Team Members
Samuel Bunner, John Cappeller, Narottama Esser, Kyle Jagielski, Kristian Michael, Matthew Mitchell, Josiah Pool
Abstract
The aim of this project is to design a device suited for use in biological labs that has the ability to process the largest volume of cell cultures at any given time in the quickest fashion possible. As a result, our design concepts will feature several key components that allow us to process and monitor any number of experiments. The design will be able to transfer liquids from one vessel to another autonomously with high-speed precision, measure optical density and fluorescent intensity corresponding to individual cultures, and maintain atmospheric conditions that are identical for all compartments at a given time. It will operate at extreme temperatures that provide the most opportunity for abnormal evolution in a large population of cells. The means to accomplishing our goal of processing the highest volume of cultures in the quickest fashion is done by operating the liquid handling system with seamless transfer from reservoir to culture environment, and incorporating several components of culture condition control into one system. Temperature control and shaking are performed simultaneously for each individual plate with simple transfer between the shaking platform and light sources for optical monitoring. Our shakers provide unrestricted 2-D motion, and we can process 6different well plates at one time. Our design also includes a camera inside the containment space for constant visual monitoring and a unique Pythagorean cup design for waste disposal that does not require a valve.