When a group of Dalhousie science students spent a few afternoons at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park last summer, their reason for being there was pretty unusual compared to other park visitors.
They weren鈥檛 enjoying a casual walk through the trails, watching the park鈥檚 animals snooze, eat and play. These students were collecting fecal samples from the porcupines that call the park home.
Although that fieldwork was less than glamorous, it was a step fourth-year Microbiology student Emma Finlayson-Trick says was necessary to explore a big idea.
鈥淲e read that in the softwood lumber industry, in order to produce paper, you first have to remove cellulose [from the wood]. To do that, you have to use fire, water or chemicals,鈥� says Emma. 鈥淲e thought: there has to be a better way. So we started to think about the natural cellulose degraders out there, and we thought about the porcupine, because it eats wood.鈥�
Sights set on friendly competition
Emma and the other students were preparing a research project to present at the competition held annually in Boston, Massachusetts. It would be the second year that pilipili漫画 students competed at iGEM, and Emma was set to lead the team as its president. The competition is geared towards students interested in synthetic biology鈥攁n emerging field that combines biology with engineering.
鈥淔rom the porcupine fecal samples, we isolated DNA which provided us with information as to what bacteria were living in the porcupine gut,鈥� explains Emma. 鈥淭hat enabled us to search and identify enzymes involved in cellulose degradation within the bacterial genes.鈥�
With the goal of finding an enzyme that could potentially one day be incorporated into sustainable paper manufacturing, the iGEM team reached out to Shubenacadie Wildlife Park. The provincial park agreed to help the team start its work.
A range of backgrounds
There were : microbiology, chemistry, mathematics and medical sciences. Some even brought a flair for graphic design, web development and communications to the table too. The iGEM team was mentored by two graduate students from microbiology and pharmacology, and supervised by professors in the Faculty of Medicine.
鈥淭he microbiome is a fairly hot topic in science right now and that鈥檚 why we wanted to explore it in our project,鈥� explains Emma. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a diverse community of bacteria that can work symbiotically to perform various functions. We know the gut microbiome has the ability to metabolize non-digestible carbohydrates like cellulose.鈥�
The team was able to work with the , led by Dr. Morgan Langille who specializes in microbiome research. Emma and her peers identified some really interesting bacteria to investigate with their help.
From there, the iGEM team found cellulose-degrading enzymes and had a solid body of research to present at the five-day competition this past fall with over 280 other teams. Their hard work paid off鈥攅xpert judges rated the research at a bronze-level and provided constructive feedback for building on the project.
鈥淚t was an incredible bonding experience,鈥� says Emma, who speaks very highly of her teammates. 鈥淚t was also a foundation for this coming year,鈥� she adds, noting the potential of the bacteria and enzymes discovered could be useful in biofuel production as well.
Getting ready for 2017
The chance to conduct research during an undergraduate degree is a unique opportunity for Dalhousie students; the chance to collaborate between different disciplines is even better.
Being part of a student-led team that gets to present their work at an international competition is an unmatched learning experience. Luckily, there鈥檚 no stopping the Dal iGEM team 鈥� they鈥檙e already recruiting new members until January 28, 2017. .
(Additional photos provided by the iGEM team)