Teams/Ambassadors/Podcast
iGEMers OF THE WORLD
The podcast is coming back soon!
MEET THE HOSTS:
JOIN THE LAUNCH:
MEET THE GUESTS:
CHECK SCHEDULE:
The iGEM Community is boarding the podcast rocket ship! This new initiative will be a medium for the ambassadors to engage with iGEM Alumni & teams to communicate ideas about the future of iGEM and synthetic biology to a worldwide audience. We want to promote discussion and conversation around Synbio from an iGEM perspective.
We will be inviting iGEM Alumni to share their stories and inspire future and current iGEMers. Topics of conversation will include how iGEM has given them direction and/or influenced their careers; whether that be in research, industry, or entrepreneurship. What are the predominant ideas in engineering and designing the future of synthetic biology that currently occupy their mind?
Many iGEMers are just starting their professional careers, and hence will be part of the team of scientists that will shape the future of synthetic biology. The opportunity to connect with alumni, converse about Synbio and iGEM in a creative and focussed manner, as well as attract new audiences to the field of Synbio, is the next step in engaging and growing our community.
CONTACT US:
iGEM Podcast Team: podcast [AT] igem [DOT] org
Official Launch Livestream: Meet your hosts
September 30th 2020
Follow After iGEM on Social Media:
MEET THE HOSTS - 2020 iGEM AMBASSADORS
Zeeshan Siddiqui
iGEM Ambassador to Oceania
- Location:Australia
- Email:zeeshan [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:UNSW Sydney 2018(member), 2019 (advisor)
My Intro Message
Hey everyone, I’m Zeeshan! I recently completed my Bsc (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics from UNSW Sydney, Australia! I absolutely love Synbio (protein engineering in particular) and its potential to revolutionize how the world functions! I was president of the UNSW Biotech society (BABSOC) in 2019, with a goal of promoting Synbio within the university. I enjoy science communication and playing the guitar.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM adventure started in 2018 with the UNSW Sydney team. I was responsible for all things protein engineering! Our team project was to develop a modular, synthetic enzymatic scaffold. iGEM was one of the most unique and exciting experiences of my life, and I am looking forward to meeting you all!
Cibele Zolnier
iGEM Ambassador to Latin America
- Location:Brazil
- Email:cibele [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:USP-EEL-Brazil 2018 (team leader)
My Intro Message
Hi, everyone! My name is Cibele Zolnier, I’m from Brazil and I am currently an undergraduate student in Biochemical Engineering at the University of São Paulo (USP-EEL). For four years, starting as a member and eventually becoming vice president, I was part of the Synthetic Biology Club USP-EEL. More recently, I started working on a research project related to protein engineering at the Synthetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory of USP-EEL. Apart from SynBio, my other passions include dogs and baking cakes, both separately as dogs aren’t the best kitchen helpers..
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started in 2016, when the first team from USP-EEL attended the competition. I had just joined the Synbio Club USP-EEL, which gave me the chance to help the team and get an idea of what the competition was like. After that, I had the opportunity to form a new team in 2017, for which I was chosen as Team Leader. Being able to participate only in iGEM 2018, attending the Giant Jamboree was really a dream come true. In 2019 I had the amazing chance to mentor another iGEM team from Brazil and also became a member of iGEM Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Now, I couldn’t be more excited to be an Ambassador and help the iGEM community grow!
Daniel Dominguez
iGEM Ambassador to Latin America
- Location:Mexico
- Email:daniel [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:CINVESTAV_IPN_UNAM, 2012
My Intro Message
My name is Daniel Domínguez, I am from Mexico City and I have a B.S. in Biotechnology Engineering from National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico. I have worked for several years in biobusiness and technology transfer. During 3 years I led the Innovation, Research and Development Department for an agricultural company. I am the co-founder of Allbiotech, a non profit organization aiming to promote the development of biotechnology and bioeconomy in Latin America.
