Week 8

My nano-drop tests for this week have really affected my experiment. My hypothesis was right, the shelf life of lysosomes from egg whites for DNA extractions is not very long, less then 1 week to be exact. After last weeks DNA extraction and nano-drop, i repeated the exact same process this week only to obtain half the DNA results from 1 week ago. This brings the question how can I alter the lysosomes to extend its shelf life without compromising its chemical properties that allow for it to be used in DNA extraction? Can I partially prep the egg white and would the shelf life be greater? or to be more specific should I test a DNA extraction everyday to know exactly how long the shelf life really is? For now I will draft up my research paper upon this experiment drawing my final conclusions about the experiment and my obstacles and mistakes throughout this wonderful learning experience. This is a picture of my original Bacteria testing before getting into the DNA extractions.

Week 7 Back in the Lab

So after a successful robotics competition I am happy to be back in the lab working with the extraction of lysozyme from egg white. Due to having my previous lysozyme extraction sit unused for too long I dedicated this week to create a fresh batch of lysozyme and a test of DNA extraction from the fresh batch. After the batch was freshly made I completed a DNA extraction from my original unknown bacteria using a DNA extraction kit and my lysozyme in order to compare and create a baseline of data for the following weeks. Using a nano-drop technique I tested the DNA extractions for purity and successful extraction.

Week 6 Vex competiton

Due to a upcoming competition, this week I have sidelined my time in the lab in order to complete and finalize my plan for my robot in order to compete this weekend. From the beginning till now the robot has been taken apart and put together several times and each time being a different robot performing the same task. Now I have finalized my design choice for this competition with a scorpion style design. sacrificing speed for torque and the ability to raise a cube over the fence, still some work is in progress with 2 days left. My center of mass for the robot needs adjusting due to the weight of a cube tilting the robot over rendering it useless. I'm not sure if I should add a wheelie bar style assistance to it or adjust the center of mass over the rear tires to allow the cube to be over the center of the chassis. That is my goal for tomorrow experiment with both options and make a final decision for the competition.