Devyani
Nationality: Indian
Inspirational Scientist: Kavita Singh
Favourite Microorganism: Vibrio fischeri
Why iGEM? For me, iGEM is about combining creativity and scientific rigor to push the boundaries of what's possible in a meaningful manner.
Arina
Nationality: Russian
Inspirational Scientist: Dorothy Hodgkin
Favourite Microorganism: Midichloria mitochondrii
Why iGEM? For me, iGEM is much more than just a competition - it is a tortuous, and yet rewarding journey that requires strong determination, commitment, and readiness to overcome challenges that await you at every single step. It has allowed me to dive deep into areas that extend far beyond synthetic biology, work together with brilliant minds and also grow as a person. I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to make my small contribution towards solving something truly big!
Natasha
Nationality: Trinidadian
Inspirational Scientist: Shinya Yamanaka
Favourite Microorganism: Tardigrades (micro-animals!)
Why iGEM? I have a deep interest in the interdisciplinary fields of science, math, physics, and engineering, driven by my curiosity to understand how things work. I believe these subjects hold the key to understanding the world. Joining iGEM offered a fantastic opportunity to delve into these areas further, fostering innovative problem-solving and out-of-the-box solutions
Virginia
Nationality: Italian
Inspirational Scientist: Rosalind Franklin
Favourite Microorganism: Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Why iGEM? Every time I find out about what scientists are able to do my mind is blown a little bit more. The idea of being able, in my part, to contribute to scientific research was too exciting to not apply.
Nil
Nationality: Cypriot
Inspirational Scientist: Katherine Johnson
Favourite Microorganism: E. Coli (yes, I am basic)
Why iGEM? iGEM pushes young scientists to think outside of the box and push boundaries of biology, and I think being able to take part in this inspiring process is very beautiful.
Tommaso
Nationality: Italian
Inspirational Scientist: Alexander Shulgin
Favourite Microorganism: Bacteriophage (looks like a robot)
Why iGEM? "I am Michelangelo, and the lab workbench is my canvas". Science is art and iGEM allows to express creativity with total freedom. I believe that the best ideas and the best results are achieved when science is done for fun, since most of the major scientific findings where done by screwing around in a lab, and this competition allows it to its max extent! iGEM for me is also a learning experience since I am a curious person that wants to know as much as someone possibly can, and this was a great occasion to get to learn stuff that I was completely unfamiliar with.
Rosemarie
Nationality: British/Irish
Inspirational Scientist: Valery Legasov
Favourite Microorganism: Prymnesium parvum (Golden Algae)
Why iGEM? When I first heard about iGEM, I thought it could be a great opportunity to improve my skills in the labs as well as working in a group, with individuals who share a deep interest in synthetic biology. Additionally, it offered a valuable introduction to what conducting real research is truly like.
Alejandro
Nationality: Colombian
Inspirational Scientist: Jennifer Doudna
Favourite Microorganism: Thermus aquaticus
Why iGEM? Expanding our understanding on how the universe works using science drives me to push myself so I can become a valuable contributor to this ongoing research. I’m so happy and grateful that I could join this year’s iGEM team, since it is an amazing opportunity to become part of a group of dedicated and talented people who want to tackle relevant issues using our combined knowledge and skills. Working on a relatively long-term project is something I was very excited about, since this time gives the team an opportunity of taking the necessary time to develop the idea, from the brainstorming all the way to the Jamboree. We get to dive deep into the theory behind the problem we want to solve and gain lots of practical experience from our experiments. Being able to deal with obstacles and adapting to new circumstances are key to managing an ambitious project, which pushes our scientific minds to the maximum.
Jakub
Nationality: Polish/American
Inspirational Scientist: Carl Sagan
Favourite Microorganism: Deinococcus radiodurans/Physarum polycephalum
Why iGEM? The journey is often times, if not always, more important than the destination. Naturally, I saw iGEM as a fantastic journey deeper into the field I’m passionate about, as well as an opportunity to make pitstops in places I haven’t been before; to gather new experiences and skills and satisfy my curiosity for research as a whole! From our first meeting to the Jamboree, the ten months I have spent working on this project have been some of the more difficult and more rewarding of my educational journey, working with other brilliant team members to innovate, brainstorm, overcome hurdles and roadblocks and create something we can all be proud of! iGEM to me is an amazing first step into the field of scientific research, which I hope to continue in the future!
Maria Sole
Nationality: Italian
Inspirational Scientist: Margherita Hack
Favourite Microorganism: Retrovirus
Why iGEM? iGEM means to me a unique opportunity to contribute to the world by not just genetically engineer microorganisms, but by the chances this competition creates. Young students who reunite together with professors to come up with an extraordinary idea, addressing a problem that affects, in a certain way, everyone. Then, sweat is poured in the lab. You learn to adapt and commit, it is a long and exciting journey where you make friends along the way. I believe the competition is not against other teams, but against ourselves to bring out the best version of each one of us.
Iulia
Nationality: Romanian
Inspirational Scientist: Marie Curie
Favourite Microorganism: E.coli
Why iGEM? iGEM brings together like-minded people focused on addressing worldwide problems by delving into the world of synthetic biology. Working with a wonderful team is an amazing experience that has helped me develop professionally as well as personally.
Cecilia
Nationality: Spanish
Inspirational Scientist: Robert Oppenheimer
Favourite Microorganism: Vibrio natriegens duh
Why iGEM? Hearing about the projects which previous MSP teams brought to life, I was deeply inspired and motivated to apply and form part of the MSP 2024 team. Not only was I looking forward to participating in developing a project idea that would contribute in some way to the local community and beyond, but also the experiences I had already heard from others that I would encounter alongside people who have the same interests. This did not fall far from the truth. The people I am lucky enough to be in the same team as, are the most passionate, hard working and just overall fun (and maybe crazy) individuals to share these experiences with and oh how I enjoy learning with and from them.
Simin
Nationality: Turkish
Inspirational Scientist: Maria Sibylla Merian
Favourite Microorganism: Deinococcus radiodurans
Why iGEM? iGEM fosters a collaborative environment where diverse minds come together to solve real-world problems using synthetic biology. Being part of this community means engaging in interdisciplinary teamwork, innovative thinking and problem-solving which is the very thing that brought me to my current study programme. Being proficient in these skills are essential for any young scientist and iGEM offers a valuable opportunity to do so.
Erik Steen Redeker
Nationality: Dutch
Inspirational Scientist: Richard Dawkins
Favourite Microorganism: Deinococcus radiodurans, a polyextremophile also known as Conan the Bacterium
Why iGEM? The societal impact of synthetic biology is already significant but this field is gaining more and more attention and importance and there is no reason to think this will change any time soon. There is no better moment than ‘now’ to be part of it. iGem has everything that keeps me excited about synthetic biology and science in general. It’s open, creative, and multidisciplinary. It educates and informs people and is there to solve issues in society. Oh, and it’s also fun! As a supervisor and educator, I am always blown away by the incredible things a team can accomplish in a relatively short time. I love to see the team grow from the first meeting and become real scientists at the end of the iGEM journey. It makes me proud to be a small part of that process.
David Cortens
Nationality: Belgian
Inspirational Scientist: Jared Diamond
Favourite Microorganism: Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Why iGEM? I like research and I like teaching. iGEM gives me the opportunity to combine both in a fun and challenging way. I love to be a guide on the students’ quest of becoming real scientists. It is nice to see how students can come up with the most interesting ideas and take ownership of their project.
