Team:Aachen/Team
MEET THE TEAM
How it all began...
One of the most important things regarding iGEM is that this competition is so much about teamwork. When we all met for the first time in January, we were just 16 people from different academic backgrounds who wanted to learn more about synthetic biology and what it’s like to work in the lab. We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into – and that so many unsuccessful PCR’s, disappointing sequencing results, exhausting lab nights and quite a lot of discussions and quarrels were ahead of us. Now we’ve worked together for almost 8 months, and have really become a team. Despite of some inevitable problems and issues, we overcame difficulties and realized a project we’re very proud to present at the Giant Jamboree in Boston. Most of us were part of different subgroups, like Lab, Wiki, Fundraising or Human Practices, and learned heaps of new things. But of course iGEM wasn’t only about work – we participated in great events, like the European Meetup in Delft, the German Meetup in Dresden or the Practice Jamboree in Leuven. We did quite a few teambuilding activities and had a lot of fun together. All in all it was an unforgettable time, we made many new friends along the way and gained valuable experiences.
Adrian Rendón
Adrian Rendón
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Our half German, half Mexican and always-ready-to-spice-things-up friend. He studies Biotechnology and decided to join iGEM because it was a great opportunity to learn a lot of new things. There haven’t been many days Adrian wasn’t motivated to work. Even after some of his important DNA fragments were accidentally thrown away and we didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he kept up his good work. With all the efforts Adrian’s making, he surely is going to knock out all the genes. And as if all this risky lab work wasn’t enough, Adrian also likes to boulder in his free time.
Caspar Eichler
Caspar Eichler
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Caspar is a very dedicated goal-oriented person, who is not amused about people having different opinions than his own, and only gives in when a good argumentation stands against him. When Caspar wants something, he’s not afraid of just going to important people without an appointment and there is no door which can stop him till he has got what he wants. He is also very cautious about the scientific correctness of the lab work. Not a mystery that in almost every case his work is absolutely correct! In his spare time, he sails the world and rebuilds classic cars.
Svenja Lützow
Svenja Lützow
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Let us introduce you to Svenja or “Jaja”, 22-year old bachelorette who is interested in travelling, Ultimate and coffee. She is constantly late, maybe because she is not averse to occasional partying, but we can very much rely on her as a treasurer for Team Aachen and in planning our trips. Originating from Zwickau in the east of Germany, she moved to Aachen to study Biotechnology. Tearing down walls, social and economic, is in her DNA: She is involved in a development aid organization as well as a meeting point for refugees.
Jonas Bäßler
Jonas Bäßler
Chemical & General Mechanical Engineering M.Sc.
Jonas, a chemical engineer, joined this year’s iGEM team against an overwhelming majority of Biotechnology students who have absolutely no clue what he is talking about when he explains the math behind his hardware project. A typical day in the lab consists of 10 people running around, while Jonas calmly and fully concentrated sits on his chair, developing a 3D-printed model of our hardware. Jonas is going to spend the next semester at UC Los Angeles , so unfortunately, he’s not able to attend the Giant Jamboree. Thanks for your great work!
Johanna Stotz
Johanna Stotz
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Meet Johanna, our 24-year old, soon-to-be bachelorette…. straight outta Wuppertal. She trained as a pharmaceutical technician before studying Biotechnology in Aachen, where she became an expert of all the coffee and craft beer shops our city has to offer. Johanna is part of lab team “JoTho”, our trafo-tried dynamic duo, and besides works on making our wiki, Instagram account, flyers, posters and outfits look splendid. She decided to join iGEM in order to get some new, practical experience and brightens up the lab with her cheerfulness (as long as you don’t forget to refill the pipette tips!).
