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Team:Stanford-Brown/VenusLife/Chamber
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== '''The Millikan Apparatus''' == | == '''The Millikan Apparatus''' == | ||
| - | In order to put our newly engineered organisms to the test in an aerosolized environment, the team aimed to modify a Millikan Oil Drop Apparatus into a functioning suspension chamber. | + | In order to put our newly engineered organisms to the test in an aerosolized environment, the team aimed to modify a Millikan Oil Drop Apparatus into a functioning suspension chamber. Designed in 1909, the chamber was originally used by Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher to measure the elementary electric charge. The Apparatus is designed around a parallel pair of horizontal metal plates. Applying a potential difference across these plates creates a uniform electric field in the space between them, and thus charged droplets sprayed finely into the chamber can be made to rise and fall by altering the applied voltage. |
Unfortunately, the suspension chamber experiment was rendered untestable due to several factors: | Unfortunately, the suspension chamber experiment was rendered untestable due to several factors: | ||
*The engineering of the Millikan Apparatus viewing scope to excite and detect fluorescence was impractical and challening. | *The engineering of the Millikan Apparatus viewing scope to excite and detect fluorescence was impractical and challening. | ||
*Control tests on evaporation in the chamber indicated that droplets would evaporate in under 10 minutes; a timescale too quick for studying cell replication. | *Control tests on evaporation in the chamber indicated that droplets would evaporate in under 10 minutes; a timescale too quick for studying cell replication. | ||
| + | *Inconclusive evidence on whether or not the electric field would adversely affect the cells. | ||
*Insufficient time and resources to perform the necessary (and drastic) modifications to the Apparatus that would lead to successful experiments. | *Insufficient time and resources to perform the necessary (and drastic) modifications to the Apparatus that would lead to successful experiments. | ||
However, we successfully created cell-growth dependent promoters that function as remote biosensors; while our efforts in mechanical engineering were not so fruitful, the synthetic biology component was quite successful! | However, we successfully created cell-growth dependent promoters that function as remote biosensors; while our efforts in mechanical engineering were not so fruitful, the synthetic biology component was quite successful! | ||
Revision as of 19:53, 3 October 2012
The Millikan Apparatus
In order to put our newly engineered organisms to the test in an aerosolized environment, the team aimed to modify a Millikan Oil Drop Apparatus into a functioning suspension chamber. Designed in 1909, the chamber was originally used by Robert Millikan and Harvey Fletcher to measure the elementary electric charge. The Apparatus is designed around a parallel pair of horizontal metal plates. Applying a potential difference across these plates creates a uniform electric field in the space between them, and thus charged droplets sprayed finely into the chamber can be made to rise and fall by altering the applied voltage.
Unfortunately, the suspension chamber experiment was rendered untestable due to several factors:
- The engineering of the Millikan Apparatus viewing scope to excite and detect fluorescence was impractical and challening.
- Control tests on evaporation in the chamber indicated that droplets would evaporate in under 10 minutes; a timescale too quick for studying cell replication.
- Inconclusive evidence on whether or not the electric field would adversely affect the cells.
- Insufficient time and resources to perform the necessary (and drastic) modifications to the Apparatus that would lead to successful experiments.
However, we successfully created cell-growth dependent promoters that function as remote biosensors; while our efforts in mechanical engineering were not so fruitful, the synthetic biology component was quite successful!
