If you building a new lab, or have just relocated, many distributors will offer special discounts just to get you working with them. ThermoFisher, SigmaAldrich, VWR even gives you a “Lab Set up Guide” to help you spot discounts. If you are setting up a new lab, check with your distributors to find out if […]
Making Vacuum Chambers
If you would like to make an essentially free vacuum chamber with pump, Chris Notap has a useful video on making one out of spare parts using a vacuum pump from a discarded dehumidifier or fridge. Component parts are in the description. If you want something a little more solid, check out this write up […]
Build-your-own Lego Spectrometer
Check out this open source design for a spectrometer built out of Legos. You can use their designs to 3D print your own Legos and follow the online assembly instructions (or forge your own path!). Or you can buy a kit starting at $30 and running up to $85 for a kit with a Raspberry Pi and […]
A Blueprint for Cost-Efficient Localization Microscopy
This paper, “A Blueprint for Cost-Efficient Localization Microscopy,” write it’s own summary better than we ever could: “In this study, we questioned every technical high-end component used in standard localization microscopes to reduce the total cost of a wide-field setup and to ensure continued single-molecule sensitivity. We demonstrate that localization microscopy with subdiffraction resolution on […]
BioBits — Synthetic Biology for K-12
This is the coolest thing about STEM education I’ve read in a while. A large team of researchers from Wyss, MIT, and Northwestern have figured out how to use freeze-dried cell parts (which in itself is a super cool technology) to create synthetic biology experiments for K-12 that can be stored on a shelf at room temperature […]