Ally Huang (COLLINS LAB)

Colors, Smells, and Gels Without Cells: Low Cost Education Kits

Hands-on demonstrations enhance STEM education, but few biology demonstrations are practical and accessible. Here we introduce a low-cost synthetic biology educational kit based on shelf-stable, freeze-dried, cell-free reactions activated by water. These reactions engage the senses with outputs that produce fluorescence, fragrances, and hydrogels. These components can teach tunable protein expression, enzymatic reactions, and biomaterial formation, logic gates and biosensors to encourage student-driven, independent STEM explorations.

Claire Duvallet (ALM LAB)

Aspiration Changes Relationships Between Aerodigestive Microbiomes

Children with swallowing dysfunction and aspiration are at high risk for pneumonia and pulmonary complications. Microbial communities along the aerodigestive tract are similar and exchange bacteria, but the effect of aspiration on their relationships is unknown. Here, we investigate a large pediatric cohort with lung, throat, and gastric microbiome samples to better understand aerodigestive microbial exchange in aspirating patients and to provide rationale for clinical treatments for aspiration-related pulmonary complications.