May 13

May 13 Celebrating iGEM 2020 Opening Weekend

by iGEM HQ

Despite these trying times, we at iGEM have cause to celebrate … the iGEM 2020 Competition officially opens this weekend, and we’re kicking it off with a bang with the first ever iGEM 2020 Opening Weekend Festival.

The iGEM community has always been special – rooted in science and engineering, driven by curiosity and the spirit of discovery, seeking to make the world a better place. And in 2020, more than in any other year, iGEMers are showing tremendous creativity and resiliency in advancing the use and development of synthetic biology for the benefit of future generations.

This weekend promises to be amazing as we come together to celebrate the official opening of the iGEM 2020 season. Some of the highlights include:

– A special session by iGEM’s Safety and Security committee on conducting safe and responsible research in this exceptional year, including new COVID-19 rules;

– Webinars covering topics such as planning and designing your project, modeling biological systems, using software tools and ShortBOL to create genetic designs, maximizing benefits/minimizing risks, and doing Human Practices during a global pandemic;

– Workshops offering ideas and techniques for building an inclusive project, fundraising, designing valid surveys, finding insights from social science research, planning attribution and avoiding plagiarism, and developing solutions for the UN sustainable development goals;

– Panels on frugal/low-cost science, education and accessibility in synthetic biology, SynBio sci-fi stories, and iGEM start-ups, including entrepreneurial career opportunities through iGEM EPIC;

– Talks to introduce teams to the iGEM Mentorship Program, understanding iGEM through data with iGEM insights, and the importance of iGEM teams in getting involved in global policy, with a focus on the Convention on Biological Diversity and legislation for Digital Sequence Information as genetic resources in developing countries;

– Special sessions for high school iGEMers, including a conversation with high school iGEM alumni, and activities to help high school teams develop brainstorming and presentation skills; and

– A unique opportunity to learn from Nobel Laureate Dr. Richard J. Roberts about the importance of GMO use in agriculture.

Many people in the iGEM community are pulling together to create a meaningful and memorable experience, both for returning iGEMers who are continuing their journey and for newly minted iGEMers who are joining a team for the first time. The iGEM committees – Diversity & Inclusion; Executive Judging; Human Practices, Measurement, Safety & Security, Software, Video & Remote Technology – have crafted guidance and provided resources to help teams enjoy and succeed in this year’s competition.

In this exceptional year iGEM will be different, but it will be worth it. With new medal criteria and the option for two-phase projects, teams can fully participate in iGEM 2020 even with no or limited access to the lab. With guidance on responsible innovation from iGEM Human Practices and Safety & Security, teams can learn and develop new approaches to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With new resources, such as those made available through iGEM’s collaboration with Just One Giant Lab (JOGL), teams can discover an abundance of ways to push the boundaries of synthetic biology. With two new video deliverables and support from iGEM Video & Remote Technology, including guidelines, tools, tech advice, tutorials and more, teams can find new ways to work together and create exciting, fun video presentations of iGEM projects. And with our full dedication and energy focused on creating a high quality Virtual Giant Jamboree, teams can still expect an exciting and unique experience as they gather together with neighboring teams for opening and closing ceremony live streams, submit their presentation video and wiki, chat with judges, interact during poster sessions, and celebrate at an awards ceremony "watch party".

All of us at iGEM HQ and the After iGEM Ambassadors are working around the clock – and around the world – to launch new communication initiatives and activities so that iGEM teams stay well connected and have fun. To help facilitate collaborations we’ve created a Team Collaborations webpage, where teams can reach all of the 2020 iGEM teams and share information about ways they wish to collaborate. Our Global iGEM Slack Workspace is available to all participants of the 2020 competition, where team members can chat, discover other projects, help one another solve scientific (and non-scientific) dilemmas, and reach out to their regional iGEM Ambassadors. And through Events and Meet-ups, teams can share ideas, help each other, and spend time with their fellow iGEMers.

iGEM Partners and Sponsors are steadfast in their commitment to support iGEM teams in solving local problems to tackle global challenges by imagining the future with synthetic biology. For the seventh consecutive year, IDT is offering free DNA synthesis to all iGEM teams in 2020. Long-time iGEM Partner Sponsors, including GenScript, Benchling, SnapGene/Geneious, are offering team grant opportunities, special promotions, services and resources to help iGEM teams create successful projects. Open Philanthropy continues to support iGEM's Safety & Security Program, and Ginkgo Bioworks (founded by some of the earliest participants in iGEM) and New England Biolabs have renewed their support for iGEM. And welcoming for the first time in 2020, iGEM Partner Sponsor Revive & Restore is awarding up to 12 grants as a challenge for teams to think alternatively and innovate in the name of conservation.

The iGEM 2020 Opening Weekend Festival (May 15, 16, 17) will start us off with a bang – three days of virtual events and activities, where iGEM teams will come from all around the world to form bonds and forge pathways towards a truly collaborative iGEM 2020 season. And together we will celebrate our special iGEM community!