Integrating what we learn:

Through extensive collaboration and communication with experts and potential users, we have been able to refine our biosilicification solution to best serve the stakeholders in our community as well as those around the world. As we near the end of our project timeline, we have integrated feedback from various stakeholders and conducted testing. Our solution is poised to address the challenges of dust loss and soil erosion, contributing to more sustainable agricultural and maintenance practices.

Documenting our Human Practices Cycle:

1. Build a Diverse Team:

We assembled a diverse group of students and faculty from various disciplines including biology, electrical and computer engineering, data science, and math. This diversity ensures a well-rounded approach to addressing our challenges in developing our project. We actively sought team members with different expertise to enhance creativity and problem-solving within the group.

2. Explore Context and Brainstorm:

Through brainstorming, each member of the team developed improvements for the existing concept of biocementation and proposed solutions.

Our team identified the significant problem of dust damage to agricultural crops and aircraft and investigated the impacts of dust on farm productivity and plane maintenance by engaging with agricultural experts, civil engineers, and other individuals involved on the flightline and maintenance.

This research highlighted the potential of biosilicification to reduce dust-related issues, leading us to focus on this innovative solution.

We explored various methods of biosilicification and its potential applications. Our brainstorming sessions included how to best apply our solution to serve stakeholders most effectivly.

We consulted with experts in biosilicification and material science to refine our approach and identify the most promising strategies for our project.

3. Document Progress:

Throughout our project, we meticulously documented our research, experiments, and interactions with experts. We maintained detailed records of our findings and feedback, which helped us stay on track and make informed decisions.

This documentation also provided a clear trail of our development process, which was valuable for assessing our progress and refining our approach.

4. Integrate Insights:

We integrated insights by conducting additional research and modifying our methodology to address concerns.

This iterative process ensured that our project remains viable and aligns with practical needs and sustainability goals.

5. Close the Loop:

We recognized that our initial research and development are only the beginning. To advance our project, we will need to plan and conduct further studies to refine our biosilicification techniques.

We are committed to keeping human practices considerations central to the development process and will continue to seek feedback and collaborate with experts to ensure the project's success.

6. Present Evidence:

Our preliminary results demonstrated that our biosilicification approach could potentially reduce dust related issues and improve both farm productivity and effectiveness of aircraft maintenance.

We shared our findings with the community and stakeholders, who responded positively to the potential benefits of our technology. Their responses validated our project’s potential impact.

7. Connect and Share:

We have connections with agricultural stakeholders and other groups interested in what this technology can do for them, which we can share our research findings and engage in collaborative discussions.

By making our research and results accessible, we are fostering partnerships and contributing to a broader understanding of biosilicification applications.

This collaborative approach benefits our project, iGEM teams that will follow, and the wider scientific community.

8. Carry it Forward:

Our project lays a foundation for future research and development in biosilicification technologies. Our findings and methodologies are documented on our wiki page, providing a resource for future researchers and practitioners interested in biosilicification. We are enthusiastic about the potential for ongoing innovation and collaboration in this field.

Synthesizing what we have learned:

Reflection:

Our biosilicification project was primarily inspired by environmental and scientific values. We sought to address the environmental impact of traditional cement production, which is resource-intensive and often harmful to ecosystems. By utilizing biosilicification, we aim to develop a sustainable method for producting a solution which is capable of stablizing and cementing materials. Scientifically, we are motivated by the potential to advance our understanding of biosilicification and apply this knowledge to create innovative, eco-friendly sloutions to real world problems.

We prioritized environmental sustainability and scientific innovation in our design. We had to compromise on some aspects of the process initially, as optimizing for sustainability sometimes required trade-offs in speed or cost. For example, although we originally were aiming to create materials with similar applications to cement bricks, we quickly realized that the timeframe to create the bricks was too long and the bricks were not strong enough to compete with traditional bricks. We switched to applications like dust-mitigation as it is more applicable for our stakeholders and proved to be quicker to test and improve.

As mentioned before, we had to adjust our initial goals. While our original aim was to develop a fully functional biosilicification system capable of producing bricks for building, we realized that a different choice of application was necessary. We shifted our goals of application towards dust-mitigation and agricultural soil preservation, and through integrating human practices, we began to understand that in addition to being a more realistic goal for our timeframe and resources, these new goals addressed real-world problems that were even more significant than we had initially thought. This adjustment allowed us to build a solid foundation and address fundamental challenges in preventing soil erosion and mitigating the harmful effects of blowing dust while continuing to work towards optimizing the biocementation process to produce strong construction materials.

Our approach offers several advantages over traditional methods and alternative solutions. Compared to conventional cement production, which often involves high-energy processes and significant environmental impact, our biosilicification method aims to be more sustainable. Unlike traditional urea/calcium carbonate-based biocement alternative solutions, which may produce harmful byproducts like ammonium, our method focuses on eliminating these harmful byproducts, reducing environmental harm, and opening the door to novel applications such as biocementation of active croplands.

Responsibility:

As a team it is our responsibility to prevent misuse and any unintended consequences. If our biosilicification technology were to be applied inappropriately, it might lead to environmental concerns if the modified microorganisms were released into non-controlled environments. To mitigate this, we adhere to strict safety protocols and containment measures.

The iGEM community emphasizes adherence to safety and ethical standards in synthetic biology research. This includes maintaining transparency about research goals and methods, and considering the broader societal and environmental impacts of our work. We are expected to engage with stakeholders, conduct thorough risk assessments, and ensure that our research does not pose risks to people or the environment.

The communities most interested in our project include researchers, farmers, and other individuals who work in environments affected by dust. In the future, our approach has the potential to impact those involved in construction, manufacturing, and sustainability efforts by offering a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional cement. Additionally, environmental advocacy groups and sustainability-focused organizations will likely find our project relevant due to its potential to reduce environmental impact.

If our project succeeds, a concern is that it might not address the needs of all communities equally, particularly if the technology becomes commercially available but is too expensive. There is also a risk that traditional cement producers might face economic challenges if our method significantly disrupts existing markets. To mitigate these issues, we aim to ensure that our technology is developed with considerations for accessibility and fairness in its eventual application.

Responiveness:

To prioritize appropriate values, we should consult with environmental scientists, materials science experts, and industry stakeholders. Engaging with these communities will help ensure that our project aligns with current scientific standards and environmental regulations.

Feedback can be obtained through collaborations with academic and industry partners, and attending and creating relevant meetings. Engaging with potential users during the development phase of our projects will also provide insights into the practical feasibility and market desirability of our technology.

To close the loop, we will continuously seek and integrate feedback from stakeholders throughout the project. This involves iterative testing and refinement of our biosilicification processes based on real-world input and requirements. Documenting our progress and incorporating user feedback into each phase of development will ensure that our final product meets the desired objectives and aligns with stakeholder needs.

By engaging with diverse stakeholders and addressing their concerns, we can ensure that our project is ethically sound, technically feasible, and safe. Clear documentation of our processes and transparent communication with the public and scientific community will help build trust and facilitate responsible development and application of our technology.