Bioengineer a Custom Bacteria:
Fire on the Mountain Design Opportunity:
Narrative:
The CU-Mountain Research Station is in the mountains West of Boulder at 11,000 feet. The research
station is part of an important biological preserve. This summer the building that housed their generator
and its fuel burned in a forest fire. After the fire, engineers found that a small amount of Oil and Diesel
Fuel had soaked into the ground near the fire. They also found a lot of metals from the burned shed in
the soil. With the seasons changing they want to get this cleaned up very well, even though it might take
a long time.
Design Considerations and Environment:
 The small amount of oil and diesel fuel are soaked into very shallow soils
 The soils are wet most of the year, allowing for mobile organisms if desired
 There are enough metals in the soil at the site to limit most organisms’ growth
 At 11,000 feet the shallow soils get a lot of UV light and solar radiation
 At 11,000 feet the temperatures range from -80 F in winter to 80 F in the summer
 The site is very close to homes and in the preserve so limit pathogens and life cycles
Design Solutions and Organism Characteristics
Contamination/Treatment Features Needed: ______________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Mobility Features Needed: _______________________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Capsule/Cell Wall Features Needed: ______________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Cell Membrane Features Needed: ________________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
Features: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Genes/Genetic Features Needed: _______________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Energy Source Features Needed: ________________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Reproduction Features Needed: __________________________________________________________________
Source Organism: ________________________________________________________________________________
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Pathology Features Needed: _____________________________________________________________________