Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
p('We investigated the struggles of HIV diagnosis by talking to someone who had traveled to Malawi and had experienced that environment. In our opinion, her direct experience was one of the best ways to investigate the issue. She discussed how the device must be relatively simple to use and be fast, as often people leave the clinic before they get the results back. The more we spoke to people, the more evident it was that a quick and simple kit was something that was an actual necessity. More details on these investigations can be found in the “Engaging with Experts” section of this page.'), | p('We investigated the struggles of HIV diagnosis by talking to someone who had traveled to Malawi and had experienced that environment. In our opinion, her direct experience was one of the best ways to investigate the issue. She discussed how the device must be relatively simple to use and be fast, as often people leave the clinic before they get the results back. The more we spoke to people, the more evident it was that a quick and simple kit was something that was an actual necessity. More details on these investigations can be found in the “Engaging with Experts” section of this page.'), | ||
p('We also engaged with people who are vital to the process of HIV-1 diagnosis and an integral part of that community. We spoke to someone involved in HIV policy in order to help us understand the complexities of building a kit and how to ensure that it was truly beneficial in diagnosis. We also spoke to a biological safety officer in order to understand the disposal techniques and packaging methods in order to ensure that our kit would be used responsibly and have no negative effects that were preventable. More details on this HIV and safety community engagement can be found in the “Engaging with Experts” section of this page.'), | p('We also engaged with people who are vital to the process of HIV-1 diagnosis and an integral part of that community. We spoke to someone involved in HIV policy in order to help us understand the complexities of building a kit and how to ensure that it was truly beneficial in diagnosis. We also spoke to a biological safety officer in order to understand the disposal techniques and packaging methods in order to ensure that our kit would be used responsibly and have no negative effects that were preventable. More details on this HIV and safety community engagement can be found in the “Engaging with Experts” section of this page.'), | ||
− | p('We chose this approach of interviewing people who had actually traveled to locations where our kit was needed because we thought that it would be the best way to get feedback that was personal and genuine. We feel as if we were successful in this, as the information they provided us was seemed much more personal than information gained from papers or other resources. We also interviewed safety and policy officials, as we felt like they would be able to provide a fresh perspective on our project. The team ourselves would not be able to catch every single minute detail that may have a | + | p('We chose this approach of interviewing people who had actually traveled to locations where our kit was needed because we thought that it would be the best way to get feedback that was personal and genuine. We feel as if we were successful in this, as the information they provided us was seemed much more personal than information gained from papers or other resources. We also interviewed safety and policy officials, as we felt like they would be able to provide a fresh perspective on our project. The team ourselves would not be able to catch every single minute detail that may have a negativeWe focused on contacting people who have experience in diagnosing HIV-1 in the field because we knew that we would not have the opportunity to experience this ourselves, but the input from these individuals was still exceptionally valuable. We wanted to know what this diagnostic process was like and what the struggles were from someone who has spent time in that environment. We also contacted a people involved with policy and safety because HIV-1 is a dangerous disease and we realized that the kit and the process of using it (hypothetically) may have complications that we may not be able to see at first glance. |
+ | impact considering we are not experts in the field. Therefore, we talked to experts who were able to make sure that our work was truly responsible and would have a positive impact.') | ||
), | ), | ||
h(g.Section, {title: 'GOLD MEDAL CRITERIA'}, | h(g.Section, {title: 'GOLD MEDAL CRITERIA'}, | ||
− | p('Utilizing the information that we gained from various experts, we were able to finalize our laboratory protocols and decided to focus on protocols that did not require specific machinery. By doing so, we were able to divert from depending on large central labs, to doing detection within small rural hospitals, thereby increasing communication between the technicians and family. In response to sterility, we created a resource to establish a standard for universal precautions. To see a more detailed description of the designing and implementation please refer to the Integration section.') | + | p('Utilizing the information thatWe focused on contacting people who have experience in diagnosing HIV-1 in the field because we knew that we would not have the opportunity to experience this ourselves, but the input from these individuals was still exceptionally valuable. We wanted to know what this diagnostic process was like and what the struggles were from someone who has spent time in that environment. We also contacted a people involved with policy and safety because HIV-1 is a dangerous disease and we realized that the kit and the process of using it (hypothetically) may have complications that we may not be able to see at first glance. |
