Dec11
Posted on Dec 11 by
The semester is about over and finals are upon us! That means that work in the lab is slowing down, though there are a few more experiments going on in between studying. The group also took a break from the busy end of semester to get off campus and gather over some pizza. We shared achievements from the semester and goals for the spring! The seniors are looking forward to graduation, but also to the ACS conference coming up in March. Others were happy with successful experiments or with new techniques that they learned in the lab. What a great semester – let’s have another great one in the spring. Good luck on all of those final...
Nov20
Posted on Nov 20 by
The GRAB (Gerdon Research in Analytical Biomaterials) Lab is planning an exploration open lab event for Emmanuel College students, faculty, and staff! Perhaps you’ve taken a few sciences courses, maybe you took those science courses quite a few years ago, or maybe you’ve never set foot in a science lab….but, maybe you always wanted to see what it’s like. We want to break down that imaginary barrier between science and you! Come and join us! The goals of this event are two-fold: Introduce you to a chemistry lab in a way that is enjoyable but is also realistic, honest, and safe. Let you explore mineral formation as it relates to bones and teeth or sea shells and coral reefs. If you’re an Emmanuel College student, faculty, or staff, look for more information to coming...
Oct29
Posted on Oct 29 by
Dianna has officially started working in the research lab! She was able to use several literature papers alongside Dr. Gerdon’s calculations to assemble a protocol for uniform size nanoparticle synthesis. She has been using the standard Templeton method for nanoparticle synthesis with a few changes found in more recent papers. These changes include pH adjustments, longer rotation time, as well as different compounds used to coat the nanoparticles. Dianna is so excited to see which changes to the standard synthesis method create nanoparticles that are uniform in...
Oct17
Posted on Oct 17 by
Logan is very excited to begin working in the lab this semester on calcium phosphate mineralization in microfluidics! So far, Logan made some great strides of achieving mineralization by running the system for about an hour per test, but has had some issues with air bubbles interfering with the mineralization process as a whole. However, after the 4 hour mineralization run Logan did over the past weekend, he feels like he may finally have figured out how to avoid getting any air bubbles at all! Logan looks forward to continuing to work and improve on microfluidics and expand his knowledge on this method of research in accordance with calcium phosphate...
Oct17
Posted on Oct 17 by
After spending the past summer investigating the effects of selected DNA aptamers on the morphology and crystallinity of calcium carbonate, Alex plans on testing the aptamer’s affinity to calcium carbonate. Although the crystallinity and morphology experiments are done for now, there are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding the relationship between the aptamers and calcium carbonate; and hopefully the affinity experiments can answer some of them. To begin the affinity experiments, mineralized calcium carbonate is needed to test the aptamers. Alex hypothesizes there will be a correlation between the results from the summer and the affinity...
Oct11
Posted on Oct 11 by
Amanda has made her start in the lab by making her own collagen hydrogels! She has been making them with Kassidy, who is also teaching her how to mineralize and lyophilize the collagen hydrogels. After Amanda had made her second set, it was time for her to start mineralizing them in different concentrations of poly-aspartic acid. Amanda will then lyophilize and take IR of her three gels. She has just started this project, but she is already learning so...
