Sowing the Seeds of the Future & Synthetic Biology
Post written by Liu Fengze (14S7G)
Date of event: 1 April to 15th April 2014
This was a biology-related elective offered only to students from the C1 GATE Biology class. Although we did not get to know students from other classes through this elective, it helped with our class bonding and we had a lot of fun.
The first two sessions were held at Botanic Gardens where we helped with weeding and planting of roots. Weeding was a laborious task which required us to pull out all the weeds without causing any damage to the plants. For many of us who did not have much gardening experience, this elective helped us to gain an exposure to basic gardening techniques and to know about the different properties of plants and weeds. It was a good combination of theory and hands-on practice, through which we can better appreciate the hard work of gardeners.
The last session, synthetic biology, was held in school lab. Alumni who are currently working in research institutes in Singapore were invited to teach us basic lab techniques required to synthesize recombinant bacteria. The practical was followed by theory lessons covering real life applications such as mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. We were really excited to try out the basics of scientific research and to learn more about the implications and prospects of research domains such as antibiotic resistance. This elective has indeed enriched our knowledge beyond classroom settings and enabled us to pursue our interest further.
Sowing the seeds of the future & synthetic biology is strongly recommended for GATE students who are interested in biology. It is both enjoyable and informative and every minute of your afternoon will be well-spent.
