[Vanhackspace] BioCurious

[Dan Fornika]

Hey,

I'm a grad student in the UBC Dept. of Medical Genetics.  I've dropped
by the hackspace a couple times and really enjoyed my time there.

Can I get some feedback from the list on the level of interest in
doing a DIY Biology night?

Here are some example presentation topics and activities (note:
experiments are limited because most molecular biology experiments are
slooooooow):

1. DNA extraction - extract purified DNA from a plant-based life form.
 Onions work great, but what about apples? potatoes?  What affects
extraction purity and yield?
2. What is PCR?  The Polymerase Chain Reaction is the most versatile
biochemical reaction in modern Molecular Biology.  What can it be used
for?  How cheap and easy can you do it?
3. Public Bio Databases - Genbank, dbSNP, 1000 Genomes: How can you
access the data?  Is it possible to do science by recycling public
datasets?
4. What are the unique dangers of DIY Bio that need to be respected?
You wouldn't solder in an unventilated space, but would you sequence
your own DNA?
5. Grafting 101 - Let's make some Franken-plants! (This isn't my area
of expertise but I think it is a cool area of DIY Bio activity)

Note: I'm not a VHS member and don't speak for the group.  I'm just
asking if there is interest in this and I'm willing to help organize
an event if there is.

Dan

On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 12:41 PM, Ninety Nein <ninetynein at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi there,
>
> I remember some list chat about DIY biology.  There's a new
> kickstarter project that has some interesting ideas.  Check it out at:
> http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1040581998/biocurious-a-hackerspace-for-biotech-the-community
> _______________________________________________
> Vanhackspace mailing list
> Vanhackspace at lists.uselessdegree.net
> http://lists.uselessdegree.net/listinfo.cgi/vanhackspace-uselessdegree.net
>