My iGEM Life
I participated as a student in 2012 with the team CINVESTAV-IPN-UNAM (Mexico). We explored the use of regulatory systems from Purple Non Sulphur Bacteria to control biofuel production in photosynthetic bacteria in response to light and oxygen changes. We were the first runner-up and won three special prizes in the regional stage in Colombia. Since then, I have collaborated with several iGEM teams in the region, especially in Human Practices, and I have been a huge fan and promoter of iGEM.
Nemira Zilinskaite
iGEM Ambassador to Europe
- Location:UK / Lithuania
- Email:nemira [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Nottingham 2018
My Intro Message
Hello everyone! I’m Nemira! Currently, a student at the University of Nottingham doing my final year of BSc Biotechnology and starting my PhD in October! I’m originally from Lithuania, but now living in the UK. I'm an active member of the Student Union working towards improving the education outcome at my university! My main passion is bioscience, but I also enjoy music and astronomy!
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started in 2018 when I joined the Nottingham iGEM 2018! I was responsible for wet lab and human practices! In 2019, I have joined After iGEM as part of the communication committee, where I worked on the newsletter and this year I'm an ambassador for Europe. iGEM allowed me to meet so many amazing people, who all taught me something new and I'll always be grateful for all of them! And now I can’t wait to meet you all - future colleagues and people, who are changing the way we understand science!
Melody Wu
iGEM Ambassador to North America
- Location:USA
- Email:melody [AT] igem [DOT] org
- iGEM Experience:Alverno_CA 2016, MIT 2019
My Intro Message
Hello! My name is Melody Wu, and I’m an undergraduate majoring in Biological Engineering at MIT originally from the Los Angeles Area in California. I’m really passionate about exploring the interdisciplinary, in particular at the intersection of planetary health, synthetic biology/biotech, and art. I love creating art to communicate science concepts, particularly the amazing world of synthetic biology, in an easy and fun way but also just to create surreal art. At MIT, I’m also involved in the student group trying to build up MIT’s BioMakers community.
My iGEM Life
My iGEM journey started the summer after my second year at Alverno Heights Academy (2016 iGEM Alverno_CA). Our project was focused on reducing the effects of supercoiling in multi-genetic circuits to allow for predictable gene expression in bacteria. I remember the struggles we had over failed PCRs but also the joy we had taking apart a second-hand thermocycler and putting it back together. Attending the Jamboree and meeting people from all over the world who had been using the same synthetic biology tools but for a diverse range of projects and being able to present our work that I had invested hours of time into was gratifying and thrilling. In 2019, I continued my iGEM journey as part of the MIT iGEM team, where our project was focused on directing neutrophil-like cell migration along a chemokine gradient secreted by engineered HEK cells. The same iGEM spirit is still there, but now there’s a larger community, and I’m glad to be a part of it.
MEET THE GUESTS
Episode #1: Alex Kelly
Community labs, Open Insulin & Open Science
By Zeeshan (September 30th)
A Dual Bachelor of Economics and Science (Biotechnology) graduate at the University of New South Wales.. He is also the founder of NeoSynbio, a non-profit that aims to help eliminate the scarcity of medical supplies around the globe, as well as provide open education to an international generation of synthetic biologists. Join us as we talk about the open insulin movement, the 2017 University of Sydney iGEM team, and community science labs!
Episode #2: Varsha Jaisimha
Meet Asian (India) Ambassador, Varsha!
By Zeeshan (September 30th)
A current undergraduate science student at IISER Pune, India. Varsha is currently the Asian ambassador for iGEM 2020, as well as a member of the iGEM measurement committee. Join us as we talk about the 2019 IISER Pune team, and the challenges of synbio and global health in India.
Episode #3: Edward Johnson
iGEM APAC & Getting a Startup off the ground!
By Zeeshan (September 30th)
A Dual Bachelor of Commerce and Advance Science (Biotechnology) student at University of New South Wales, Australia. Ed is the Head of Investments and Partnership for APAC at after iGEM. As well as the Co-founder and CEO of Negotium. Join us as we talk about iGEM EPIC, the 2019 UNSW iGEM team and how to get started with your own business!
