Stephanie Huttelmaier ?18 participated in the first synthetic biology research boot camp at Carth...
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Every once in a while, a particularly potent combination develops — like chocolate and peanut butter, Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, or biology and computer science.

As eight students discovered this summer at Carthage, few combinations can match the potential of those two academic disciplines. Professors Deborah Tobiason and Mark Mahoney led the first synthetic biology research boot camp at Carthage, supported by a $38,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

In the rapidly growing field of synthetic biology, researchers construct new living parts or redesign existing ones to target health and environmental problems. Its multidisciplinary approach has spawned diagnostic tests for HIV and bacteria that devour oil from tanker spills, with potential for lots of other uses.

“It’s a very new field with a lot of possibilities,” said Jacob Haag ’17, a neuroscience major from Lodi, Wisconsin.

Jacob was one of five Carthage students who participated in the monthlong crash course in June. The rest came from Ripon (Wisconsin) College, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Boston College.

Professor Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield of Simmons College led an identical boot camp at her campus in Boston in a virtual collaboration with the Carthage team. She and Prof. Tobiason attended a major synthetic biology workshop in 2013.

At Carthage, the student researchers worked towards building a biosensor in the form of a bacterium sensitive enough to detect low levels of toluene — and to glow when the potentially toxic chemical is present. Studies suggest long-term exposure to toluene, which is also found in paint, adhesives, and nail polish, can cause a variety of health problems.

Students received cross-training, and several got their first taste of research. They learned both the lab techniques and the computer programming skills needed to design and build the biosensor.

“When you learn both, the possibilities really open up,” Prof. Tobiason said. “You’re much more marketable.”

The boot camp will flow into a future Carthage research course on synthetic biology. But the professors’ ultimate goal is to form a team that would compete in the annual iGEM competition in Boston.

At the international event, teams are assigned kits with genetic pieces called “Biobricks.” Students assemble them in different configurations, much like Legos, and test the resulting biological “machines” in living cells.

During the June session, chemistry and environmental science professor Sarah Rubinfeld framed the project by laying out the dangers of toluene. And, because synthetic biology sits under the broader heading of genetic engineering, Professor Janice Pellino addressed ethical questions.

Several of the students will continue the synthetic biology research this coming year.

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Grant details
Collaborative Research: REU Pilot – Synthetic Biology Bootcamp
Award #1443357