Resources/Navigating iGEM
Navigating iGEM
Introduction
This page is focused on helping teams navigate through iGEM. Starting an iGEM team and getting a project started can be a challenge even for returning teams. Below you'll find some highlighted items that teams should be working on before and during the iGEM season.
It is our hope that this page will be helpful to all iGEM teams, whether this is your first time participating in iGEM or if you are returning as a seasoned veteran. If you have any suggestions for content or questions, please send an email to us at hq AT igem DOT org!
Preparing for the iGEM Season
Students and instructors who are interesting in having an iGEM team for the upcoming season often begin preparing during November through February. Below are some helpful tips to get the process started for the 2017 season.
The "Off" Season
November through February
- If you competed in 2016, have an iGEM debriefing with your PI and team
- Assess successes and failures, discuss interest in continuing next year, etc.
- Raise awareness of iGEM at your school
- Run informational sessions, post flyers, talk to Professors and fellow students
- Find a PI to mentor your team and provide lab space
- This may be a challenge if you're a first-time team, but stay positive! Make sure to talk to numerous Professors in your Biology, Biomedical Engineering, and Engineering departments and gauge interest early.
- Recruit interested students
- Advertise that you're looking to find interested students with flyers and/or recruit students from courses
- Start fundraising efforts (this should be an on-going effort throughout the season)
- Email and call local companies, talk to the head of your department or college, investigate other on-campus funding sources like undergraduate research opportunity programs (UROP)
The iGEM Cycle
The iGEM competition cycle can be seen below. Not all teams follow this cycle (for example, you may start work earlier or later than this shows), but this is the general flow of the major tasks involved with participating in iGEM. This is based on the 2017 season, with the Giant Jamboree taking place in November.
February, March, April, and May
- Start a Team
- Decide the final team from the group of interested students
- Brainstorm Project Ideas
- Many teams will have multiple brainstorming sessions, with and without the team instructors
- Determine Team Goals and Tasks
- This can be challenging, but well worth the effort in the end. A list of high level goals and a detailed list of tasks needed to reach those goals will help your team stay focused on the project
June, July, August, and September
- Start Wet Lab Work on Project
- You should get trained in protocols and follow your school's safety regulations, and start working on your project
- Run Functional Experiments
- This can be done throughout the cloning process once you have a functional device. Test your device and collect your data.
- Process and Plot Results
- Determine which software you need to use to process your data, determine the units you want to display, and make sure you include your controls during data analysis and show them on your graphs/plots
- Work on your Team Wiki (not shown on cycle)
- You should be continually working on your Team Wiki throughout the project. Don't wait to the last minute!
October and November
- Prepare and Practice Oral Presentation
- Similar to your Team Wiki, you should try to work on the presentation throughout the project. Final touches should be done in September.
- Prepare Poster
- Once you have your final data plotted and ready to show, you should make your poster and practice presenting it.
- Send Your New DNA Samples
- Prepare your DNA samples for shipment and mail them to iGEM HQ.
- Attend the Giant Jamboree
- Come to Boston, meet other iGEM teams, celebrate your work, and have fun!!
