Team:Calgary/Team
Name: Michaela Olsakova
Education: Computer Science
Donut Alter Ego: Jelly Filled
Patronus: Duckling
Special Abilities: Has more Lord of the Rings facts than you do
Why did you join iGEM? To get some experience with web development and try something I've never done before
Name: Patricia Lim
Education: Biological Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Strawberry Frosted
Patronus: Porcupine
Special Abilities: The Karate Kid reincarnated
Why did you join iGEM? To explore the field of biotechnology and gain experience in graphic design
Name: Preetha Gopalakrishnan
Education: Biomedical Science
Donut Alter Ego: Cronut
Patronus: Armadillo
Special Abilities: Fact Machine
Why did you join iGEM? Because I've always been interested in genetics and I wanted a hands-on opportunity to engineer an organism
Name: Jacob Grainger
Education: Biomedical Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Old Fashioned
Patronus: Human
Special Abilities: Only one to survive a zombie apocalypse
Why did you join iGEM? To learn and practice synthetic biology and biotechnology
Name: Samuel Wilton-Clark
Education: Biomedical Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Long John
Patronus: Giraffe
Special Abilities: He's the real Slim Shady
Why did you join iGEM? To explore a rapidly growing research field in a competitive environment
Name: Helen Wang
Education: Biomedical Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Chocolate Sprinkle
Patronus: Golden Retriever
Special Abilities: An actual puppy
Why did you join iGEM? Research experience and the opportunity to work together with people from different faculties!
Name: Kaitlin Schaaf
Education: Cellular, Molecular & Microbial Biology
Donut Alter Ego: Powdered Sugar
Patronus: Mama Bear
Special Abilities: Will destroy you in Foosbal
Why did you join iGEM? To gain research experience in the emerging field of synthetic biology
Name: Alexandra Ivanova
Education: Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
Donut Alter Ego: Cheesecake (she's adopted)
Patronus: Unicorn
Special Abilities: Can dance your socks off
Why did you join iGEM? I wanted to explore engineering applications beyond the degree that I'm pursuing
Name: Atika Ibrahim
Education: Bioinformatics
Donut Alter Ego: Maple Cream
Patronus: Munchkin Cat
Special Abilities: Secretly a comedic genius
Why did you join iGEM? I like to seize every opportunity that comes my way.
Name: Lalit Bharadwaj
Education: MSc in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Donut Alter Ego: Strawberry Filled
Patronus: Grizzly Bear
Special Abilities: Rugby player on the outside, two stepper on the inside
Why did you join iGEM? To expand my undergraduate education to new avenues of synthetic biology
Name: Alina Kunitskaya
Education: Chemical & Biomedical Engineering
Donut Alter Ego: Boston Creme
Patronus: Laika the Space Dog
Special Abilities: Has Chris Hadfield as a Skype contact
Why did you join iGEM? To make the whole world excited about synthetic biology and space exploration
Name: Amy Chen
Education: Biomedical Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Honey Cruller
Patronus: Panda
Special Abilities: Knows just about every Health Sci student
Why did you join iGEM? To learn more about synthetic biology and its potential in solving real-world problems
Name: Maliyat Aniqa Noor
Education: Electrical Engineering
Donut Alter Ego: Chocolate Dip
Patronus: Lemur
Special Abilities: Food goes in, science comes out
Why did you join iGEM? I was fascinated by the incredible potential synthetic biology has in reinventing traditional practices, ranging from drug therapy to manufacturing
Name: Bilal Sher
Education: Civil Engineering
Donut Alter Ego: Gulab Jamun
Patronus: Ostrich
Special Abilities: Can fit the whole team in his car
Why did you join iGEM? Someone told me there was massive potential in genetic engineering and I wanted to get some hands-on experience in it
Name: Rachelle Varga
Education: Bsc. in Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology
Donut Alter Ego: Donut Hole
Patronus: Hawksbill Turtle
Special Abilities: Can cease a laugh or a smile on command
Why did you join iGEM? To pass on my experience in molecular cloning for iGEM generations to come
Name: David Feehan
Education: MSc. Student of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
Donut Alter Ego: Long John
Patronus: Llama
Special Abilities: Knows the lyrics to most pop songs in the last 25 years
Why did you join iGEM? I got an email about iGEM from Dr. Mayi and it sounded pretty cool, so I applied for a position as a TA
Name: Dan Ziemianowicz
Education: PhD. student in Biochemistry
Donut Alter Ego: Pakora
Patronus: Cat
Special Abilities: A good guesser
Why did you join iGEM? To take over the world
Name: Syed Jafri
Education:Bioinformatics
Donut Alter Ego: Frosted Cinnamon Roll
Patronus: Tiger
Special Abilities: Can pretty much read minds
Why did you join iGEM? 'Cause synthetic biology is rad!
