Team:Newcastle/Meetings/27 January 2010

Start time: 4pm

Attendance: Philip Hall, Rachel Boyd, Zoltan Balogh, Harsh Sheth, Younus Essa, Alan Koh, Steven Woodhouse, Da Ye, Janetta, Richard, Matt, Jen and Anil

Contents 1 1. Summary of the last meeting 2 2. Summary of last informal meeting 3 3. Wiki update 4 4. Ideas Brainstorm 4.1 Phil 4.2 Zoltan 4.3 Steven 4.4 Harsh 4.5 Alan 5 5. Timeline 6 6. Action points 7 7. Any other business

1. Summary of the last meeting

- We will need to look over B.subtilis and winners ...and the rest of the projects- need a novel twist

2. Summary of last informal meeting

- B.subtilis must be in italics!

3. Wiki update

- Login will be changed to password protected

4. Ideas Brainstorm

Phil

- Arsenic sequestering or heavy metal - Detect using fluorescence - Last year did it/ Cambridge - Pigments... can we improve?

Zoltan

- Degrading hydrocarbons - B.subtillis can do this already can we improve it - Problem biofilms, we must stop the bacteria forming a biofilm - Oil slicks - Bacteria already do it, not as fit. - Ethics - Environment not contained - Damaging to wild life, counterproductive to cleaning up the oil slick

Steven

- Removal of CO2 - Making biotechnology safer - Kill switches - Reducing rates of mutation

Harsh

- CO2 to isobutynol - Cut cyclic chain , fuel instead of fat - Spores not germinate - Weaponised hydrocarbon spores - Need clean burn

Alan

- Nitrogen fixation in soil - Enhance - Better promoter - Nitrogenase genes - Anaerobic - 2009 heavy metal sequestering plus fertiliser - Plant root , protect(fungicide), fertilise

5. Timeline

– ABSOLUTE PRIORITY-KEY POINT ON MONDAY - Work backward from November - Igem deadlines ... last years - Personal constraints ... exam periods - Booking flights etc - On agenda again next week - Project decision

6. Action points

Security –Zoltan /Anil talk to Dan Start learning code- Everyone (who hasn’t already) Add new members to mailing list-Jen Send then the link to the wiki- Zoltan Extend Monday meeting time-Zoltan Project management software-Jennetta Aim~ 5 projects in each area Tutorials -clone manager and sequential, what is a biobrick tutorial, modelling tutorial –Anil and Jen/ We need to ask for them in advance Register!- Anil and Jen Add our own personal deadlines to the wiki- everyone Program to sort out who's going to go through each of the past Igem projects –Zoltan Breaking up past igems, review 30 each, linking up on wiki- all

7. Any other business

- May need to change 5pm meeting time - More ideas all our ideas are environmental - How many areas?- Best food/energy, Best environment, Best Health and medicine, Best manufacturing, Best new app, Best information processing, Best software tool - We should have a standing agenda - We need to start characterising early on

What is a bio brick?

- Chunk of DNA - Defined start / end - Easily connected - No scars - Same restriction sites - Cut ends not middle - Like Lego bricks

Terminology not sorted out yet!