CU Day
The CU-Boulder iGEM team strongly values the conservation of our environment. Our team has a focus on using soybeans as our source for genetic modification. And we are tackling this with the use of whey proteins. This project tackles three big problems: climate change, animal cruelty, and the infant formula shortage. To start, climate change is more than just an increase in temperature; climate change also includes rising sea levels as well as changing weather patterns1. For humans, the greatest concern of climate change will be more frequent heat waves which can lead to death, and poor air quality impacting the health of millions2. In addition to the environmental impact, roughly 70% of cows reside in factory farms in inhumane conditions3. By producing cow milk in soybeans, the CU-Boulder iGEM team hopes to significantly decrease the overall greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy industry and its overall impact on climate change. Soybeans produce their own fertilizer. Additionally, with shifting the demand for dairy cows, the inhumane practice of dairy farming can be eliminated, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Today, dairy cows are subject to repeated impregnation, forced overproduction of milk, restrictive environment and poor nutrition4. Reference Reducing our dependance on cows for milk will effectively reduce these harmful practices dairy cows face today. Finally, our project addresses an alternative source of whey (Alpha-lactalbumin and Beta-lactoglobulin) used in infant formula. The whey protein is one of the main ingredients found in baby formula. This project would allow a sustainable alternative for deriving whey protein from cow milk to be used in the formula.
Be Involved Fair
At the beginning of every school year, CU Boulder hosts the “Be Involved Fair” to show off all the clubs at CU Boulder that are available for students to join. We set up a a booth in order to showcase not only the innovative research our team does but also to introduce iGEM to new students majoring in STEM related fields. We talked to tons of students about our research project as well as many students interested in getting into research and potentially joining the iGEM team. We were excited to showcase the work we do for the iGEM jamboree and inform people of a research opportunity they may not have known existed otherwise. Thank you to the CU Boulder Center for Student Involvement for allowing us the opportunity to participate in the Be Involved Fair and the CU Boulder community! Sko Buffs!
CU Boulder iGEM travels to Iowa State University’s Soyfest
This summer our lab was graciously invited to Iowa State University to exhibit our research at their annual soybean festival, an event held on campus for students and professionals in the soybean community. Iowa is the second largest producer of soybeans in the United States as well as the second largest exporting state for agriculture in general. Upon our arrival, it was clear that this community had soybeans ingrained in their DNA, making this an exciting opportunity to communicate our work to stakeholders in the larger soybean community. We talked to farmers, traditional genetic researchers, and innovators who use soybeans to create all sorts of consumer products such as roof tiles, various foods, and much more. We were prompted with many questions on the implications and importance of our research and made many exciting connections with professionals in the field. It was exciting for us to share our work and gain more insight from people who love soybeans as much as we do. We were lucky enough to receive a tour of ISU’s soybean research fields by Dr. Asheesh K. Singh where we were able to visualize in person the scale of production we hope our research will one day reach. Thank you Iowa State!