Name: Sid Goutam
Education: Biomedical Sceinces
Donut Alter Ego: Strawberry Shortcake
Patronus: Anaconda
Special Abilities: Stopping people to chat, regardless of where they're going
Why did you join iGEM? Because it brings together students from many disciplines to solve real world problems
Name: David Nguyen
Education: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
Donut Alter Ego: Chocolate-Glazed Cake Donut
Patronus: Butterfly
Special Abilities: Karaoke God
Why did you join iGEM? To assist with the engineering processes required for iGEM
Name: Nilesh Sharma
Education: Neuroscience
Donut Alter Ego: Double Chocolate
Patronus: Tufted Deer
Special Abilities: Master Procrastinator
Why did you join iGEM? To gain exposure to real-life situations and embark on a strong academic path
Name: Elena Fekete
Education: Msc. Student of Biology
Donut Alter Ego: Chocolate
Patronus: Elephant
Special Abilities: Baking cookies
Why did you join iGEM? I was really interested in the research experience!
Name: Nishi Patel
Education:Cellular, Molecular & Microbial Biology
Donut Alter Ego: Boston Cream
Patronus: Parrot
Special Abilities: Fashion designer in the making
Why did you join iGEM? To work with people from different fields and share my enthusiasm for genetic engineering
Name: Dr. Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio
Profession: Senior Instructor in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Donut Alter Ego: Apple Fritter
Patronus: Doe
Special Abilities: Choosing the best snack
Why did you join iGEM? Because I love working with the students and seeing their excitement for synthetic biology!
Name: Dr. Anders Nygren
Education: Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Senior Associate Dean (Academic & Planning) for the Schulich School of Engineering
Why did you join iGEM? I have a research background in computer modeling of biological and physiological systems and got involved in iGEM to learn about how computer modeling can be applied to Synthetic Biology. I keep coming back because of the amazing UCalgary students who always impress me with their creativity and ability to work together as a team across disciplines.
Name: Brad Prince
Education: Msc. Student of Business Administration
Donut Alter Ego: Honey Crueller
Patronus: Grizzly Bear
Special Abilities: Knowing useless information
Why did you join iGEM?I think Synthetic Biology is one of the biggest technology revolutions we’ve ever gone through, and so I wanted to help lend a commercialization perspective to the technologies being developed.
Name: Dr. Elke Lohmeier-Vogel
Education: Senior Instructor in Biological Sciences
Donut Alter Ego: Old-fashioned
Patronus: Bear
Special Abilities: Intuition
Why did you join iGEM? After acting as a PURE application supervisor for a former iGEM student, I decided to go and watch the weekly meetings as a mentor. I found it to be a valuable experience and so when I was asked to take part in 2017 as an Instructor I happily said yes. I really liked watching how the students worked over the summer.
Name: Dr. Craig Jenne
Education: Immunologist
Donut Alter Ego: Cruller….mmmm…..Cruller
Patronus: Gryphon
Special Abilities: Procrasto …. Ah I’ll tell you later.
Why did you join iGEM? I simply find the iGEM projects fascinating. It is an amazing opportunity to work with a highly motivated team of very smart people. Hard to be involved and not catch the enthusiasm. Often this is missing within “everyday” science and it is refreshing to be involved in projects that are cool, innovative and impactful.
Name: Dr. Fabiola Aparicio-Ting
Education: Director, Health & Society at O'Brien Centre Bachelor of Health Sciences Program
Donut Alter Ego: Salted Caramel
Patronus: Red Fox
Special Abilities: Night Vision
Why did you join iGEM? I believe that it is important for innovators to consider both the natural and social sciences when creating. Biomedical advancements will only be useful if they are socially responsive, acceptable and provide some benefit for society. I have mentored previous teams on the human aspects and impacts of their projects in years past and was honoured to have a more formal role this year.
Meet the Team
Meet the TAs
Meet the Mentors
Meet the Advisors
