Directing Evolution

Directing Evolution


What inspired me to take this class was working in the Belcher group since Fall 2013. This vision motivated me to contribute in biological engineering of biological systems in context of real world, impactful applications. I will dedicate this piece to the instructors of this course, and of course Prof. Leona Samson and Prof. Angela Belcher for their devoted efforts to make us successful in this class no matter what. But I will focus on module three since I haven't written anything about it yet in my  blog posts.


I am sorry for the bias,
But this qualified us
To make virus nanowires, plus
Build batteries that discussed
The effect of using gold nanoparticles, smaller than dust
On the specific capacity of these biotemplated batteries, must
I say that I've done this before,
But I just learned more and more,
About what the bioengineers used to do, furthermore,

The writing experience is always a way,
To open doorways that relay,
Science and engineering anyday,
These aren't like essays,
The assays tell you about pathways,
A report about how to use electron diffraction,
For elemental mapping and imaging samples that lay,
Between an electron ray,
And a detector to relay,
Electron density to display,
Giving you resolution to play

To see the nanowires and atomic planes,
Jokes side, an experience that always remains,
In our brains, can you imagine these planes as lanes?
What was beyond imaginations always had these chains,
But using viruses for directed evolution is like controlling a hurricane,
To clean dirty meadows and plains,
Of sand, and sort the grains,
This fuels my veins,
To train with no pain,
For the visions of the reigns,
Of humanity, with one that can rein,
Biological systems to build grains,
Binding molecules forming crystals from atomic plains.


-Saleem Aldajani