iGEM Podcasts: SynBio conversations about our lovely blue planet
SynBio is changing the world we live in, and we need scientists, educators, artists, and engineers to all be part of the conversation. We launched iGEM Podcasts to provide a platform through which the worldwide SynBio community can communicate, share ideas, debate, and engage with central SynBio ideas and innovations.
With over 3000 downloads and listeners from 37 different countries, iGEM Podcasts combines the creativity of writing and media with the intellectual fascination of the field. Here’s a recap from 2021 of all the amazing conversations on iGEM Podcasts with those who are shaping the future of synthetic biology and our lovely blue planet:
Podcast 1: #Synbio Podcast
Arts & Design SynBio
Featuring conversations with:
Karen Ingram (Creative Director, Designer, and Artist), one of the world’s leading SynBio designers is using her skills to promote scientific awareness, about the important role of design and creative strategy in synthetic biology. Listen Now.
Computational SynBio
Featuring conversations with:
Prof Douglas Densmore (Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University) about the relationship between robots and synbio. Listen Now
Charlie Harris (PhD student, Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine) about the inner workings of AlphaFold 2, one of the greatest breakthroughs in AI and biology. Listen Now
Educational SynBio
Featuring conversations with:
Kathryn Hamilton (Senior Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, and Managing Editor and Senior Staff Writer at Bioeconomy.xyz) about the future of the bioeconomy. Listen Now
Todd Kuiken (Senior Research Scholar and Executive Committee Member at NC State's genetic Engineering and Society Center) about how the iGEM community is tackling the UN Sustainable development Goals (SDGs). Listen Now
Entrepreneurial SynBio
Featuring conversations with:
Miroslav Gasparek (PhD student at Oxford University, and Fellow at Civilization Ventures) about how life scientists can get involved in venture capital. Listen Now
Arvind Gupta (Founder IndieBio, and co-lead of Mayfield's Engineering Biology practice) and Po Bronson (Managing Director of IndieBio, and General Partner at SOSV) about their bestselling book, Decoding the World: A Roadmap for the Questioner. Listen Now
Cheng Kai Lim (PhD-MBA student, National University of Singapore) about his research in the field of DNA data storage, and his insights from iGEM EPIC into the intersection of business and SynBio. Listen Now
Research SynBio
Featuring conversations with:
Drew Endy (Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, President of the BioBricks Foundation, and co-founder of iGEM), about the future of synbio research at the intersection of industry, academia and government. Listen Now
Podcast 2: iGEMers of the World
Featuring conversations with:
Natalie Kuldell (Founder and Executive Director, BioBuilder Educational Foundation) about how the BioBuilder Foundation is changing the landscape of teaching synthetic biology and bioengineering in the classroom. Listen Now
Ricardo C. Chavez (Founder, Scintia) about how Scintia, a biotech education company from Latin America, is bringing synthetic biology and bioengineering to classrooms in the region. Listen Now
Nemira Zilinskaite (PhD candidate, University of Cambridge) about her research journey and the iGEM Women in STEM initiative. Listen Now
David Doyle (high school teacher in Shanghai, and iGEM Education committee member) about high school iGEM teams and the BioBuilder Educational Foundation. Listen Now
Megan Palmer (Adjunct Professor in Bioengineering and Executive Director of Bio Policy & Leadership Initiatives at Stanford) about how her research, education and public policy programs are exploring how biological science and engineering is shaping our society. Listen Now
Malik George (Undergraduate, class of 2022 at MIT), who is majoring in Bioengineering and minoring in African and African diaspora studies, about how iGEM is a crash course in research. Listen Now
Because this lovely blue planet is home to us all, the conversations hosted on iGEM Podcasts are needed now more than ever. We invite you to tune in to iGEM Podcasts in the upcoming 2022 season where we will continue to communicate, debate, and engage with central synbio ideas and innovations.
If you’re interested in getting involved with the iGEM podcast team, whether that’s in audio editing, writing, or social media, please reach out to us at zeeshan [AT] igem [DOT] org.
