Team
Marlene
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I study Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in the master’s program at the University of Oslo, I am 22 years old and I am from Germany 🇩🇪
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
I chose to participate in iGEM because it is a team project and a practical way to learn about various aspects of science like research, networking, and communication towards a broad audience.
What made you choose this project?
Our project is exciting because it has a real-life purpose in health and disease. Many researchers had differing clever approaches to continuous detection of cortisol, and we get to tinker on our own idea now! Bonus, we are a cool team! 😎
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
As a child I used to call into a radio 📻 show all the time, and won prizes there at least 5 times.
Sigve
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Sigve and I'm finishing my bachelor in biosciences. I'm also married.
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
Me and Bror where interested in starting our own lab-project. We quickly realized that we lacked the experience, but had heard about iGEM so we "enrolled"
What made you choose this project?
The project was initially pitched by Marlene, I was particularly interested in the individual persons's aspect of it; understanding the intricate processes in which why I function like I do is one of the defining reasons for my interest in biology. Our realized product would introduce a new dimension to everyone's understanding and (hopefully) interest in their own mind and body. 😎
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
When I was a child I fell directly on my face from a stool, as a result I can completely flip my nose in any direction. Additionally I can completely fold my ear into itself.
Bror
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I have a Bachelors in biosciences and I am starting with a new bachelors in computational sciences next semester.
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM and what made you choose this project?
When I first started to study bioscience I was primarily interested in how genes are expressed on a molecular level. It was in my bioscience bachelor I was introduced to the amazing concept of coding, this became a big fascination for me. I have therefore later in my bachelor become more interested in coding and maths. My main current interest is learning how to make machine learning models from scratch and implement them in biological research. I wanted to become part of IGEM because I felt that the bioscience severely lacked in wetlab experience. I think IGEM is a good way of filling this wetlab experience pothole, by designing your own project and completing it. I especially find this year’s project very interesting in the sense that we are trying to design a measuring device using the conformational changes in our target protein.
Tell us a bit about your role in this project.
My main responsibility in the team is making the wiki, a static website where we publish our project. Additionally I also have the responsibility of completing any potential calculations/computations that might show up throughout the project. I also plan to be in the wetlab and getting as much experience as I can.
Tell us a cool fact about yourself?
I own a Japanese 🇯🇵 rice cooker (Zojirushi). You’re missing out in a major way if you don’t have one.
Espen
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Espen and I’m a biology student at UiO 🇳🇴.
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
I wanted to put some of what I had learned at university into practice and iGEM is a great opportunity to do just that.
What made you choose this project?
I like the intersections between biology and other fields so a project like ours that relies heavily on electrochemistry is exactly the sort of thing I love. Stress is one of the most dangerous things we encounter in our lives. To some degree it’s unavoidable but it’s also something manageable. I believe a cheap and effective way of monitoring stress continuously is invaluable for improving the life and health of all people. That’s why I am investing my time and energy into our project.
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
My cool fact is that I once found a meteorite as a kid (this is a total fabrication 🥸).
Michelle
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My full name is Michelle Vera Castellanos I’m a Master’s student in the Bioscience program, focused on ecology and evolution and I’m from Colombia 🇨🇴.
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
I wanted to be part of the iGEM group mainly to learn more about synthetic biology, how should be the best way to develop a research project using it and what are the main uses and applications of this methods.
What made you choose this project?
I think our project is very cool because we want to give a try and develop new ways to approach a problem, in this case something as important as a medical question that could improve the daily lives of a lot of people.
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
I worked in the mountain forest for one year and fungi are the coolest thing on earth.
Marianna
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Marianna, I am from Greece 🇬🇷 and I am 27 years old! I am taking my Masters in Toxicology and Environmental Sciences right now and delivering after the Jamboree. 😎
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
I was recommended to join iGEM by a university friend and classmate who had completed iGEM before. He talked about his experiences and all the great things they accomplished that I also wanted to join in and try to make a difference.
What made you choose this project?
I have to admit I did not know a lot about the project in the beginning when our teammate Marlene recommended it, however after reading relevant articles and research done on stress and cortisol and the lack of monitoring that is currently out there, I knew that we had to work on this idea. My motivation that originated the spark to join iGEM, which was to try to make a difference, was reinforced.
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
I have managed to stay awake for 48 hours continuously and continue to go to University, exercise and so on, with no issue. Also I am often able to perform better with minimal sleep! 🛌(is that good? 🤔)
Sigurd
Tell us a bit about yourself!
My name is Sigurd, and I am doing a Master’s in Chemistry (Biomolecules and Biomaterials) at the Department of Chemistry.
Why did you choose to participate in iGEM?
There are several good reasons to participate in iGEM but personally I wanted to have a proper and close look into how the process of innovation happens within the field of bioscience.
What made you choose this project?
Personally, I would have accepted more or less any project but that being said, stress and unchecked high cortisol levels are major contributors to various physical and mental disorders as well as general poor health and quality of life. Our project aims at developing a method that can be used to continuously monitor cortisol levels, which would be useful in regard to both diagnosing and treating people whose levels are suspected to be pathological.
Tell us a cool fact about yourself.
I have collected rocks and stones since I was a child and frankly, I still prefer to spend my spare time digging for them.