+ | we gained from various experts, we were able to finalize our laboratory protocols and decided to focus on protocols that did not require specific machinery. By doing so, we were able to divert from depending on large central labs, to doing detection within small rural hospitals, thereby increasing communication between the technicians and family. In response to sterility, we created a resource to establish a standard for universal precautions. To see a more detailed description of the designing and implementation please refer to the Integration section.') | ||
), | ), | ||
h(g.Section, {title: 'BEST INTEGRATED HUMAN PRACTICES SPECIAL PRIZE'}, | h(g.Section, {title: 'BEST INTEGRATED HUMAN PRACTICES SPECIAL PRIZE'}, | ||
Line 37: | Line 39: | ||
h('li', null, 'The second annual Austin STEM Day, led by the American Heart Association, Abbott and Texas Mutual Insurance Company, will engage 40 high-school students in a day-long conference. The program aimed to inspire students, encourage innovative thinking and demonstrate that not only are STEM careers critical to the health of our communities but also, they can be fun!'), | h('li', null, 'The second annual Austin STEM Day, led by the American Heart Association, Abbott and Texas Mutual Insurance Company, will engage 40 high-school students in a day-long conference. The program aimed to inspire students, encourage innovative thinking and demonstrate that not only are STEM careers critical to the health of our communities but also, they can be fun!'), | ||
h('li', null, 'Volunteers engaged with other students during the conference from 8:30-12 p.m on July 21, 2018 and participated in various STEM related activities with mentors to to help inspire future students.') | h('li', null, 'Volunteers engaged with other students during the conference from 8:30-12 p.m on July 21, 2018 and participated in various STEM related activities with mentors to to help inspire future students.') | ||
− | ) | + | ) We focused on contacting people who have experience in diagnosing HIV-1 in the field because we knew that we would not have the opportunity to experience this ourselves, but the input from these individuals was still exceptionally valuable. We wanted to know what this diagnostic process was like and what the struggles were from someone who has spent time in that environment. We also contacted a people involved with policy and safety because HIV-1 is a dangerous disease and we realized that the kit and the process of using it (hypothetically) may have complications that we may not be able to see at first glance. |
+ | We focused on contacting people who have experience in diagnosing HIV-1 in the field because we knew that we would not have the opportunity to experience this ourselves, but the input from these individuals was still exceptionally valuable. We wanted to know what this diagnostic process was like and what the struggles were from someone who has spent time in that environment. We also contacted a people involved with policy and safety because HIV-1 is a dangerous disease and we realized that the kit and the process of using it (hypothetically) may have complications that we may not be able to see at first glance. | ||
+ | |||
), | ), | ||
h('li', null, 'The LASA iGEM Team led mini science experiment-labs at The Thinkery Museum (8/10/18, 8/25/18, and 9/15/18)', | h('li', null, 'The LASA iGEM Team led mini science experiment-labs at The Thinkery Museum (8/10/18, 8/25/18, and 9/15/18)', | ||
Line 212: | Line 216: | ||
) | ) | ||
+ | ), | ||
+ | h(g.Section, {title: 'OUR APPROACH'}, | ||
+ | p('The reason why we chose to focus so heavily on education of younger students in our human practices is because we believe that a public educated in biotechnology and genetics starts at its roots. This meant attempting to spark some inspiration in younger students, which we believe we were successful in. They were so incredibly fascinated with the results of their experiments, and we believe that this is going to be a motivator for them the persue expanding their own knowledge.'), | ||
+ | p('We focused on contacting people who have experience in diagnosing HIV-1 in the field because we knew that we would not have the opportunity to experience this ourselves, but the input from these individuals was still exceptionally valuable. We wanted to know what this diagnostic process was like and what the struggles were from someone who has spent time in that environment. We also contacted a people involved with policy and safety because HIV-1 is a dangerous disease and we realized that the kit and the process of using it (hypothetically) may have complications that we may not be able to see at first glance.') | ||
), | ), | ||
h(g.Section, {title: 'Human Practices in Our Kit'}, | h(g.Section, {title: 'Human Practices in Our Kit'}, |
Revision as of 03:52, 18 October 2018