Imagine your Journey through the 4C’s of the Virtual Giant Jamboree

by iGEM HQ

In this exceptional year, iGEM teams have journeyed down a path that is different from any previous year, and far more challenging, exciting, and rewarding than any of us could have imagined. As we approach the eve of the 2020 iGEM Virtual Giant Jamboree (VGJ), we invite you to imagine your journey through the 4C’s of the iGEM VGJ: Competition, Community, Contribution, Celebration.

Competition (November 14-16)

Your journey begins with Competition, the first three days of the VGJ where teams will show their hard work from this year to the world and also learn from their peers. This is a time when teams will focus on their presentations and interactions regarding their projects. Many thought-provoking questions will probably be asked from the judges and the other teams. You will be able to view the team presentations throughout the many parallel sessions, as well as interact with the teams during the poster sessions.

Community (November 17-20)

During Community, your journey will take you through various explorations of different themes. Based on the learning and discussions of the 2020 projects from the previous 3 competition days, iGEMers now have the opportunity to delve into even deeper thoughts on how their work relates to the real world. Reflecting on the questions related to their projects, iGEMers will be able to discuss various topics – research, policy, entrepreneurship, education, diversity & inclusion, SDGs, and more – in the context of synthetic biology with groups from a diverse background and geographic distribution. More importantly, this is the time for team members to make more connections with people sharing similar interests and visions in the community, including fellow iGEMers, iGEM alumni, external partners, people from synbio-related fields in academia, industry, education, government, and NGOs.

Contribution (November 21)

Your journey continues during the day of Contribution, where iGEMers will consolidate their thoughts on questions around the five “pillars” representing major topics for the VGJ – Governance, Innovation, SDGs, Open Science, Research & Data – and their intersections. Guided by the workshops held during the Community days, and the presentations, After iGEM fair and hack-a-thons of the Contribution day, iGEMers will start to think about and discuss how they would like to carry on individually and contribute to the development of synthetic biology, and collaboratively develop a personal and community-based development roadmap for next 10 years.

Celebration (November 22)

Finally, on the day of Celebration, you will join together to enjoy the delight of celebrating and honoring the accomplishments of the 2020 iGEM teams. All the teams will review the highlighted moments during the past VGJ days and their hard work throughout the 2020 iGEM season. The medals and awards will be given in a different but even more cheering way. You’ll hear some exciting news about 2021 Giant Jamboree, and will participate in “iGEM from above” to be created by all the iGEMers in an unprecedented manner as a perfect ending to the closing ceremony.

In the coming 9-days of the VGJ, you will have the opportunity to engage with entire iGEM community. We encourage you to attend as many sessions as you can, be open to new topics and ideas, and walk through the VGJ in your own style based on your own interest and desires. As you move through the 4Cs of the VGJ, you will be transformed from an individual or local team composed of a few enthusiasts to a global team composed of thousands of potential synbio leaders.

We can’t wait to see you at the 2020 iGEM VGJ where the journeys we imagine together become a reality!