Episode #4: Kerstin Petroll
International Research & an iGEM Hydrogen Energy Startup
By Zeeshan (October 7th)
A Postdoctoral researcher in Synthetic Biology at Macquarie University, Australia. Kerstin is also an entrepreneur at HydGene renewables, where they have engineered designer microbes that can produce hydrogen and renewable energy, on-site and on-demand. Join us as we talk about the journey from an undergrad, to PhD, to post-doc and then entrepreneur.
Episode #5: Betty Zhang
iGEM, Undergrad Research & Educational Startups
By Zeeshan (October 14th)
An undergraduate science major studying at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is the team leader for the 2020 Melbourne iGEM team, and the CEO and Co-founder of the science communication and education startup, Student Science Squad. Join us as we talk about her research internships in the United States, China and Australia. As well as her motivation to start the student scisquad initiative to help high school students, parents and teachers during this difficult year.
Episode #6: Arvind Gupta & Po Bronson
It’s time to decode the world!
By Zeeshan (October 28th)
Arvind Gupta and Po Bronson talk about their new book, Decoding The World: A roadmap for the questioner. Arvind is the founder and a venture advisor at IndieBio, the world's leading science accelerator with 136 companies to date. Po is the Managing Director of IndieBio. He's the author of seven bestselling books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller What Should I Do With My Life? Join us for this incredibly fun episode where we decode the real cause of the pandemic, climate change, iGEM, and synbio and silicon valley!
Episode #7: Drew Endy
The birth of Synthetic Biology & iGEM
By Zeeshan (November 4th)
Drew Endy is a member of the bioengineering faculty at Stanford University and the President of the BioBricks Foundation. He is also the co-founder of iGEM! Join us for this very exciting episode where Zeeshan talks to Drew about turning biology into an engineering discipline, the birth of synbio and iGEM, and the future of synbio education.
Episode #8: Ally Huang
Biotech and synbio education, accessibility, and BioBits.
By Melody (December 28th)
Biotechnology, including synthetic biology, has traditionally been a resource-heavy field— that’s made it particularly difficult for young students to engage in biology and STEM particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Who are the companies and organizations trying to break down these barriers to create more accessible biotech and life sciences tools? In the next few episodes, we'll talk to three organizations in this space of biotech education and accessibility, fueled by similar values as iGEM. For this episode, Melody's guest is Ally Huang, creator of BioBits and part of the team at miniPCR, looking to increase accessibility to biotech technology and tools particularly for the classroom.
Episode #9: Natalie Kuldell
“Great teachers are great learners”, BioBuilder and community in the classroom and beyond.
By Melody (January 4th 2021)
Biotechnology, including synthetic biology, has traditionally been a resource-heavy field— that’s made it particularly difficult for young students to engage in biology and STEM particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Who is trying to help bring the world of synthetic biology to future generations through supporting educators passionate about changing education and inspiring young scientists? For this episode, Melody chats with Dr. Natalie Kuldell, founder of the BioBuilder Foundation, a non-profit organization changing the landscape of teaching synthetic biology and bioengineering in the classroom.
Episode #10: Ricardo Chavez
iGEM as a life-changer and Scintia, a biotech education company bringing synbio to Latin America.
By Melody (January 11th)
Biotechnology, including synthetic biology, has traditionally been a resource-heavy field— that’s made it particularly difficult for young students to engage in biology and STEM particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. In addition, there’s the larger obstacle of lack of support for teachers and changing curriculum as new technologies and industries emerge. Who is trying to help bring the world of synthetic biology to future generations through supporting educators passionate about changing education and inspiring young scientists? For this final episode, I chat with Ricardo C. Chavez, co-founder of Scintia, a biotech education company from Latin America bringing synthetic biology and bioengineering to classrooms in the region.
LISTEN TO EPISODES
Episodes #6 and #7 were streamed during the Jamboree:
iGEM Foundation
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration. Visit us at igem.org
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