meetup hosted by QHFZ_China offline. This Meetup have invited over 60 participants, and we have exchanged our projects and received both peer feedback and feedbacks from the professors that QHFZ_China has invited.

The Meetup hosted by QHFZ_China


Outcome

Professor Liu Luo have given us advice on our project based on our initial design. He suggested that simply focusing on the synthesis of isoprene is too commonly seen, and ordinary. Therefore, he has suggested us to focus on the biodegradation of polyisoprene in our project. As a result, we adapted our project based on this suggestion to the biodegradation of rubber, which later became “The Rubber Eater”.

iGEMers at the QHFZ_China Meetup


The Plasticase Confederation

Content

“The Meetup of the Plasticase” is a meetup host by CPU, which aims to reach communication across the iGEM teams that are selecting biodegradation as their project. The meetup was an online meeting across the country. Each team shared their project and their progress and received feedbacks respectively from the authorities in the synthetic biology field.

Outcome

From this meeting, we have got to know the other teams’ strategies on achieving the process of biodegradation. Based on their presentations on their project, we were able to learn more methods of degradation, and thus enlarging our view on the field of biodegradation.

The online meeting of the Plasticase Confederation


Conclusion

In conclusion, we have gained a large variable, and a large amount of information and suggestions that is beneficial to our project. We have made various improvements on our design and project orientation, and also was able to achieve a higher level of implementation afterwards by collaborating with our peers. Again, we sincerely thank all of the teams and teachers that have assisted and collaborated with team Keystone on their efforts to make “The Rubber Eater” better.