Safety in the lab
- Goggles. Sometimes you will want to work with goggles. In case if something gets into the eyes: clean with running water!
- Gloves. While working with chemicals or need clean environment for your organisms, wear gloves!
- Started your work in the lab? Wash your hands!
- Finished the work in the lab? Wash your hands!
- No eating in the lab: you could contaminate your organisms/samples or, you could be poisoned by chemicals
- Apron/lab coat. It is better to use a lab coat
- Never pour chemicals back into the bottles
- Never put chemicals back into the jars
- Close containers immediately after pouring or taking out chemicals
- Do not inhale chemicals or contaminated plates
- Flame is not aloud. In case if needed to get rid of bacteria, be careful!
- Read instructions before using equipment which is not familiar
- Clean your work bench with 70% ethanol before and after the work
- Do not put your fingers into your eyes/mouth
Ethics
Draft DIYbio Code for ethics from European congress
- Transparency. Emphasize transparency and the sharing of ideas, knowledge, data and results
- Safety. Adopt safe practices
- Open Access. Promote citizen science and decentralized access to biotechnology.
- Education. Help educate the public about biotechnology, its benefits and implication.
- Modesty. Know, you don’t know everything.
- Community. Carefully listen to any concerns and questions and respond honestly.
- Peaceful Purposes. Biotechnology must only be used for peaceful purposes.
- Respect. Respect humans and all living systems.
- Responsibility. Recognize the complexity and dynamics of living systems and our responsibility towards them.
- Accountability. Remain accountable for your actions and for upholding this code.
Bacteria, Yeasts, SCOBY
- Gapševičius, M. (2017). My Collaboration with Bacteria for Paper Production