This blog is where we share stories, announcements, and insights from around the iGEM community.
The SDGs are 17 goals that are set to be achieved by the global community by 2030, and they represent indicators of technical progress and societal goals that we and others can help strive to achieve. In particular, the SDGs are a way for institutions to align their resources and to open communications and engage with stakeholders in addressing the global challenges we face.
We invite you to join your fellow iGEMers from all over the world to connect, collaborate and celebrate at the first-ever iGEM Global Meet-up. With over 50% of the activities led by iGEM 2020 teams, the iGEM Global Meet-up is your chance to meet and engage with your fellow iGEMers!
Many people, including researchers, entrepreneurs, civil servants, and activists, want to solve global challenges, but are limited because they typically work only within their own institutions and don’t necessarily have access to the right resources.
The iGEM Measurement Committee is happy to help you learn about the concepts, tools, and resources that are available to iGEM teams. In this post, we address three questions:
What is cloning and gene assembly?
Why is cloning and gene assembly important?
How is cloning and gene assembly done?
At Benchling, our mission is to fundamentally transform how biology research is done. We accomplish this through developing software that eliminates busywork and enhances collaboration for all scientists, including iGEM teams.
Good teammates make you learn and grow. We had gone from being a team to being a family. Deadlines were approaching. Summer passed. Classes began at the university, and we worked to make our course loads as compatible as we could with the final experiments we needed for our iGEM project.
In designing your iGEM project, we encourage you to consider: Who is included in your project design? Who benefits from your research? Will anyone be disadvantaged? Although you may want your iGEM project to benefit society, even your best intentions can have unintended consequences, especially for groups that are already disadvantaged.
As we conclude the Fast Track Program of the 2020 EPIC VCL, we’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on the 2020 Americas Venture Creation Labs (VCL), as well as commemorate the special award recipients. .
Amidst the extraordinary circumstances of 2020 a new generation of iGEM BioFounders are on the rise and they are an extraordinary source of hope in our efforts to transition to a more equitable & sustainable future!
The Entrepreneurship Program & Innovation Community (EPIC) began the year with three major questions in mind…
The 2020 iGEM Season is quite a bit different from previous years, and the Executive Judging Committee (EJC) has made some exciting changes to the medal criteria so that all iGEM teams can participate and achieve medals – with or without lab access – this year.
The iGEM competition should be a challenging, fun, and rewarding experience. But like all science and engineering, every iGEM project has some potential to cause harm. And so iGEM has a number of policies in place, as well as dedicated committees, to help teams do the best science and engineering possible – maximizing benefits for the world while at the same time minimizing any chance of harm.
iGEM is a unique space for a diverse range of students because iGEM actively attempts to encourage and support students from around the world to participate in its competition and community. But for the mentors or instructors in the room, what do you do actively to ensure that a diverse range of students in your program feel welcome and included?
It’s been three weeks since the end of the EPIC Asia-Pacific Venture Creation Lab (VCL), participants were filled with energetic spirits, enthusiasm, and to continue their entrepreneurial journeys.
We know that many teams this year will want to work on COVID-19, and we believe you have much to contribute. In this exceptional year, we want you to be able to do the most important science and engineering possible … AND … we want to make sure you can do that safely and securely.
It feels especially important, right now, to think about how to be a responsible synthetic biologist, the sort who deserves the trust of these friends and family members.
Our first VCL kicked off in the EMEA region in March of this year. 30 participants from 11 countries joined from the comfort of their homes thanks to the digitalization of the program. Despite the global consequences of the pandemic, the teams were highly motivated and exceeded many of our expectations.
Bluepha was founded by two iGEMers from different universities in China: Dr. Zhang himself from Peking University and Dr. Teng Li from Tsinghua University. They met at the iGEM Giant Jamboree in 2010 and have remained friends ever since.
Radhakrishna Sanka, better known as Krishna, is a Computer Engineering Ph.D. candidate at Boston University. This blog post highlights the importance of entrepreneurial ecosystems and the impact one involved member can have on their creation and success.
“In a few short weeks, with the hard work and participation of this entire community, we’ve gone from ‘Is iGEM happening?’ to this – an astonishing number of teams (over 300) and the official opening of the competition in a way that has never happened before.”
