Mindmeld, this is for you:
autos.canada.com
"Butanerds" on the move
U of A team headed to MIT competition with idea for a better bacteria
Keith Gerein
The Edmonton Journal
Thursday, November 01, 2007
A team of University of Alberta students is developing a new form of bacteria that could vastly improve the production of butanol, a biofuel that works as well as regular gasoline.
This weekend, the 10-member group known as the "Butanerds" is heading to Boston to enter their project in a prestigious competition in synthetic biology -- an emerging science that involves engineering and standardizing DNA molecules.
Nearly 60 teams from around the world are expected at the event, hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"I think we're sitting in a pretty good position," said Justin Pahara, a senior member of the team.
"Our project is very applicable to the world because transportation is such an important thing."
Pahara said a bacteria that makes butanol already exists, but it is inefficient and hard to work with.
The team's project is to manipulate a different bacteria so it will make the process easier and improve production.
As part of the work, the group is using computer models to predict how they might optimize the system.
Later in the year, the group hopes to take the computer simulation into the real world and actually make some butanol using their process, Pahara said.
"We haven't got butanol yet, but we have the foundation ready, so when we do get production, we'll be able to fairly quickly optimize things."
The project has been going since May, with group members each spending an average of 15 hours a week working outside of class, Pahara said.
The team, featuring students from engineering, pharmacology, biology, cell biology, botany and biochemistry, has been subsisting on a budget of less than $20,000.
More information on the team and the competition can be found on the web (parts.mit.edu/igem07).
kgerein@thejournal.canwest.com |
