The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/406282
Fall 2014 17 caprine matters Early Detection Saves Goats Students develop a simple test to safeguard one of the most important farm animals in the developing world I f a virus has got your goat, the sooner you know, the better. Especially if it's the Caprine Arthritis- Encephalitis Virus (CAEV), which can spread un- detected through a herd, reducing the milk produc- tion and lifespan of goats (and sheep, which are also susceptible). Some WPI students are developing a simple, inex- pensive test for the virus as they compete in the undergraduate International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. The program challenges students to create biological machines that work with- in living cells to produce a desired product or process. CAEV is slow to cause visible symptoms, so it can hit many animals before a farmer knows the herd is infected. There is no cure or vac- cine, but early detection would allow farmers to isolate or destroy in- fected animals before symptoms develop, thereby limiting the impact on their herds and their livelihood. The WPI iGEM team's initial project is to create a biological system within the bacterium E. coli that will indicate the presence of CAEV. In blood samples from infected goats, antibod- ies would bind to the transformed E. coli, causing visi- ble agglutination. This year, 245 teams from around the world will compete in the challenge, each starting with a stan- dard toolkit of more than 1,000 biological parts (mostly DNA sequences) drawn from iGEM's Registry of Standard Biological Parts. "The concept is open- development, sharing information and ideas so that all teams can beneft from the experiences of each other," says Professor Natalie Farny, who serves as the team's lead advisor. Aside from solving an important global problem, the students' work would beneft WPI's own mascot—in theory, if not in practice. W π frozen A Snowball's Chance Thermodynamic MQP will keep artist's vision solid until spring AS NEW ENGLAND GEARS UP for another winter, the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass., is also preparing for snow. Next spring, the museum's Sculpture Park will break ground on a unique exhibit by British artist Andy Goldsworthy. With engineering input from WPI students, "Snow House" will preserve a 9-foot snow- ball within a banked granite architectural structure until the end of winter. At the spring solstice, the chamber will be unsealed and the doors thrown open to let visitors experience the gradual melting. According to the artist, "The work is not an object, but a container—a forum for change, memory, replenishment, season—in which the construction and care of the object, along with its interaction with peo- ple, are integral to the work." Jenny Marquez '13, a member of MQP team that did the thermodynamic analy- sis for the structure, says her team was intrigued by this unusual merging of art and science. "We had never seen anything like it before. We knew that keeping the artist's vision, along with his constraints, was going to be a challenge. We were able to sit down with Andy and give him our suggestions. The initial vision of 'Snow House' was very simplifed, and we felt it was very important to be honest and blunt about what he needed to do to keep the snow intact for the duration of he was intending." The "Snow House" installation draws on the design principles of the pre-indus- trial ice house, which preserved pond ice for cooling before the advent of refrig- eration. The students used ANSYS software to model a 3D simulation of heat transfer over time, factoring in soil properties, water drainage, and air circulation. "As a group, we were very excited to see Andy's vision move toward reality," says Marquez. "Adding the math behind it all made it real." Andy Goldsworthy Preliminary Sketch for Snow House, 2010 © Andy Goldsworthy Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Lelong, New York