Project Safety

The laboratory in which our team worked in had a Biosafety Level of 1, therefore we did not work with any pathogens that could potentially infect humans. In order to ensure everyone knew the proper procedures to follow in case of emergencies, how to dispose of waste, as well as the locations of important equipment, we were given a laboratory safety exam to pass before we could enter the laboratory.

Before beginning any lab work, we went through a laboratory training of simple biological procedures that we would potentially need to know for the project. Every time we entered the lab, we made sure that we wore closed-toed shoes, long pants, and gloves. We labeled everything accordingly, and made sure to package and put materials back into their proper places to prevent a messy workplace. All biological waste or contaminated glassware was autoclaved, and disposed of or put back properly.

To ensure proper communication around the laboratory, our team was added to the labroom’s Slack Channel, so that everyone was notified immediately of any accidents, construction, new equipment, or other changes that had occurred in the room. We also kept a Benchling where we updated our daily laboratory activities and protocols, so that everyone on the team could keep updated on all the experiments. This helped prevent miscommunication, and therefore any accidents that could have occurred.

In our experiment, we used the E. Coli strain MC4100 to express our nitrate-binding system, which is not known to be harmful to humans. When we used dyes or potentially corrupting chemicals, we made sure to wear gloves at all times, which were disposed of immediately after use. If the liquid in the glassware we were using was particularly hot, we also made sure to use heat resistant gloves to prevent burns.