20.109(F14): TA's notes for module 3

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20.109(F14): Laboratory Fundamentals of Biological Engineering

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TA Notes

Current module: 20.109(F12):Module 3
Archive Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Fall 2011
Notebook grading checklist

General notes

Enrollment:

  • Likely to have at least 2x 8 groups so assume 10 groups/day in terms of materials, except where these additional reagents are difficult to arrange (e.g. extra gels aren't needed, but extra tubes of LB are).

Quizzes:

  • Quiz questions should be submitted to the instructors the afternoon prior to the day that quizzes are administered to students (e.g. if quiz is on Tuesday, the questions should be submitted by Monday afternoon).

Well in advance of Day 1

  • SWNTs from Belcher lab?
  • TiO2 supply etc
  • new phage stock from Belcher lab?
  • Make up overnight inoculum of phage for Thursday class: 20 mL LB, 20 µL XL1-blue (can also grow on strain "4-1" (ER2738) to slightly higher titer, 20 µL tet, 20 µL virus (from supernatant or PEG precipitated); divide between 4 tubes rotate at 37ºC overnight. Store
  • autoclave/sterilize 16 125-mL flasks (one flask per group)
  • make sure there are enough centrifuge tubes for each group (at least 2 per group), and that they are rated to spin at high speeds
  • put note on centrifuge in cold room for days harvesting phage (Niles lab down the hall)
  • make enough PEG solution (20% PEG-8000, 2.5 M NaCl --- this requires a long time to fully solubilize - leave on the stir plate for about an hour). Each group will need <10 ml.
  • make 10 mM NaCl, pH 5.3 (need 2L/lab)
  • make 10 mM NaCl, pH 10 (need 1L/lab)


TUESDAY LAB: start Saturday before Day 1

  • Aliquot 40 mL LB and 40 µL Tet into each eight 125-mL flasks (for Tuesday class). Add 1 mL of overnight inoculum, and incubate shaking at room temperature for two days (til Monday night). Let stand on bench overnight until class on Tuesday.


WEDNESDAY LAB: start Monday before Day 1

  • Aliquot 40 mL LB and 40 µL Tet into each eight 125-mL flasks (for Tuesday class). Add 1 mL of overnight inoculum (can use Tuesday lab's larger cultures if needed), and incubate shaking at room temperature for two days (til Wednesday class). Let stand on student bench or front bench at start of class.


day 1 = Tuesday or Wednesday

  • no quiz since first day of module
  • ice buckets (three) filled with ice for PEG precipitation, one on each student bay.
  • 40 mL phage cultures, one per pair of students.
  • Conical Tubes, 2/pair of students.
  • 20 % PEG/ 2.5M NaCl, about 10 ml/pair of students. Keep in an ice bucket on front bench.
  • 1X TBS (USE ROCKLAND not BioRAD!), each pair of students will need less than 5 ml. Aliquot into 15 ml falcon tubes and leave on front bench.
  • Aliquots of water, each pair of students will need less than 5 ml. Aliquot into 15 ml falcon tubes and leave on front bench.
  • Set out quartz cuvettes on front teacher's bench. Turn on UV lamps on spec about 1/2 way through lab.
  • set out dialysis tubes, clips, falcon tubes for soaking tubing (students can get H2O as needed), and SWNTs from Belcher lab
  • at end of lab set up 10 mM NaCl, pH 5.3 in beaker with stir bar on stir plate. Tape dialysis bags to edge of beaker if needed.

AFTER LAB

  • Need to replace pH 5.3 NaCl with fresh 5.3 after about 2 hrs and dialyze overnight.
  • NEXT DAY: replace pH 5.3 NaCl with pH 10 and dialyze overnight.


Day 2

  • Distribute and grade quiz
  • make sure hood is clean and place 3x stir plates in hood
  • set out 3x 15 ml falcon tubes (one per "super group") and 3x 50 ml falcon tubes, on teacher's bench
  • set out top loading balance on teacher's bench, and bucket or two of ice, plus some large weigh boats
  • set out evaporation dishes (3), and small evaporation jars with lids (3) on teacher's bench
  • chill 50 ml of 100% EtOH on ice
  • midway through lab set out TEM grids and tweezers (enough for every pair of students), as well as 3x 1 ml aliquots of 100% EtOH and 3x 1ml aliquots of sterile water
  • set out 100 ml bottles of sterile water for washing nanowires


Day 3

  • TEM grids to be visualized, make sure timing sorted out with Belcher lab


Day 4

  • Distribute and grade quiz
  • make sure Belcher lab knows we're coming to use their space

OR

  • can some of this be done in 20.109 lab?


Day 5

  • working with the Belcher lab to test solar cells


Day 6

  • Distribute and grade quiz
  • data from solar cells
  • student presentations


Other notes from previous TAs:

  • all antibiotic solutions are stored at 4ºC but powdered tet is in the -20ºC