Aarón Ochoa (2º bachillerato 2017-18)
Igem.UPNA is a team formed by 15 students from different degrees in the Public University of Navarre: Biotechnology , Data Science, Sciences and Biomedical Engineering. We have been working the whole summer in a synthetic biology project. In order to understand our project we have to be concerned about the issues that nitrates and heavy metals cause in the environment and our own health. Both nitrates and heavy metals are substances that produce pollution, which comes from plants illnesses to human tumors.
Here in Navarre, farmers are dealing with nitrate problems that affect their plantations. Because of this we thought in creating a eco-friendly method to find the presence of nitrates and different heavy metals, in this case cadmium, mercury and cooper.
We modified genetically bacteria, using different techniques we were able to design DNA and introduce it to our bacterias. Finally we obtained bacteria that change their colour whenever they detect the presence of nitrates and heavy metals, we have this catalogue:
- – Nitrate turns yellow
- – Cadmium turns pink
- – Mercury turns purple
- – Cooper turns blue
When the concentration of each substance is higher, the colour produced by the bacteria becomes more intense.
Finally we went to present our project to Boston on late October, where different teams from all around the world were also presenting their projects. This competition is called iGEM, and it was created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). First of all we did a presentation in front of a jury composed by 6 professionals, and after that the judges came to see poster in order to ask us some questions about the project.
Unfortunately we did not win a «big trophy» but we received a golden medal because of achieving different goals in terms of a complete project.
It was a great experience that we really enjoyed as we were able to use what we are learning in our respective degrees, doing lab work, designing our own webs and trying to find fination. And we were also able to meet a lot of people in the science area. For last but not least as a student from this high school I really want to encourage you all to study science degrees as I+D is a synonymous for progress and future!!!!