Celebration: The 4th of a 4-part series on iGEM 2021

 by iGEM HQ

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead.” – Nelson Mandela

Celebration, the last of the 4C’s of iGEM, is one and the same with gratitude. Each time a milestone is reached – the forming of a new team, the coming together of ideas, the progress made in pursuing a project – all of these are times of celebration, when we express joy and appreciation for the gifts, skills and accomplishments of one another. And there are many times to celebrate in iGEM…

 We celebrate as individuals, when we or one of our teammates runs a successful transformation, or has success in designing hardware or software, or begins to understand the nuances of governance.

We celebrate as teams when we learn what does and does not work in designing and developing our project.

We celebrate as local and regional communities when we gather together at meetups to learn from, and give feedback to, fellow iGEM teams.

And we celebrate as an entire community when we gather together at the Giant Jamboree to recognize the accomplishments of the current year’s teams.

Celebration is integral to the iGEM journey. Being happy and grateful for the milestones reached can help us through the challenges and difficult times we may face in forging a better future with synthetic biology. Some of the milestones we celebrate in iGEM’s history include:

2003:  iGEM begins

2004:  Human Practices begins at iGEM

2005:  iGEM becomes a true international competition

2007:  Medals are introduced to the competition

2009:  iGEM makes the cover of Nature

2011:  iGEM becomes an independent nonprofit organization

2014:  the first Giant Jamboree is held in Boston

2017:  After iGEM is launched

2019:  iGEM opens its’ first international chapter – iGEM Europe

2020:  iGEM holds its’ first Global Meetup and Virtual Giant Jamboree

Now, with iGEM 2021 set to begin, it’s time to celebrate the beginning of a new iGEM season.

Close up from the 2018 iGEM from Above