Team:Alberta/HumanPractices/Government

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HUMAN PRACTICES

• Overview
• Alternative Fuel Report
• Cost Analysis
  • Preliminary Analysis
  • Impact
  • Potential
  • Conclusion
  • References
• Bioreactor Design
• Governmental Involvement
• Mentorship
  • DiscoverE
  • WISEST
  • HYRS
• Eureka
• Conferences

Governmental Involvement

MycoDiesel has the potential to revolutionize economies throughout the world. However, advances such as ours require governmental support to not only further their development but also to ensure their incorporation into communities.

While iGEM teams have historically focused on public awareness, most notably at the high school level, Team Alberta felt that given the scope of our project, governmental outreach was also of fundamental importance to our human practices initiatives.

Throughout the summer, Team Alberta made a substantial effort to gain the attention of several individuals holding governmental office. Resultantly, our team was successful in gaining the audience of several prominent governmental officials, including the Honorable Ron Liepert, Minister of Energy in the Province of Alberta, the Honorable Stephen Mandel, Mayor of Edmonton, and Don Iveson, Edmonton City Councilor. In addition to promoting our project, the iGEM competition and the field of synthetic biology, these meetings served as a valuable forum for discussing the energy challenges that our communities face now and in the future.

Mayor Mandel was able to provide our team with information about the innovative research that is being conducted at our city’s prominent waste management and recycling facility. Moreover, he invited our team to test the working model of our bioreactor at this center’s research facility upon its completion. Councillor Iveson offered us valuable feedback about our efforts. Most notably, he suggested that upon the completion of our project, our team should partner with neighborhood leagues and elementary and junior high schools to ensure that our bioreactor models are incorporated feasibly into communities. Furthermore, the Minister of Energy provided his insights into the economic challenges that must be regarded when pursuing biofuel production and he was able to provide us with several examples of previous alternative energy projects that the province has undertaken. As well, the minister valuably brought to our attention that governments must consider both environmental impact and public opinion when pursuing energy policy.

We are grateful to these individuals for taking the time out of their busy schedules to meet with us and for their valuable insights into the future of energy within our city and province.

Meeting with the Honorable Ron Liepert, Minister of Energy in the Province of Alberta

Meeting with Honorable Stephen Mandel, Mayor of the City of Edmonton