T.E.S.T. is the student team that competes in the SensUs competition every year. The goal of the competition is to make a biosensor, which is a sensor that can detect a molecule. More specifically, a biomarker is targeted, which is a molecule that is an indication of any kind of disease. For example, the biomarker for this year is creatinine, an indication of kidney failure. Each year at SensUs, a different biomarker is used and each year, a different T.E.S.T. team competes in the competition. More information about the SensUs competition can be found here.
Timeline
T.E.S.T. starts in November and ends at the last week of the summer break, which is is the last week of August. In the first few months, literature research is done to get an overview of the current state and methods of biosensing. This gives everyone in the team the opportunity to become familiar with the subject. Usually around January, a choice is made about what method is used for the new biosensor.
From February until April we work on the realization of the concept. During this period, the team investigates how the method can be realized into a biosensor. This is also when the hands-on experiences starts: you either go into the lab or you will be working on a prototype, depending on whether you are in the ‘assay’ or ‘detection’ team.
From May until the end summer break, optimization of the biosensor takes place and the results of both the detection & assay team come together to realize a working biosensor! At the end of the summer break, the SensUs competition takes place. Here, we show our biosensor to other student teams, sponsors and the general public.
Time Spent on T.E.S.T.
From November until april, the efforts for T.E.S.T. will approximately be 10 hours a week on average. From April untill the beginning of the summer break, the time spent on T.E.S.T. generally increases to 16 hours per week. In the summer break, you will work full time on T.E.S.T., with exception of two weeks of holiday. It is worth noting that the summer break is the most fun period during the year, as there is plenty of time to do fun activities with your team!
Function tasks
For making a biosensor, we need different disciplines in a team. When you think of biosensing, the most obvious study that comes into mind is Biomedical Engineering. However, making a biosensor is also interesting for other studies! For the sensor, you also need someone who can make the electrical systems (Electrical Engineering for example). When the data comes out, this has to be analysed: a data analyst is necessary. We also have to make a business plan, to pitch why our sensor is the best sensor. Thus, everyone can join T.E.S.T. and learn something!
Why join T.E.S.T.?
It is a lot of fun to join T.E.S.T.. By joining a student team, you will learn a lot, not only about biosensing, but soft skills as well, like pitching, presenting and writing. Next to this, we also have fun activities, like eating dinner together, playing games and getting to know new people.