Security Systems in Schools

The purpose of our groups IQP was to develop a better, safer and more technologically advanced security system for schools. Our first initial step was to research past active shooter scenarios to see if we could determine a pattern or conclude on the typical profile of an active shooter. Next, we interviewed numerous school officials of both public and private schools, grades K-12 to determine if there were patterns in their safety protocols as well as lapses in their protocols that could place students in danger. Finally, we developed a system that we thought would increase the safety for students and faculty as well as increasing response time from the Police and Fire Departments. Our results are as follows

Engineering a Bamboo Bicycle

The primary objective of this Major Qualifying Project was to design and construct a bamboo bicycle that could be made available in developing nations and be assembled quickly with minimal training. In order to meet this objective, the project was decomposed into three main components: bicycle joint design, manufacturing fixture design, and safety and testing. The project team was divided into three corresponding groups, utilizing axiomatic design to break down each of the three components. The team successfully manufactured a prototype bamboo bicycle using the Joints Team\u27s system of gussets, the Jig Team\u27s manufacturing fixture, and the bamboo selected by the Safety and Testing Team

The flavoprotein Mcap0476 (RlmFO) catalyzes m5U1939 modification in Mycoplasma capricolum 23S rRNA

Efficient protein synthesis in all organisms requires the post-transcriptional methylation of specific ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA) nucleotides. The methylation reactions are almost invariably catalyzed by enzymes that use S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) as the methyl group donor. One noteworthy exception is seen in some bacteria, where the conserved tRNA methylation at m(5)U54 is added by the enzyme TrmFO using flavin adenine dinucleotide together with N(5),N(10)-methylenetetrahydrofolate as the one-carbon donor. The minimalist bacterium Mycoplasma capricolum possesses two homologs of trmFO, but surprisingly lacks the m(5)U54 tRNA modification. We created single and dual deletions of the trmFO homologs using a novel synthetic biology approach. Subsequent analysis of the M. capricolum RNAs by mass spectrometry shows that the TrmFO homolog encoded by Mcap0476 specifically modifies m(5)U1939 in 23S rRNA, a conserved methylation catalyzed by AdoMet-dependent enzymes in all other characterized bacteria. The Mcap0476 methyltransferase (renamed RlmFO) represents the first folate-dependent flavoprotein seen to modify ribosomal RNA