team
Canyon Crest Academy's iGEM team is composed of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students who enjoy working in STEM. The team is broken up into 4 main sections: lab, outreach, organization, and finance. The lab team is composed of students who go to a laboratory to work on the project. Outreach is made up of students who want to help the team connect with the science community by hosting various events. Students on the organization team design and create both the CCA iGEM website and poster. The finance team, well, manages the money.
Aida Razavilar
Project Leader
Aida Razavilar
Project Leader
Best Moment in iGEM
// Seeing everyone come together when we organized outreach events, because you get to see both sides of people: when they're serious in the lab and then when they try to explain what synthetic biology is to a 4 year old.
Favorite Science Figure // Jonas Salk
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // CRISPR Cas9
What do you like to do in your free time? // Rock climb or hike.
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Anything salty becuase I am salty ;)
Favorite One Direction member // Zayn <3
Martin Holmes
Project Leader
Martin Holmes
Project Leader
Best Moment in iGEM // Having an excuse to eat food before lab
Favorite Science Figure // Neil deGrasse Tyson
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Water bath because it’s warm.
What do you like to do in your free time? // Movies with friends
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Pepperoni
Favorite One Direction member // Harry is my bae.
Project Leader
Best Moment in iGEM // Having an excuse to eat food before lab
Favorite Science Figure // Neil deGrasse Tyson
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Water bath because it’s warm.
What do you like to do in your free time? // Movies with friends
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Pepperoni
Favorite One Direction member // Harry is my bae.
Philippe Hansen-Estruch
Head of Research
Philippe Hansen-Estruch
Head of Research
Best Moment in iGEM // Testing the bacteria with the inserts and observing the degradation of Fluorene and Phenanthrene.
Favorite Science Figure // Tim Berners-Lee
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Particle Accelerator
What do you like to do in your free time? // Playing and creating video games, trying to get my pilot's license.
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Italian sausage
Favorite One Direction member // George Cheng
Michelle Zhang
Head of Outreach
Michelle Zhang
Head of Outreach
Best Moment in iGEM // All 5 days of camp!
Favorite Science Figure // Elizabeth Blackburn
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Micropipette
What do you like to do in your free time? //Play with my chickens, hang out with my family, bake muffins and brownies.
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) //Pineapple, olives, and mushroom
Favorite One Direction member // Zayn
Maggie Chen
Team Organizational Advisor
Maggie Chen
Team Organizational Advisor
Best Moment in iGEM // When Martin texts me at 9 PM EST while I'm in New York, because he's worried Phillipe will screw up the project...and then Phillipe doesn't screw up the project.
Favorite Science Figure // Richard Feynman
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Pipette
What do you like to do in your free time? // Origami
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Green bell peppers and onions
Favorite One Direction member // Nope Nope Nope
George Cheng
Research, Outreach, Organization
George Cheng
Research, Outreach, Organization
Best Moment in iGEM //Getting to teach kids at the camp.
Favorite Science Figure // J. Craig Venter
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // HPLC
What do you like to do in your free time? // Speech and Debate.
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Sausage and mushrooms
Favorite One Direction member // Louis
Anjali Gopinathan
Outreach, Organization
Anjali Gopinathan
Outreach, Organization
Best Moment in iGEM // Teaching kids at the camp and making slime with them (and getting really messy :P)
Favorite Science Figure // Nikola Tesla
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Hot plate
What do you like to do in your free time? // Play soccer, hike, rock climb.
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Pineapple
Favorite One Direction member // Larry
Jennifer Yang
Finance, Outreach
Jennifer Yang
Finance, Outreach
Best Moment in iGEM // Our cleanup day at the Torrey Pines Beach. We spend that afternoon working together to pick up as much trash as we could! It's a wonderful memory to look back on and laugh, as I think about how excited we got when we found glass bottles.
Favorite Science Figure // Frederick Banting
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Centrifuge
What do you like to do in your free time? // Reading (something other than textbooks)!
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // PINEAPPLE! PINEAPPLE!!! And those yummy spicy Italian sausages.
Favorite One Direction member // Who? O.O
Jasmine King
Research
Jasmine King
Research
Best Moment in iGEM // When Aida, Martin, Samantha, and I went to the lab together.
Favorite Science Figure // Marie Curie
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Creating Solutions (Literally and figuratively)
What do you like to do in your free time? // Go to Disneyland, go laser tagging
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Cheese
Favorite One Direction member // Zayn
Adithya Rao
Organization
Adithya Rao
Organization
Best Moment in iGEM // Presenting in front of parents
Favorite Science Figure //Nikola Tesla
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Safety Goggles
What do you like to do in your free time? // Waste time on Youtube
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Pineapple, Olives
Favorite One Direction member // Zayn
Samantha Zhu
Research
Samantha Zhu
Research
Best Moment in iGEM // Singing in the BSL2 lab, which actually has great acoustics
Favorite Science Figure // Louis Pasteur
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Centrifuge
What do you like to do in your free time? // Ballet en pointe, photography, playing piano
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Chorizo
Favorite One Direction member // Zayn
Victoria Li
Organizational Designer, Artist
Victoria Li
Organizational Designer
Best Moment in iGEM // Seeing the website finally finished
Favorite Science Figure // Tu Youyou
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Volumetric flask
What do you like to do in your free time? // The New York Times crossword puzzles (the mini ones only)
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Artichoke and basil
Favorite One Direction member // Harry!!
Aadil Rehan
Outreach
Aadil Rehan
Outreach
Best Moment in iGEM // Beach cleanup with the team :)
Favorite Science Figure // Nikola Tesla
Favorite Science Gadget or Technique // Spectrophotometer <3
What do you like to do in your free time? // Play with Legos and read
Favorite Pizza Topping(s) // Cheese
Favorite One Direction member // George Cheng
Andrew Feng
Research