This blog is where we share stories, announcements, and insights from around the iGEM community.
All in iGEM Blog
Now more than ever the world needs synthetic biologists – talented and passionate people who are building a better world by engineering biology. iGEM is known by most as the premier international synthetic biology competition, and the organization that helped to establish the synthetic biology industry. But in 2022, iGEM has grown to be so much more than just the competition.
This Friday – March 4 – is World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, a United Nations’ international day for celebrating engineers and engineering. It’s a day to recognize the critical role of engineers in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure that everyone has access to clean water, sanitation, reliable energy, and other basic human needs. In honor of World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, we’d like to highlight the accomplishments of iGEM teams in engineering biological solutions towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Every year, hundreds of fascinating projects are developed by iGEMers to face the pressing challenges of our time and innovate for the future. I invite you to check out my interview with Maarten Lubbers as we discuss projects from the iGEM 2021 season that focus on biodiversity conservation. These are very different projects using very different approaches by iGEM teams from different continents around the globe.
On Friday February 11, the United Nations will observe the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We’d like to honor the International Day of Women and Girls in Science by raising awareness about the projects and events of the Women in STEM initiative (WiSTEM).
With over 3K 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.
The end of an iGEM competition season brings a time of both reflection and renewed hope. As we look back on iGEM 2021 — another challenging season to be sure — we are inspired by the iGEM community’s remarkable resilience and interconnectedness. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, where teams continued to face uncertainties over lab access, data collection obstacles, and travel restrictions, the iGEM community found even more ways to support and connect with one another.
Can you imagine how the future would look if local people solved local problems everywhere in the world? To envision such a future, 25 teams from 8 Latin-American countries, comprising 480 students, took on the challenge of applying biological design to solve local problems in iGEM Design League 2021.
This year, 350 teams of student scientists and engineers from 46 countries and regions worked creatively and tirelessly to push the frontiers of synthetic biology – with or without access to a laboratory. They have identified important local problems, presented their ideas for engineering biological solutions, addressed tough questions about the safety and security of their work, and sought innovative ways to include ever more diverse groups of people.
As an iGEM alumnus, you automatically become a member of iGEM Community, and your iGEM pin becomes a memento symbolizing this vibrant and active community – Welcome to iGEM Community!
Since 2004, iGEM teams have been creating exciting, impactful projects just like yours. A handful of these projects have lived on as published academic papers, or have formed the basis for PhD projects, or have grown as start-up companies. However, many of the most imaginative and innovative projects have been simply left as wikis, without a clear path to enable others to move those projects forward. That changes now … enter the Phoenix Project!
The future of the synthetic biology industry will be on display at the iGEM 2021 Giant Jamboree, held online November 4-14. As the culminating event of iGEM’s annual synthetic biology competition, the Giant Jamboree will feature a myriad of cutting-edge innovations created by the world’s brightest young synthetic biologists from universities and high schools across the globe.
iGEM Design League was launched in Latin America this year to kickstart the journeys of Latinos and Latinas in synthetic biology. This new competition is focused on the design element of the "design-build-test-learn" cycle that helps ideas to become reality, all while engaging local people in solving local problems through synthetic biology.
Last year, we introduced the Inclusivity Award to recognize excellence among iGEM teams working to create a more inclusive and representative scientific community. This special award honors teams that have made exceptional and thoughtful efforts to eliminate the barriers that prevent underrepresented groups from contributing to, participating in, or being represented by scientific research.
Breast Cancer Awareness month is honored every October in countries around the world to increase awareness, early detection, treatment, and palliative care. Last year, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer and 685,000 women died from this disease.
It happens every year … and it always comes too soon … and you meant to finish earlier … and you wish you had more time … and you just now thought of a better way to show something … and you didn’t realize how many things could go wrong … and then …. it’s one minute to midnight Eastern time and … the iGEM wiki freeze happens!
It’s been a while since I’ve reflected on the meaning of iGEM. When I first joined the iGEM Foundation, I asked you, the readers of the iGEM blog: “What does iGEM mean to you?” In compiling the responses, I learned that iGEM means many things to many people.
Latin American Festivals are indeed the stuff of legends, celebrating the rich cultural heritage of one of the most colorful and diverse regions of the world. And there is nothing quite like an iGEM LATAM Festival: from reveling in the milestones reached and appreciating the stories of fellow iGEMers, to learning what may lie ahead and rejoicing in our multiethnic diversity – we know how to celebrate!
We are pleased to announce the iGEM 2021 Jamboree Meetups, November 12-14, all around the world! These in-person satellite events to the Giant Jamboree are about celebrating with the iGEM community locally and, in parallel, connecting all iGEMers globally.
September is World Alzheimer’s Month, a time to raise awareness and challenge the stigma and misinformation that surrounds Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
With over 5,000 views (and counting!), iGEM TV will take you on synthetic biology journeys from the heart of the tropical forests, to the bottom of the oceans, and even the soil on Mars.
