The primary effort in this SuperUROP project consists of writing additional Python modules to take full advantage of the capabilities of an Opentron robot for biological engineering endeavors. For example, these modules could focus on streaking colonies, performing BCA (protein concentration) and Bradford assays, and conducting other assays in order to minimize researchers’ time spent on repetitive tasks. This work could provide a template with which chemical engineers could mold their own protocols for high-throughput experiments using a more economical platform in their research endeavors than is currently the industry standard.

I am participating in SuperUROP to best contribute to my lab’s ability to conduct high-throughput research while gaining technical competencies not normally covered in a chemical-biological engineering curriculum. My previous research in quantitative trait locus-mapping drew my attention to the importance of automating lower level processes to best focus my efforts on high-value activities.