In the first week back from summer vacation, the Chairman of the Bioengineering Department at KFUPM, who also serves as the primary PI for KFUPM - Saudi Arabia, reintroduced the iGEM competition to undergraduate and postgraduate bioengineering students, as well as faculty members.

During the session, he provided an overview of the competition's concept, detailing team and medal requirements, along with expected timelines. He shared valuable tips on building and managing effective teams, seeking sponsors, and finding collaborators. Emphasizing the importance of starting early to mitigate potential obstacles, he reassured attendees that the bioengineering department at KFUPM is always available for support.

The session concluded with a Q&A segment, where the chairman addressed various student inquiries. Other team members were present to share their feedback and experiences, fostering a collaborative atmosphere among attendees.

We utilize social media platforms to spread awareness about our project and the iGEM competition among a wider audience.

We shared behind-the-scenes footage of our work in the labs to provide a glimpse of our journey. Additionally, we used Instagram to post informative content that introduced the world to the fascinating field of synthetic biology.

Our team with help from the bioengineering department has offered a campaign and booth at our university (King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals) on Monday 17-September, we offered stickers and flyers talking about our project with some illustrations.

We talked about the iGEM competition and its history, medals, varied villages, the importance of synthetic biology in our daily lives, and what different fields that synthetic biology contributes to. We also explained our project to the students.

We were happy to see so many people, teachers, and students from various levels and majors stop by, ask questions, and engage with us. It was interesting to discuss different aspects of our project and the competition with such a diverse group. It was also a great opportunity to share the hard work and passion our team put into this year’s challenge.

Moreover, we noticed an incredible passion for synthetic biology and bioengineering, the students were incredibly excited to join the competition, and they asked various questions about how to participate in iGEM, the timeline, the requirements, and how to form the team.

We look forward to hearing about the future teams.

During our trip to the high school, we took the opportunity to give a brief presentation about bioengineering.

“Bioengineering is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that blends engineering with biology and medicine to create innovative solutions for global challenges. Whether it’s designing medical devices, developing therapies, or improving agricultural practices, bioengineering plays a vital role in shaping the future of healthcare and environmental sustainability.”

We then talked about the Bioengineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), highlighting its strengths and academic programs.

A key part of our presentation was sharing our experience in iGEM, where we were the first Saudi team representing KFUPM.

“One of the highlights of bioengineering is the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, where students create innovative solutions using biotechnology. Our KFUPM iGEM team worked on using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to treat Staphylococcus aureus infections. These AMPs were sourced from thermophilic bacteria found in Saudi Arabia’s hot springs. Through molecular cloning, we replicated these peptides, opening up possibilities for future medical applications.”

We discussed our iGEM project, which focused on using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to combat Staphylococcus aureus infections. These AMPs were sourced from thermophilic bacteria found in Saudi Arabia’s hot springs. Through molecular cloning, we successfully replicated these peptides, presenting a promising solution for future medical applications.

To further engage with the students, we also prepared an Arabic flyer summarizing our presentation, so everyone could have a handy reference.

At the end, we gave the students a small gift to help them remember us and make the experience truly unforgettable.

To share knowledge in an engaging way, we created a card game focusing on synthetic biology and our project. The main goal of this game is to make learning about biology both interesting and enjoyable. This game has gained positive responses from our colleagues. In this game, one player describes a specific concept related to synthetic biology without using the forbidden words, while the competitor teams try to guess the greatest number of cards in two minutes. This fast-paced format promotes teamwork and quick thinking.