Viruses and Batteries and Plants! Oh My!

Module 3 felt like it flew by way too fast.  I felt as if one day I was sitting in lecture learning about phage batteries for the first time, and then, the next thing I knew, we’d finished our batteries and I was shoulder-deep in a sealed glovebox awkwardly moving around with about as much dexterity and flexibility as a crab (FYI if you simply pick up a crab from behind they can’t really do…anything at all).  And a couple days later, I was giving a presentation on… transgenic flax plants? 

 (an artist’s representation of how I felt using the glovebox)

All jokes aside (not really), I think Module 3 may have been my favorite of the whole class.  For me, that was a bit unexpected, because within biological engineering, I tend to be drawn more towards technologies with medical applications, rather than commercial applications.  I think it may have been the combination of the virus with the battery, the meeting of natural and industrial, the joining of biology with consumer technology.  It didn’t hurt that I got an actual, physical battery that I could take home!  Of course, when I took a picture of my battery and sent it to my parents, I got these responses:

They were just pulling my leg, as they often do, but that got me thinking about communication in science and how frequently scientists deal with misinformation and detrimental preconceived notions.  To the average person, “Biological Engineering” conjures up images of dastardly or foolhardy scientists creating “superbugs” that result in a Walking Dead-esque apocalypse.  In reality, I’m not doing that at all.  I mean, how can I possibly hope to do that when I’m struggling through situations like this:

(again with the dexterity and flexibility difficulties)

But really, the idea that there exists a not-insignificant amount of people out there in the world who first think of what I study as destructive (even as a joke) just further underscores the need for effective communication in this field of science.  In any science, really, ineffective communication can be disastrous.  And effective communication can be really hard, which is why we practice it so much in 20.109. 

Effective scientific communication is another matter entirely, which I definitely learned this semester.  In particular, artistic and scientific communication are just different beasts.  I did a lot of musical extracurriculars back in high school, and I have to admit that playing guitar in front of 500 people is much easier and less nerve-wracking than giving a 12 minute scientific proposal in front of 10 people.  But with both of those “performances,” there are partners there for support, and I’m really grateful that Sarah and Devany could account for my (ever-so-slightly) shaking knees and make up for my nervousness.  I’m also really grateful for everyone who helped make Module 3 run smoothly, including Jifa, Prof. Belcher, and the whole 20.109 teaching team!