What happened?

We spent about one month over the Summer trying to assemble our gBlocks for PCR. During this time we modified the PCR heat cycle many times, believing optimization of the heat cycles to be the issue holding us back. We even reached out to a grad student, Jessica Stieglitz, for tips on PCR optimization. Only after weeks of failed attempts (X PCR’s over X Gels), we approached Jessica Stieglitz again for help, explaining our problem and protocol more specifically, and realized that assembly PCR required one run of the thermocycle without polymerase. By the time we ran the corrected assembly PCR protocol, our DNA blocks were degraded already from so many freeze-thaw cycles and periods outside of refrigeration. Regardless, we did see some bands of properly assembled product, although it was too impure for any use. After that month was over, Aiden Lewis, the treasurer head had to return home, since his stipend for summer housing only lasted one month. While he was gone, an order was placed to order more gBlocks for another trial of the project. However, earlier in the year, the wrong mailing address had been placed and this had not been corrected. Since Aiden was not around to pick up the shipment from the wrong address, and he was on vacation out of the country, the rest of the team failed to receive replacement gBlocks, as they were lost in the mail.