iGEMers of The World
By iGEM
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iGEMers of The WorldJun 08, 2021
S2E2 | BioBuilder and the SUIS High School iGEM team. Zeeshan chats with David Doyle.
David first heard about iGEM during his travels abroad in Japan while reading Regenesis, authored by Harvard Geneticist Dr. George M. Church. Upon his return, David successfully pitched the idea to the SUIS School Board, and then developed a co-curricular activity through the BioBuilder Club, an educational curriculum invented by Dr. Natalie Kuldell of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Because BioBuilder teaches engineering with biology, this program serves to educate both teachers and students. The SUIS iGEM Team then emerged from the BioBuilder Club through casual conversation, and attended its first iGEM Jamboree in 2017. And in 2018, the they won the award for Best Education & Public Engagement.
S2E1 | Women in STEM. Zeeshan talks with Nemira
Nemira is a first year PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge and a key member of the 2021 After iGEM team. She is also leading iGEM’s Women in STEM initiative for 2021. In this episode we’re going to talk about her iGEM journey, her diverse interests in SynBio, and the grand ambitions of the iGEM Women in STEM committee.
S1E10: iGEM as a life-changer and Scintia, a biotech education company bringing synbio to Latin America. Melody chats with Ricardo Chavez, founder of Scintia.
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, founder of Scintia, a biotech education company from Latin America bringing synthetic biology and bioengineering to classrooms in the region.
Scintia Bio site: https://en.scintia.com/
S1E9: “Great teachers are great learners”, BioBuilder and community in the classroom and beyond. Melody chats with Natalie Kuldell, founder of the BioBuilder Foundation.
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? 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 second 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.
- BioBuilder Foundation site: https://biobuilder.org/
- BioBuilder Page for Students featuring activities like Eau that Smell’s banana-smelling bacteria and more: https://biobuilder.org/education/for-students/
- Life-Changing Science: The BioBuilder Podcast hosted by Zeeshan:
https://biobuilder.org/biobuilder-podcast/
S1E8: Biotech and synbio education, accessibility, and BioBits. Melody chats with Ally Huang from miniPCR.
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, expensive biotech equipment and lack of funding in education have also made access to knowledge and the ability to engineer biological products— whatever they may be— expensive and difficult. 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 first episode, my 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.
To find out about freeze-dried cell-free technology, a core aspect of the BioBits kit, see the core Cell paper here by Pardee et al. from the Collins Lab at MIT.
To find out more about BioBits and miniPCR check their sites out here:
S1E7: The birth of Synthetic Biology and iGEM. With Drew Endy
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.
S1E5: Educational Startups & Undergraduate Research.
Betty is an undergraduate science student studying at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is 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 Science Squad initiative to help high school students, parents and teachers during this difficult year.
S1E4: International research & an iGEM hydrogen energy startup.
Kerstin is an entrepreneur and postdoctoral researcher in synthetic biology at Macquarie University, Australia. The iGEM startup that Kerstin works with, HydGene renewables, have engineered designer microbes that can produce hydrogen and renewable energy.
S1E3: iGEM APAC & Getting a Startup off the ground.
Ed is a dual Bachelor of Commerce and Advanced Science (Biotechnology) student at University of New South Wales, Australia. He 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!
S1E2: Meet Asian (India) Ambassador, Varsha!
Varsha is a current undergraduate science student at IISER Pune, India. She 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, applying to be an iGEM ambassador, and synbio and health in India.
S1E1: Community labs, Open source science and the Open Insulin movement.
Alex is a dual Bachelor Science (Biotechnology) and Commerce (Economics) graduate from the University of New South Wales, Australia. 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! Learn more about Alex here, https://www.neosynbio.com/