Home Safety JUDGING FORM

#MINNESOTA 2018

Human practice:
_____St. Croix Watershed Research Station | Science Museum of Minnesota The St. Croix Watershed Research Station is home to a team of scientists who study water around the world. They seek to better understand the challenges facing clean water and humanity's relationship with our most precious resource. Their research provides essential data to improve water quality and reduce pollution of lakes and rivers. Their fields of study include land use, climate change, atmospheric deposition, and other factors that affect watersheds, thus contributing to scientific understanding of aquatic systems. Since 1989, these studies have taken them from the St. Croix River to Mongolia, Alaska, the Arctic, and beyond. The findings regularly inform policy, management, and the public. Benjamin Alva and Savannah Lockwood presented the iGEM UMN 2018 project to the St. Croix Watershed Research Station research team and accompanying facility staff on August 21st. Mercury pollution has been a heavily studied discipline at their facility, cataloging mercury contamination levels across Minnesota and elucidating the biological mechanisms that lead to methylmercury accumulation and ecological circulation. The research team provided iGEM UMN with insightful advice and opinions regarding the testing and implementation of our biotechnology in freshwater systems.


_____Cell Lab | Science Museum of Minnesota The Cell Lab is a hands-on wet biology lab located in the Human Body Gallery of the Science Museum of Minnesota. In the lab participants get the chance to don a lab coat, gloves, and goggles, and perform science experiments using real lab equipment. Computer-guided workstations, known as activity benches, leading them step-by-step through a variety of experiments exploring topics in cellular, molecular, and microbiology. Benjamin Alva, Jack Reddan, and Zhipeng Ding presented the iGEM UMN 2018 project to Cell Lab high school volunteer researchers and adult coordinators on August 29th. This presentation consisted of content modifications that were gleaned from the St. Croix Watershed Research Station team feedback. The high school student audience were all Advanced Placement Biology students seeking to enter college as a biological sciences major. This presentation highlighted the potential field of biotechnology and synthetic biology as to hopefully inspire these students to pursue research in similar fields.

Minnesota State Fair
The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. The Minnesota State Fair is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area with around two million people in attendance annually. Attendance in 2018 hit a historical record of 2,046,533 people. Benjamin Alva and Jack Reddan showcased the iGEM UMN 2018 project in the University of Minnesota building in the College of Biological Sciences section on August 29th. The project poster board was tailored made for the event, featuring prominent 2018 project components, such as the mercury pollution situation, wet lab procedure, dry lab aspects, project implementation, and the potential of synthetic biology. This was a great opportunity to engage a broader audience and expose listeners to the major advances that have occurred in biotechnology.