Columbia University Systems Biology Initiative
iGEM @ Columbia University
Bioengineering Team for the iGEM Competition
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an organization that seeks to advance the community and application of synthetic biology in education and competition by developing an open community. The iGEM Foundation hosts the iGEM Competition that pits multidisciplinary teams work together to design, build, test, and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological parts and standard molecular biology techniques. In this effort, competition through iGEM’s coordination allows teams of passionate students and scientists to both compete and educate as part of the initiatives outlined in iGEM’s mission in synthetic biology.
Our Objective
Our team’s objective is to promote awareness of synthetic biology and prepare teams to compete in the iGEM Jamboree. In order to prepare, the club will develop mock design proposals to learn how to utilize the open-source synthetic biology resources that have been gathered by the iGEM community and the synthetic biology community at large. Participation in this project starts from research, design, pilot experiment, preliminary data collection, and final report for competition submissions. It really challenges team members’ ability as research scientists and collaborators.
What is iGEM?
For the 2020-2021 academic year, we will be preparing our members to compete in the 2021 Jamboree by developing a research plan and learning about the iGEM design process.
Giant Jamboree and The Registry of Standard Parts
Components of the iGEM Community
Giant Jamboree
The Giant Jamboree is an annual competition where teams can showcase their projects with a 20 minute presentation and poster to compete for medals and prizes. Each team prepares for the event by developing an novel solution to a salient problem by applying current synthetic biology knowledge to design a solution through all parts of the research life cycle. Competitors have the opportunity to conduct hands-on research and testing over a 10-week period during the summer before the competition to develop their solution and compete. The event also serves as an opportunity to network with biotech companies and fellow competitors.
The Registry of Standard Parts
The iGEM Registry of Standard Parts is an ongoing collective registry of genetic parts that can be used to create synthetic biology systems or devices. These parts are submitted by individual teams, which then become part of a larger registry available to all teams. This allows for rapid progress in the field of synthetic biology and gives each individual team greater resources. The iGEM Registry of Standard Parts is a great way to foster discussion and collaboration between teams and guide further advancement of Synthetic Biology.
Current Goals
Fall 2020:
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Synthetic Biology Design Proposal: Propose a synthetic biology solution to a salient issue of your choice to investigate iGEM community resorces and begin to identify potential iGEM projects
Potential Future Goals:
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Fundraise and support iGEM research projects
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Add to the Registry of Standard Parts
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Plan for a future iGEM team and project
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Learn design process and research life cycle to run competitive mock proposals among club members and receive feedback from Columbia Faculty
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Find passionate students who are excited to engage in the developing world of synthetic biology at the intersection of engineering, science, ethics, policy, and various other interdisciplinary fields