New subject: PCR

31 Jul 2013

Hi folks,
Just joined the list, primarily as a lurker.  I am perpetually spread thin on project
bandwidth but want to be in touch with the bio community in order to collaborate where
there are areas of overlap.  My background is in engineering - civil and environmental
engineering in school, now doing alot of pavement, geotechnical, and drainage/dewatering
design.  In my own time I've taken a big technical interest in process control, mainly
in hydroponics, environmental control (like HVAC), and beer brewing.  All the electronic
and mechanical stuff is self-taught so there's been alot of trial and error on my
path, but maybe not an order of magnitude more than if I had learned it in school.
I am interested in adding biological elements into designs, and so far have just been
shooting from the hip with mixed results.  Some applications of interest to me are algae
biofuel processors, automatic plant/animal/fungus environmental homeostasis systems,
compact grey/blackwater treatment units, closed-loop irrigation with specialized bacterial
bioreactor elements, and anything having to do with microbial action to beneficiate
rock/sand/spacedust.
I could be of assistance on the DIY PCR project as there is some technical overlap on
temperature control and driving peltier elements.  Also would be interested in developing
hardware and control systems for economical mass production of select organisms.
Looking forward to hacking with y'all!
Hol

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