Our Intersession Course
We designed a 3 week course held over the 2024 intersession period at Johns Hopkins for our second year in a row. This course was a lot of fun to design, and we hope to continue this tradition for the upcoming winter!
Week 1 - Introduction and Protein Visualization
Introduction to Synthetic Biology and Course Logistics
Drylab: Introduction to PyMOL
Drylab: Deep Learning Protein Folding Techniques
Drylab: Programming for Biology Project Design
Week 2 - Hardware and Introduction to Plasmid Design
Hardware: Modelling with CAD
Human Practices: Biosafety and Biosecurity
Watched a video on biosecurity and had students write a reflection.
Wetlab: Basic Laboratory Techniques and Sampling
Wetlab: Plasmid Design and Assembly
Wetlab: Transformation and Benchling
Held an online lecture!
Week 3 - Results and Presentations
Wetlab: Miniprep and Gel
Wetlab: PCR and Protein Purification
Wetlab: Results and Presentation Prep
Discussed their wetlab results and used the remaining time for collaborative work to develop the final presentation.
Class Presentations
We had students come up with a project idea based on real-world impact. To create and evaluate the idea, we used the guiding principles of the iGEM competition, and required at least a drylab component, wetlab component, and any human practices considerations.