The Mines Alt Protein Project

About

The Mines Alt Protein Project is a community of students passionate about alternative proteins and improving the impact of the food production system  on the environment. Our mission is to raise awareness about alternative proteins, educate the campus community about current research and technologies related to alternative proteins, and engage in open dialogue about using engineering, science, and innovation to make our food system more resilient. We host guest speakers from local alternative protein startups and collaborate  with principal investigators and entrepreneurs to catalyze alternative protein-enabling research. We also organize community-building activities like movie nights, plant-based tasting events, and events with other student-led groups on campus. 

We started organizing events in Spring 2023 and became an official club at our university that semester. Between January and May 2023, we proudly hosted six speaker events from alternative protein companies. Seven of our members participated in a campus-wide startup pitch event, and one of the teams won second place, which raised awareness with students involved in entrepreneurial events. We have also hosted guest lectures in Biology and Biochemistry classes, Quantitative Biosciences Seminar (QBE) and Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) Seminar, which widened our audience to include faculty and staff. Thanks to that, some faculty have expressed their excitement about applying for grants related to alternative proteins. Our events are currently advertised as part of the QBE and CBE Newsletters.