Laura-Ann Chin, P.E.

Solid first year courses are building blocks in helping a freshman navigate through and discover a new major. It is imperative for a freshman to be exposed to different engineering disciplines to experience first-hand the expectations and variations among them. Villanova University’s College of Engineering has strategized this teaching opportunity through a series of 7-week-long freshman mini projects, designed to introduce different engineering majors in the first two-semesters of… Show more

Solid first year courses are building blocks in helping a freshman navigate through and discover a new major. It is imperative for a freshman to be exposed to different engineering disciplines to experience first-hand the expectations and variations among them. Villanova University’s College of Engineering has strategized this teaching opportunity through a series of 7-week-long freshman mini projects, designed to introduce different engineering majors in the first two-semesters of mandatory freshman engineering courses.
This paper focuses on the Biofuels Process and Sustainability mini project, which started in the Fall 2011 semester. This project was developed with the idea of exposing these young engineers to the latest advancements and technological developments in our society. In response to the need for decreased dependence on fossil fuels and other non-renewable energy sources, the concept of bioeconomy is introduced and emphasized. Through bioeconomy, vital sources of carbon and energy are obtained from biorenewable materials such as biomass. The need to embrace this transformation from non-renewables to an era of bioeconomy should be more important than ever if a significant change is to happen. Through this Biofuels Process and Sustainability mini project, freshmen are exposed to two fundamentals evolving around bioeconomy: the production process of liquid transportation fuels from biorenewables and the sustainability issues surrounding biofuel production and utilization. Specifically, the goals of this mini-project are to challenge freshmen to utilize basic engineering and chemistry principles in synthesizing and characterizing biodiesel made from a renewable resource such as waste cooking oil, to interpret and analyze experimental data in scaling up to a biodiesel processing facility and finally to assess the overall sustainability of the biodiesel production process.
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This project aims at using image processing techniques in MATLAB to track multiple baby Medaka and adult Zebrafish in real time and determine characteristics about their behavior. This system is used to qualitatively identify behavioral differences (mainly in swimming patterns) between normal fish and fish under the influence of neurotoxins or other test drugs. Since Zebrafish have been an increasingly popular model organism, such results could be used to learn more about various biological… Show more

This project aims at using image processing techniques in MATLAB to track multiple baby Medaka and adult Zebrafish in real time and determine characteristics about their behavior. This system is used to qualitatively identify behavioral differences (mainly in swimming patterns) between normal fish and fish under the influence of neurotoxins or other test drugs. Since Zebrafish have been an increasingly popular model organism, such results could be used to learn more about various biological process within the human body. Show less

Plasmid loss has a substantial impact on the productivity of recombinant microorganisms. Without sufficient genetic stability even high initial recombinant protein synthesis rates can not guarantee good production rates. Antibiotics as a selection agent are costly, contaminate the waste water and pose an allergy risk if the product is intended for human use (e. g. pharmaceuticals). Therefore, an easy, fast and cost efficient method for testing plasmid stability is crucial for biotechnological… Show more

Plasmid loss has a substantial impact on the productivity of recombinant microorganisms. Without sufficient genetic stability even high initial recombinant protein synthesis rates can not guarantee good production rates. Antibiotics as a selection agent are costly, contaminate the waste water and pose an allergy risk if the product is intended for human use (e. g. pharmaceuticals). Therefore, an easy, fast and cost efficient method for testing plasmid stability is crucial for biotechnological process development. If necessary, the concentration of used antibiotics should be as low as possible. This would reduce the disadvantages imposed by the use of antibiotics.
The continuous operated shaken bioreactor system COSBIOS enables parallel cultivation of up to eight microbial cultures on a lab scale shaking machine [1]. Continuous cultivation provides a controlled growth rate through the control of the dilution rate. With this system easy and cost efficient chemostat cultures are possible [2]. Production strains for biotechnology can be cultivated for a definite number of generations.
The effect of ampicillin as a selection agent on E. coli BL 21 (DE3) pLysS pRSET Interleukin-6-YFP was determined in continuous COSBIOS cultures. Already low concentrations of less than 10 μg/mL ampicillin showed a sufficient selection. Therefore a great reduction in ampicillin concentration is possible without sacrificing its beneficial effects. Show less