Niels Hollmann
Niels Hollmann
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Meet Niels, our youngest team member (sweet age of 20), who is the only team member lining up for his hometown – Aachen. Since 2015 he is studying the best course ever: Biotechnology! Although he is already advancing our project in the lab as part of the unbeatable dream team “NOLS” - he engages for Design and puts his effort into Human Practices. Niels special talent is the creation of stunning presentations. He is very motivated and productive – as long as he doesn´t meet Fabian, then no one can take him serious anymore.
David Corredor
David Corredor
Biology B.Sc.
Now’s the time to present our most effective team member: David Corredor. David, coming from lands far away where the temperature is kinder to the skin, has learnt through years of practice to master the law of minimal effort. He’s always ready to have a laugh, enjoy life and couldn’t be more easy-going… really, that’d be impossible. He’ll always work hard to deal with the task at hand, even though he’ll usually start a little bit late (after midday is just the perfect time). To dissipate excess energy, David likes to play tennis.
Fabian Wittmers
Fabian Wittmers
Biology B.Sc.
Introducing --- Fabian, anchorman of our weekly team meetings, initiator of most of our collaborations and busy wiki-writing bee. Driven by a deep passion for Biology (except maybe plant identification subjects), Fabian ambitiously and relentlessly works on perfecting our project. Being the COO of our team, he organized a project at his old school, lots of talks with politicians and our participation in many events. Fabian also loves uploading new Trello cards and consequently generating Slack notifications in the middle of the night, driving the rest of us almost crazy. To calm down after a long and thrilling week of iGEM, he enjoys to go fishing.
Milan Sobota
Milan Sobota
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Milan is a 20-year old Biotechnology student, he loves fitness, games and good meals! Through fundraising Milan got us a lot of money, and he’s also responsible for creating our website, as he’s the only one skilled in this area. His second most time-consuming activity in iGEM is to enjoy coffee. Milan has an ambiguous relationship with university (and life itself): on the one hand, he can forget about all lectures and all duties for a whole semester, but beyond this he can learn two months straight for only one exam. This ambivalent behaviour can be referred to as `the Milan experience`.
Nora Junker
Nora Junker
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Meet Nora Junker, 20 years of age, fighting for Team Aachen with her knowledge of living in the heart of German agriculture: Rheda-Wiedenbrück. As a boot camp for this battle of life she started studying Biotechnology back in 2015. She is part of the youngest lab dream team „NOLS“. Great name, …right? Additionally, she works on Design, Human Practices and eliminating all the mess her lab partners leave behind. Nora got famous for being the fastest pipetting member iGEM Aachen ever had and is always friendly and good tempered - as long as Fabian and Niels are apart from each other and her PCRs are performing!
Thore Diefenbach
Thore Diefenbach
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Now’s the moment to get to know Thore aka “Toto”, surname: Diefenbach, home village: Diefenbach. Thore is a warmhearted and ambitious country boy who dances through the lab and pipettes fairylike to his favorite jam. But watch out: if you try to accuse him of being home for dinner too late or talking too much he will turn you down with a passionate, but well-meant, "Halt die Fresse!" (= Shut your face). Thore is our DIY-enthusiast. Whether you need help fixing a curtain rod, want a tomato patch on your balcony or would love to live in your own lakeside hut – he’s your man.
Gerolamo Rota
Gerolamo Rota
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Gerolamo, better known as “Gerry” or - sometimes - “Lab-Mussolini”, is adding some temperamento italiano to our group. Originating from the north of Italy he came to Germany for studying, but is rumoured to still have some powerful connections in his home country... Gerry can be described as a passionate and adorable Italian who isn´t afraid of yelling at people – so approach with caution! Being always the first person in the lab and often the last one leaving, he’s a real asset to our team. You just have to follow one rule: Don´t try to convince him that he’s wrong. Broken bones are not worth it.
