Difference between revisions of "Team:NYMU-Taipei/Collaborations"

Pakistan: Team Peshawar

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Belgium: Team KU Leuven

We sincerely appreciate the invitation from team KU Leuven in Belgium for team collaboration. Due to language hurdle, the spread of synthetic biology and the communication of each teams’ projects have encountered hindrance. Therefore, we decided to translate each teams’ project description into their native language respectively. This translation project is comprised of several teams worldwide with different languages. We are honorably served as one of the members of it and responsible for Traditional Chinese. Through this multilateral collaboration, we have learned many aspects of synthetic biology and combined them with our education human practice.

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IGEM Tokyo Tech

In August, one of our team members paid a visit to Tokyo Institute of Technology for the purpose of searching for team collaboration and friendship with IGEM Tokyo Tech. We sincerely appreciate the warm welcome and excellent reception from all members of IGEM Tokyo Tech. We exchanged information of our idea of IGEM, current work of our projects and future potential collaboration. We held a modeled presentation, provided a constructive suggestion for one another and tried to improve some parts of our projects that might be challenged in Jamboree. Their project this year is about constructing a new co-culturing system across bacteria, plant cells, and animal cells through the signal molecule.
In 2009, team Tokyo Tech focused on the topic of Terraforming of Mars. An elaborately described method of creating blackened Escherichia coli was displayed on its wiki. After consulting IGEM Tokyo Tech and delving into their project, we intended to construct a plasmid containing Melanin sequence and further transform the plasmid into microalgae. Apart from in 2012 distribution kit was used, which was submitted by IGEM Tokyo Tech in 2009, when constructing Melanin plasmid. We sincerely appreciate the help from team Tokyo Tech for consulting and discussion.

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KAIT Japan

In August, one of our team members paid a visit to Kanagawa Institute of Technology in pursuit of team collaboration and friendship. We exchanged ideas of IGEM, team current work of our projects and future potential collaboration. We also held a modeled presentation for the purpose of both enhancing our presentation skills and figure out ambiguous parts in our project, which might be challenged in Giant Jamboree. Their project this year is about solving allergic system problem, which really inspired our team in many aspects.

Chung Shan Medical University

In March 2017, thanks to the introduction of medical students in our school, we contacted the students from Chung Shan Medical University and National Chung Hsing University. These students were going to establish a joint team called “CSMU_NCHU_Taiwan”, and participate in the iGEM competition this year. They ask our teacher, Prof. Chang, and our team for some advice about forming an iGEM team, and how to integrate a project. We communicated through webcam, and we also explained and reminded them some competition rules. During the 2017 iGEM Taiwan Conference and the 5th Asia-Pacific iGEM Conference, there were great opportunities to exchange both team projects and gave practical suggestions for improvement. We highly look forward to their project and results in Giant Jamboree in November, and are honored to participate in the growth of a new team.

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Chang Gung University(Wego Education)

As part of the presentation we brought forth to Wego Bilingual High School, we invited National Chang Gung University to collaborate with us. This presentation includes the introduction to synthetic biology, the process of developing, researching, and expanding on a research topic for iGEM in hopes of inspiring them to create their own team in the upcoming year. In addition to presenting our own topic and past projects of NYMU, we also collaborated with NCGU so that, through their presentation, the students would receive further insights in the understanding of how a research team and project come together. Our presenters started the event off with basic components of synthetic biology and iGEM; the NCGU iGEM team then followed up by focusing on the term “entropy” and, after a series of interactive questions with the student body, brought in their project idea of the de-inking paper. We believe that this collaboration was a success in not only the education of high school kids but also such that the two teams were able to learn more from each other.

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Chung Cheng University

In 2016, NYMU-Taipei team helped students from National Chung Cheng University to form their iGEM team. Excitingly, they are going to participate iGEM competition this year as team name “CCU_Taiwan”. In 2017, we showed them how the Photo-Bioreactor functions, taught them how to run Fusion PCR through webcam, and informed them some team operations and matters. During the 2017 iGEM Taiwan Conference and the 5th Asia-Pacific iGEM Conference, we discussed on projects and gave both teams some useful suggestions to make both of us improve to be better. We are happy to have communication with CCU-iGEM team, and look forward to their results this year at Giant Jamboree.

Taipei American School

Taipei American School collaborated with us by assisting our characterization of shuttle vector with Holin- Endolysin- NrtA system (BBa_K2350021), and measurements of growth curve with Escherichia coli DH5α, by adding lactose to induce kill-switch, in order to determine whether the suicide system works. With their assistance, we verified that concentration of E.coli significantly decrease after kill-switch functioned in different lactose concentrations.

_{Figure 1 TAS_Taipei independently tested the function of our lactose-induced kill-switch system. In different concentrations (0-250 mM) of lactose, it induced decreasing on bacteria population.}

We have also shown mutual friendship for our long-lasting relationship by teaching them how to conduct site-directed mutagenesis as well as assay biofilm production. Also, two TAS students, Catherine Chang and Leona Tsai, are also NYMU team members. This year, they help us communicate with team TAS_Taipei, finish public outreach for Human Practice, and present our project at the 5th Annual Asia Pacific Conference and the Giant Jamboree.

Asia Pacific Conference

Later in July, we attended the 5th Annual Asia Pacific Conference held at National Chiao Tung University. During the four-day event, we had the opportunity to meet around 25 iGEM teams – from Taiwan, China, Japan, and the US. The conference began with each team displaying their posters and getting a big picture of what everyone’s project is about. For the following days, each team would each hold a 40-minute presentation session with Q&A time. Through our presentation, our presenters acquired a sense of what the final presentation at Giant Jamboree will be like. Furthermore, during the Q&A session, we received many feedbacks in regards to improvements that could be made -- including the utilization of waste proteins that are produced in the cycle of biofuel. For the rest of the conference we attended others’ presentations; by listening to every team’s progress and obtaining a sense of the field they are researching in, we were able to acknowledge the pros and cons of our own project while seeking for possible collaborations. For example, we learned that National Chang Gung University shares a similar denitrification mechanism as us and that National Tsing Hua University excels in the visual representation of their project. Still, this conference was extremely valuable not only because we were able to learn from each other, but more importantly due to the fact that we had the privilege to talk and spend time with people of the same interests!

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Taiwan Conference

On July 17, 2017, NYMU iGEM attended the Conference Chang Gung University iGEM team held. Teams all around Taiwan attended this conference. It was extremely interesting to meet teams in Taiwan. This was the first iGEM conference NYMU 2017 attended and it was the first time we met with other teams. We were extremely thrilled to be able to share our project with ideas and we were so intrigued by listening to projects from the other teams. We spent the entire day talking to other teams and getting to know their progress. We started off with an icebreaker where teams were forced to describe their project in less than 1 minute. This was a fun icebreaker as it forced members to simplify their projects to the basics. In the afternoon we presented our project and received feedback from the other teams. There was a close discussion on projects. After the conference ended, we made established friendships with groups that we later met at The Asia Pacific iGEM conference. This was an important milestone for NYMU-TAIPEI iGEM team because it was our first contact with the public and overall, we were exhilarated to meet with other teams and were glad we had the opportunity to listen to other teams’ presentations.