Picture This

Explore an engineered biological system through a computer simulation, an electronics building kit, and a real-life example

The Picture This lab consists of three activities that focus on the modeling and design of biocircuits. Students examine a two component sensing system that has been engineered to produce bacterial photographs. Picture This activities include a downloadable program to model the genetic system and change experimental parameters, an exercise to model the same system using electronic parts on a bread board, and an opportunity to send a stencil that will be turned into a bacterial photograph. While there is little emphasis on lab techniques, these activities provide the students with the opportunity to engage in modeling, an important engineering and scientific tool. They can then engage in discussions about the purpose and value of modeling and the strength of the analogy each model provides. It is recommended that the students read Chapter 8 in the BioBuilder Textbook for more information about the two component signaling system modeled in this lab.

SAMPLE UNIT PLANS

Some helpful background content and skills

Content

DNA Basics: what it is and how it works
Gene Expression: Transcription, Translation, Operons
Recombinant DNA: Restriction enzymes, cloning, selection with antibiotic resistance

Skills

Pipetting
Measuring cell density with a spectrophotometer
Basic microbiology skills: Culturing bacteria, Aseptic technique, Antibiotic resistance, Population dynamics

SOME LAB MATERIALS TO HAVE ON HAND

HARDWARE: Some basic biology laboratory equipment such as glassware, pipets, a water bath or heat block to heat samples, an icebucket or styrofoam cup to cool samples, 4C fridge and ice-cold freezer (ideally to -20C) to store samples, a stir plate to mix samples, and an incubator to grow samples (though room temperature can work too). Some additional experiments might need a chemical hood, electrophoresis chambers, spectrophotometer, or a PCR machine.
CONSUMABLES: Some basic consumable laboratory equipment such as pipet tips, plastic tubes, growth media, petri dishes, toothpicks, spreaders, sterile loops, bleach or the like for decontamination and disposal of bioreagents. Some additional experiments might need additional consumables such as gel running buffers, loading buffers, stains to visualize DNA or proteins, cuvettes, PCR master mix, or an autoclave for sterilizing reagents.