Wisconsin Lutheran College prioritizes the safety of its students while working in the lab. Because lab work can be dangerous, students are taught proper lab safety technique and etiquette before entering the lab. Furthermore, members reviewed chemical and hazard awareness to ensure that all members used the necessary PPE and remained safe over the course of the lab. Wisconsin Lutheran College also acknowledges that its labs are shared by many individuals at a time. For this reason, it is crucial that the lab working space is cleaned prior to the beginning of the lab and that all materials and space are properly cleaned afterwards. This ensures that the labs continue to be high-functioning learning spaces for everyone.
A non-pathogenic strain of E. coli (DH5-alpha) was used in lab experiments. As a result of this and other precautions taken, team members working in the lab were at minimal risk when designing the plasmids. Our project involved no modifications to E. coli that allowed pathogenic factors or properties to be expressed.
Our project involved inserting a nutrient-induced promoter into a plasmid. This promoter looks for amounts of phosphates present in the soil and changes a certain color when the nutrient is detected. This plasmid was then transferred into our E. coli cell. There is no threat to lab members due to the use of the promoter function within the plasmid.
For more information about our team’s safety, please visit our safety form.