Sergio Molina
Sergio Molina
Electrical Engineering & Biology B.Sc
If you search for an example for the word "restless" in the dictionary, 9/10 times you'll find a picture of Sergio. Despite of studying Electric Engineering as well as Biology, working at an institute and being part of the iGEM team, this guy still finds a way to have a social life. Mr. Molina offers the team a constant source of motivation through his friendly companionship, insightful opinions and excessive use of the word "Besssschte". Baking a cake for being late (a rule only temporarily applied in our team) was no problem for Sergio: having trained as a confectioner back in Colombia, he treated us to the most delicious Oreo-Cheesecake ever.
Henri Hayungs
Henri Hayungs
Biotechnology B.Sc.
Henri is a 22-year-old student originating from Berlin, who ended his early acting career to find his true purpose in Biotechnology. He is passionately curious and will not stop asking until he gets to the very bottom of a cause, even if it’s driving the questioned to the verge of despair. Combined with his openness, warmth and energy this makes him a real workhorse in the lab. Henri does a lot of sports, like badminton, and enjoys the competition that comes with it. Being musically gifted, he plays the piano and the guitar while he also likes to refine his understanding of music by listening.
Michael Gobs
Michael Gobs
Biotechnology M.Sc.
Meet Michael, one of our hardware guys and a Master student of Biotechnology. Also being engaged in the software control, he makes sure that our pumps work straightaway. Before moving to beautiful Aachen, he spent some time studying in the equally rainy UK. Beside being part of the iGEM team, Michael is participating in two other student organisations, with one of them brewing its own beer. Finding time for all these commitments isn’t always easy. If Michael has some time left, you will find him highly concentrated poring over books.
Supervisor
Without the help and support of our three supervisors, we wouldn’t have been able to realize our project (or even decide on a project idea). Thanks for all your input, advice and time!
Prof. Dr. Lars Blank
Prof. Dr. Lars Blank
Institute of Applied Microbiology, RWTH Aachen University
Professor Blank supported us and our project massively the entire time. He not only welcomed us in his laboratory and provided us with a lot of equipment and supplies, he was also always available for questions. We really appreciate him taking the time to meet with us repeatedly , giving us feedback on ideas and presentations and helping us to refine our project concept.
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwaneberg
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwaneberg
Institute of Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University
Professor Schwaneberg provided us with a bench in his laboratory as well as all the equipment we needed, including enzymes, chemicals and lab supplies. In many meetings he discussed our project idea with us, gave useful advice and introduced us to members of his team who could help us with certain issues. We’re very grateful for the amazing support that he and his institute have given to us and previous iGEM teams.
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wiechert
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Wiechert
Institute of Bio- and Geo-Sciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Professor Wiechert from the Forschungszentrum Jülich was a great help to us. He not only visited us in Aachen and gave us important advice throughout all the different stages of our project, but also connected us with many experts from the research centre. Furthermore, he invited us to the Biotech Day in Jülich, where we had the chance to present our project, make valuable new contacts and also had the opportunity to listen to some awesome presentations by world-renowned experts. And last but not least, Professor Wiechert contributed significantly to our modelling and helped improve our presentation.
Advisor
We're very happy for having found two highly motivated advisors, who answered all of our many many questions and whose suggestions and ideas had a huge impact on our project. Thanks a million!
Sandra Schulte
Sandra Schulte
Institute of Applied Microbiology
Sandra, who is currently doing her PhD at the Institute for Applied Microbiology, contributed considerably to the success of our project. She attended almost all of our weekly (and often lengthy) team meetings, always answered our many many questions and went above and beyond with her help and assistance. We’re very lucky to have her coming to Boston with us as part of our team!
Dr. Christoph Gertler
Dr. Christoph Gertler
Schwaneberg Lab
Christoph, one of the post-docs in the Schwaneberg Lab, was our second and also very helpful advisor. He gave us many important tips throughout the course of our project, especially regarding the work in the Schwaneberg Lab, and used his extensive network to bring us into contact with experts of all fields. We’re very thankful that he took the time to support us!
Supporters
We were very lucky to find many motivated supporters and sponsors, who contributed considerably to the success of our project through their material, professional and financial support. We are very grateful to all of them!
