J. Craig Venter Institute booth
Hi everyone, it’s Ka Wai again. This time I am going to talk to you about an Expo Day booth by the J. Craig Venter Institute. The J. Craig Venter Institute is a non-profit company pioneering genomics research, founded by J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. I am sure many of you would ask, why study the genomics of organisms? Genomics is studied because when you know how organisms function, then you can utilize them in natural ways to enhance their functions.
The booth is catered towards people older than middle school and there will be three different events at the booth. They are all designed to show the audience how genomics can be used to better understand organisms in the environment, which can help us improve the human condition and minimize our carbon footprint.
First they will be displaying sediment batteries. These sediment batteries use sea marsh to produce electricity. The microbial fuel cells that will be displayed have been allowed to grow for a couple of months and the two fuel cells that have been growing for more than a year can make a measurable amount of electricity.
The second event will be focus on Wingrasky columns. These columns are made from the same sea marsh that was used in making the sediment batteries. The Wingrasky columns are used to see the dynamic microbial environment present.
Lastly, there will be microscopes on display. The microscopes will be used to help the audience visualize some of the microbes that are present in the columns and to see other organisms.
So how can this science be applied into everyday situations? This research can aid the development of systems to use sludge as a food source to generate water and power.
Go to the San Diego Science Festival Expo Day and check the J. Craig Venter Institute booth!
Ka Wai LIN
