The iGEM Ambassador Program: Then and Now
by Dorothy Zhang, iGEM Director of Community Engagement
Dorothy also gave a session on this topic at iGEM’s 2020 Giant Jamboree
(iGEM Video Universe)
Many of you may already be familiar with the history of iGEM, beginning as an Independent Activities Period course at MIT in 2003, developing into a competition in 2004, and now the pioneering organization of synthetic biology, with over 50,000 iGEM alumni in over 40 countries. What you may not know is the history of the iGEM Ambassador program, which I’d like to share with you today.
2006 – Birth of the iGEM Ambassador program
Top row, from left to right: James Brown (Northeastern United States), Meagan Lizarazo (Latin America), Robin Künzler (European schools). Bottom row, from left to right: Tamara Ulrich (European schools), Andrew Hessel (Canada, Midwest United States), Melissa Li (Western and Southeastern United States), Jonas Nart (European schools), Reshma Shetty (Asia).
The first iGEM Ambassadors were appointed in 2006 and charged with helping each team, in particular new teams, to ensure that they have a successful experience. Behind the scenes, they also helped support both the Registry of Standard Biological Parts and the iGEM wiki.
Although this pilot program did not continue, many of the 2006 iGEM Ambassadors continued in their synthetic biology careers and remain connected to the iGEM community.
| 2006 iGEM Ambassador | Where are they in 2021? |
|---|---|
| Andrew Hessel | Chairman, Genome Project-write |
| James Brown | CTO & Co-Founder of Bondi Bio |
| Jonas Nart | Founding Partner, VP Power Markets & Data Analytics at AEX Holdings, Ltd |
| Meagan Lizarazo | Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the iGEM Foundation |
| Melissa Li | Senior Game Designer at Riot Games |
| Reshma Shetty | Co-Founder at Ginkgo Bioworks |
| Robin Künzler | We’re still searching for Robin… |
| Tamara Ulrich | BPM Workflow Specialist at AXA Schweiz |
2017 – iGEM Ambassador program re-launched
The iGEM Ambassador program was re-launched in 2017 as part of iGEM Community (formerly After iGEM), which aims to support the broad iGEM community and international network of academics and industry professionals beyond the competition. iGEM Community provides engagement opportunities within iGEM, in synthetic biology, and in the global community.
Five iGEM Ambassadors were selected, each representing different regions. They attended regional events, encouraged local teams, and supported the implementation of new iGEM teams.
From left to right: Thomas Landrain (Europe), Camélia Bencherif (Europe), Guilherme Kundlatsch (Latin America), Abigail Sison (Asia), Ana Sifuentes (Latin America).
2018 – Growth of the iGEM Ambassador program
In 2018, the next class of iGEM Ambassadors were appointed, including 9 new ambassadors and alumnus Guilherme Kundlatsch, who brought his previous experience to help provide continuity and support for the program.
From left to right: Guilherme Kundlatsch (Latin America), Amy Chen (North America), Holly Bowman (North America), Hassnain Qasim Bokhari (Asia), Will Wright (Europe), Chen Hong (Asia), John Girgis (North America), Ricardo Camilo Chavez (Latin America). Not shown: Japheth Kelly (Africa), Thea Chrysostomou (Europe).
In addition to supporting their regional iGEM communities, the ambassadors launched two new initiatives – the iGEM Digest and the iGEM Community Newsletter – that provide a platform for iGEMers to share their stories, and report the exciting news, groundbreaking advances and life-changing initiatives from the iGEM community to the iGEM community all over the world.
The Ambassadors also organized the first After iGEM Summit, which was held immediately following the iGEM 2018 Giant Jamboree at the Hynes Convention Center so that iGEM alumni could meet one another in person and discuss topics of interest.
2019 – Continued growth of the iGEM Ambassador program
Another ambassador team was assembled in 2019, with both new and experienced members. Their mission was defined as “Find, connect with, and excite past iGEMers; and Increase the visibility of iGEM and Synthetic Biology.”
From right to left: Guilherme Kundlatsch (Latin America), Nurul Izzati (Asia), Manuel Gimenez (Latin America), Nemanja Stijepovic (Europe), Hassnain Qasim Bokhari (Asia), Niek Savelkoul (Europe), Dorothy Zhang (Asia), Hana Mahmoud Abdelzaher (Africa). Not shown: Ronit Langer (North America), Ricardo Camilo Chavez (Latin America), Varun Govil (North America).
The 2019 iGEM Ambassador team kicked off a series of new projects and outreach efforts based on the information gathered at the After iGEM Summit. They also participated in the Representative program and established new After iGEM Committees (now called iGEM Community Networks).
