The QGEM 2020 team would like to acknowledge and thank all of our team and friends for making this year’s project as great as it could be! Although the lab was closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our team stepped up remotely, and we could not thank them enough!
While our institution does not teach an iGEM or specific synthetic biology course, much of our team is supported by and takes courses through the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences and Department of Chemical Engineering. Many members of our wiki team attend the School of Computing at Queen’s University.
QGEM each year begins the hiring process for a new director in early winter, shortly after the previous team attends the iGEM final jamboree. Leads are hired in late February, with a call for volunteers shortly after that. Brainstorming on this year’s 2020 project began in March, with the first models and work started in late April of 2020 after winter semester exams.
Sono Khan organized and coordinated the team, its finances, and sponsorships throughout the project. He also assisted with the Wet-Lab and conducted nanoscale molecular dynamic simulations.