User:Zach Bjornson
MIT Biological Engineering Department class of 2010 with plans for higher education.
My primary interest is in biomedical research such as pharmaceutical development and organogenesis. I would like to generate entire organs in vitro. I would also like to work on treatments for [nonfatal] diseases. (I say nonfatal because I am strongly concerned about the effects of overpopulation on the environment. I might not stick to this "philosophy" in the end, but for now it is a simple idea.)
I also have a strong interest in plants and fungi (especially mushrooms and arbuscular mycorrhizae).
You can contact me at bjornson{at}mit{.}edu or through OpenWetWare.
Current Research and Bioengineering Projects
- 20.109 research proposal assignment. [1]
Past Research and Bioengineering Projects
- Optimization of Expression, Solubilization and Purification of the Membrane Protein HORF17-4 in E. coli Using Fractional Factorial Design (Zhang Lab)
- Optimization of Cell-Free Expression of Membrane Proteins with Self-Assembling Peptides (Zhang Lab)
- Cloning and Expression of UGT1A1 in E. coli [2]
- Airplane Drinking Water Testing for Microbial Contaminants
Honors
- Special Congressional Recognition for Environmental Work
- Environmental Protection Agency environmental service award
- United Nations Environment Programme youth advisor
- 2005 International Young Eco-Hero Award
- June 22, 2006 designated in Moraga, CA as a day of recognition
Other Interests
I play harpsichord and organ. I'm building a replica of the 1736 Hemsch harpsichord (on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts) in the MIT Hobby Shop (article and project blog). I like building things, and if I were to switch majors it would probably be to Course 2 (Mechanical Engineering).
I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area. I'm a vegetarian, tree-hugger, environmentalist, animal-rights activist... go San Francisco values.
Non-bioengineering Projects
These are mostly links to the internal pages of http://utopia.mit.edu.
- (Check back later.)
