Highlights

Throughout the year, lab safety was a top priority for the team. Some of the ways we prioritized safety include the following:

• Using non-pathogenic E. coli to safely and effectively express plasmid genes
• Replacing mutagenic ethidium bromide with Sybr-Green
• Implementing toxic and hazardous waste disposal
• Learning how to contact Environmental, Health, & Safety (EHS) at our academic institution
• Learning how to report medical incidents that occur in the lab at our institution

Safety measures adopted during our project are described in more detail below.

Project Design Safety

While designing our project, our team talked with safety managers at our institution about our research and the potential risks posed by the substances involved. Within our project, specific decisions were made to ensure that the project was as safe and well-planned as possible, while also developing an innovative project and performing novel wet-lab work. Based on team discussion, we decided to use a non-pathogenic strain of E. coli bacteria in our experiments, eliminating the need for medical surveillance of bacterial infection. One of the major risks involved in our lab space is working with ampicillin-resistant bacteria. There are environmental risks of putting live antibiotic resistant bacteria into water sources. Therefore, to ensure proper disposal of all bacteria, we took care to bleach or dispose of tools that had been in contact with the bacteria into the biohazard waste. All disposal and cleaning instructions were followed meticulously to confirm safety for our students and others. For gel electrophoresis experiments, ethidium bromide is commonly used as a stain to visualize DNA, but it is a potential mutagen. To prevent the potential harm caused by ethidium bromide’s mutagenic potential, we decided to use Sybr Green for DNA staining because it is a safer substance for our researchers. Our project also involved work with Coomassie Blue, which is a neurotoxin. We ensured our team was educated on the risks of using the chemical, showed them how to properly dispose of it, and demonstrated personal protective measures that needed to be taken at all times when using the reagent.

The safety managers also helped us to design safety measures that needed to be put in place before lab work could begin. They helped us to know where to dispose of hazardous chemicals, biohazard waste, and sharps, as well as where to locate emergency shoes, eyewash stations, and spill kits. While in the lab space, students were required to wear close-toed shoes, long pants, a lab coat, googles, and gloves at all times, even if experimentation was not actively occurring. There was a clear communication plan in place for students working in the lab so that they knew who to contact in cases of a minor or major emergency. This included phone numbers for the building’s lab manager as well as for the environmental health and safety department at the University of Michigan. Our lab manager, as well as employees in the Undergraduate Science Building (USB), in which we work, are always available to answer questions or provide support when we are in the lab space as well. If lone working was required, the student organization’s board members and advisors were always available via text, call or Slack message to. However, needing to utilize these quick contacts was rarely needed. USB building employees and our organization’s advisor were also the people designated for us to report any incidents to. If we were to have had an incident this season, they would have helped us complete the necessary reports required by our university.

At the beginning of our project season, we conducted a meeting for all members in order to explain all of these risks and protocols that needed to be followed to ensure the safety of everyone involved over the timeline of our experimentation. Making sure all students were aware of safety measures designed into our experimentation as well as safety plans developed to protect them and others was vital to the safe design of our project.

Lab Work Safety

Safety was the top priority for our team to protect ourselves, others, and the validity of our results. Before beginning any wet lab work, all of our team members were required to complete training courses through the University of Michigan. They needed to pass and earn a certificate on how to properly handle bloodborne pathogens and chemical hazards, use the autoclave and other laboratory equipment, and operate under COVID-19 protocols. Then, throughout our experimentation, we upheld these standards by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), exercising sterile techniques, and always cleaning our lab spaces before and after completing work. Especially given that we work in a shared lab space with university classes and other labs, we are especially diligent about safely disposing of hazards and properly using the equipment. Topics learned in safety and security training included the following:

• Lab access and rules (e.g. appropriate clothing, eating and drinking)
• Responsible individuals (e.g. lab or departmental specialist or institutional biosafety officer)
• Differences between biosafety levels
• Biosafety equipment (e.g. biosafety cabinets)
• Good microbial technique
• Disinfection and sterilization
• Emergency procedures
• Rules for transporting samples between labs or shipping between institutions
• Dual-use research and/or experiments of concern
• Chemical, fire and electrical safety

We are in frequent communication with Classroom Services Supervisor, Margot Gebbie, to ensure we are upholding lab safety and respect the standards of the University of Michigan.

We also had multiple measures in place to control our inventory, access to our physical materials, and access to our online data. For inventory, we had specific cabinet and refrigerator space in the classroom we operated in where we kept our chemicals and reagents. All materials were labeled thoroughly with the name of the substance inside, date obtained, person to open or make the reagent, and our club’s acronym designating that it belonged to our group. This prevented students in the classroom space or building employees from harming themselves with our materials. Our materials were kept in a locked room, so only those with the entrance code or those granted access would access our physical belongings as well. For data, we collected information in Benchling, Slack, and Google Drive. All of these sites required passwords or special permissions to access which were only granted to our members and advisors.