2020 – Expanding & re-defining the iGEM Ambassador program during a global pandemic
Many significant transitions took place in 2020. The expansion of the iGEM Ambassador team had been planned, but nobody ever expected the disruption caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Ambassadors adapted incredibly well to the new challenges as they created new ways to connect with and support the iGEM 2020 teams. Beginning with the Ambassador coffee hours, they listened to the teams and assisted with all their questions and problems, in a similar way that the 2006 iGEM Ambassadors did 14 years earlier.
From left to right, and top to bottom: Europe – Athina Milona (Greece), Carolina Elizondo (Germany), Nemira Zilinskaite (Lithuania/UK), Nerea Capon Lamelas (Sweden/Spain), Ojas Tulsyan (Denmark), Maxim Bokov (Russia). Asia – Daulet Aitymbayev (Kazakhstan), Varsha Jaisimha (India), Muhammad Farhan Maulana (Indonesia), Zeeshan Siddiqui (Australia), Xinyu Huang (West China), Jiabao Li (East China), Ryo Niwa (Japan), Kaavya Ashok (Japan/USA), Fankang Meng (North China). North America – Yoshi Goto (USA - West Coast), Melody Wu (USA - East Coast), Sara Far (Canada). Latin America – Daniel Dominguez (Mexico), Heber Torres (Mexico), Cibele Nascimento (Brazil), Henrique Retti (Brazil). Africa – Nana Oye Djan (Ghana), Alex Kyabarongo (Uganda). Not shown: Sophia Viola (North America, USA - East Coast), Jeff Hu (United Arab Emirates).
Beyond supporting iGEM teams and individual alumni, the Ambassador team also did an incredible job for the growth of iGEM Community initiatives. Throughout the 2020 season, they researched, brainstormed, created and implemented various projects and events. Examples include:
“Where are they now” campaign, led regionally by the iGEM Ambassadors to connect with past iGEMers and learn about their journey after iGEM;
“iGEMers of the World” Podcast, introduced a new form of audio storytelling in iGEM Community with guests having diverse experiences and backgrounds from our global community; and
Women in STEM project, creatively extended the formats of such discussion and successfully increased the awareness of this topic in our community.
Moreover, the Ambassadors actively contributed to the iGEM 2020 season such as the Global Meetup, Summer iGEM Vibes, and events at the Virtual Giant Jamboree to connect, inspire and support both the iGEM teams and alumni.
2021 – Welcoming our newest and largest team of iGEM Ambassadors and Regional Coordinators
The iGEM Ambassador program for 2021 will be led by Carolina Elizondo (Global Program Coordinator), with support from Regional Ambassador Coordinators, Heber Torres (Latin America), Ansley Gnanapragasam (North America), Alex Kyabarongo (Africa), Athina Milona (Europe) and Shrestha Rath (Asia).
Please welcome the iGEM 2021 Ambassador team! From left to right, and top to bottom:
Asia & Oceania
Avadhoot Jadhav, Ayesha Sameer, Cynthia Lam, Roudlotul Jannah, Jianzhe Yang, Nympha Elisa Sia, Ryo Niwa, Seyeon Park, Shivaramakrishna Srinivasan, Shruti Sridhar, Soumodeep Sarkar, Zhandong Jiao.
North America
Qitong Luan, Tim Ho, Nimaya De Silva, Navya Lam, Marie Peras, Kaavya Ashok, Ethan Levy, Erin Kim, Rocky An.
Europe
Srishty Rathee, Sagi Sheinkman, Matthew Turk, Leandros Tsiotos, Abigail Conner, Assaf Kazakov, Claudia Sofía Troncone Clemente.
Latin America
Abril Diosdado Hernadez, Ana Ruth Quintero, Minerva Castellanos, Jimmy Linhares, Samantha García Arias, Heloísa Oss Boll.
Africa
Sara Ghoul, Youssef Mahmoud Abdelmaksoud, Erikan Balaku.
As a diverse and international team of regional leaders who have experienced iGEM, the iGEM 2021 Ambassadors will be working together to promote initiatives to expand iGEM and collaborate with local stakeholders to disseminate cooperation across their community. More importantly, they are committed to helping you be a part of the iGEM community.
The Ambassador team is organizing video calls (1st round of a series) with prospective iGEM 2021 teams and iGEM alumni via Zoom, starting today through March 22. These calls will be a great place to catch up, share plans, discuss questions and voice your suggestions! Check this link for call times and joining information.
The iGEM Ambassadors represent and promote iGEM and synthetic biology in their respective regions. The iGEM Ambassador Program is a part of After iGEM. Click here to learn about iGEM Community.
