Wisconsin undergraduate team tackles biofuels challenges

Working on a current scientific issue with cutting-edge technology is unusual for an undergraduate. But not for the Wisconsin iGEM team, a group of 11 University of Wisconsin–Madison undergraduates researching biofuels for a synthetic biology competition.

The students are doing research beyond their years, says Basudeb Bhattacharyya, a graduate student advising the team.

“They are working on graduate-level projects,” says Bhattacharyya. “Most undergraduates only get to assist graduate students or postdocs with their research.”

The International Genetically Engineered Machines competition, or iGEM, aims to make synthetic biology a reality. This year’s competition will feature 84 international teams that are working on projects that uniquely combine engineering and biology.

With the opportunity to direct their own research projects, the team chose to spend the summer on two biofuels projects.

Andy Braasch, a senior molecular biology major, explained that current ethanol processing methods are unsustainable. The next step in ethanol is to make biofuels from cellulose, a hard to break down carbohydrate that gives plants their structure. Braasch and four iGEM team members are working to break down lignin, a compound that coats cellulose, into simpler compounds that can be used to produce biofuels.

The remaining six team members, including senior biochemistry major Charlie Burns, are using bacteria to produce sorbitol, a sugar compound that could potentially be used to make biofuels. The team is working to manipulate E. coli to produce the compound with more energy efficiency.

“We’re doing this research to get a head start, to say it is possible,” says Burns, adding that he has gained a great deal of insight into the research process.

“In theory, it’s simple,” says Burns. “But it never works that way. You have to do trial after trial, and then magically it will work.”

The iGEM competition helps students understand the realities of the scientific process, and also the advantages of working with students of different majors.

“The biologists and engineers offer different perspectives on how to approach a problem,” says team member Mattias Gyllborg, a senior medical microbiology and immunology major. “You usually don’t get that in an undergraduate lab.”

The Wisconsin iGEM team will compete at the iGEM jamboree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in November. For more information about the team or iGEM, contact Doug Weibel at weibel@biochem.wisc.edu.

Members of the 2008 Wisconsin iGEM team include: Andy Braasch, senior, molecular biology, Cincinnati, Ohio; Charlie Burns, senior, biochemistry, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Ben Cox, senior, mechanical engineering and biochemistry, Oregon, Wis.; Mattias Gyllborg, senior, medical microbiology and immunology, Jonkoping, Sweden; Jack Ho, senior, biomedical engineering, Marathon, Wis.; Yash Jhala, sophomore, genetics and economics, Naperville, Ill; Jia Luo, senior, biochemistry and economics, Madison; Sean McMaster, junior, biochemistry and math, Kenosha; Tanner Peelen, junior, biochemistry and economics, Stevens Point; Peter Vander Velden, freshman, undecided, Madison; Joseph Yuen, senior, biomedical engineering and economics, Hong Kong, China.

Faculty advisors include Aseem Ansari, biochemistry; Franco Cerrina, electrical and computer engineering; Brian Pfleger, chemical and biological engineering; Jennie Reed, chemical and biological engineering; Michael Sussman, biochemistry; and Doug Weibel, biochemistry.

Sponsors are the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC), Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), the Office of the Chancellor, Promega Corporation, Lucigen Corporation and Clontech.