Singapore SB7.0 conference
THE FLIGHT
At about 12:00 we met at the Düsseldorf airport, with our bags packed and ready to go. Being about 2 hours early, we had absolutely no trouble getting through the check-in and security. After that we met up with Rocio a PhD student from our university who coincidentally was also going to the SB7.0 and spend the last hour before boarding eating something small and talking about the trip.
Because we were supposed to fly with an A380, we were a little disappointed when we realized that there was just a A330 waiting for us but after a pretty fast boarding we were ready to leave for our first destination — Dubai.
The food as well as the service on board were outstanding and so the hours until landing past in no time. When we reached Dubai international airport we were already pretty exhausted but while we were rolling to our gate we got our first glance at the A380 in the flesh. That thing looks like a building with wings.
The time we had to spend at the airport between flights passed pretty quick even though it was getting late and we were getting pretty sleepy – no wonder when you’re on the go for over 10 hours. When we queued in the boarding line we realized that we were going to fly with an A380 after all and seeing a man made construction like this getting ready for take-off and then actually leaving ground with you in it, is something we will probably never forget. Because we were so tired, we pretty much fell asleep right after the lights of Dubai under us disappeared in the distance and when a nice stewardess woke us up for breakfast the sun was already rising over the horizon. Two buns with fresh cheese, a marmalade croissants and a warm cup of coffee later we realized that we were almost there. Only a few moments later the captain asked us to fasten our seat belts and get ready for landing. It was a bright day again and because the weather was so nice and sunny we got to get our first good look at the water, land and forest surrounding Singapore.

ARRIVAL
Getting of plane and through security didn't take much time and even our luggage showed up pretty fast. After all of us changed some money at a booth we decided to take the train rather than a cab to get to university town, where we were supposed to stay for the week. The trip from the airport took us about 45 minutes and we got to get the first real impression of Singapore’s architecture and its people. The first we noticed were the air conditioners – Everything was air conditioned. From busses to buildings, everything was close to 17°C, so when you actually got out you had the feeling of getting hit in the face with a 40 degree hammer. On the other hand you got pretty could when you were outside for some time and then entered a building again. The accommodation at university was quite simple. Every one of us got a plain room of about 6 to 7 square meters, with a bed, a closet and of course an air condition.
THE CONFERENCE
On our second day in Singapore, the first day of the conference, we really felt the jet-lag. Getting up at 7:00 was like waking up in the middle of the night and we would have struggled pretty hard with staying awake the whole day, if it wasn't for a scientist's best friend — coffee. The conference was held in the university’s museum and because we got there so early, we didn’t have to queue for entrance and could look around a little. The entrance hall was used for food, booths of companies and light conversation during the breaks, whereas the first floor was reserved for the poster session in the afternoon.
(PICTURES)Participants from all over the world could display their research results and answer regarding questions. The talks themselves were given in a big room with a great atmosphere, a little reminiscent of a theater, with very comfortable chairs and a several storage gallery.
The presentations started out great and many interesting talks were given, most of them focused on foundational science. The food we got in the breaks was very tasty and together with a nice big coffee, we were ready for the next speakers. When the talks were over everyone met in the lobby and then wandered around looking at the different posters, asking questions and taking notes.
Over the course of four days the conference offered talks and presentations from all corners of the synbio field, ranging from research results and new techniques to ethics, jurisdiction and safety issues. We had the opportunity to talk to many different people, including Drew Endy, Megan Palmer, Tobias Erb, John Glass and the iGEM Headquarter.
We even organized a small meet-up with three other iGEM Teams attending the conference. There we presented our projects to each other and also to interested people, like Richard Kitney from imperial college, who gave us great feedback on our project and our presentational style.
Singapore
But the conference itself wasn’t the only place you could connect with interesting minds. After the talks and the poster sessions, we set out to explore the city and its culture together with a few other people from various countries. From Chinatown and little India to the botanical garden and Orchard Road, this city does not fail to amaze. In the evening we enjoyed the exotic food and talked about the presentations we were most interested in and the possible future of the field. 

The last two days were especially exciting, since we had the opportunity, to attend two big dinner events in the name of synthetic biology that celebrated the launch of the SynBio LEAP program and the great success of the SB7.

In the end, Singapore was an amazing chance for us to learn, to network and to grow, not only as individuals but as a team.
