Team:Lambert GA/Team
The Lambert High School iGEM Team
Lambert's team is comprised of 14 high school students from Suwanee, Georgia in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We are an after-school club that meets simply for the love of synthetic biology.
Meet The Team
Nithik Balachandran
Sophomore
Hi! My name is Nithik Balachandran, and this is my first year on the iGEM team, and I am already loving the experience. I love getting to work with the Hardware and Fundraising/Marketing teams, and also enjoy working on the wiki. Aside from iGEM, my favorite things to do are watch sports, play sports, travel, and code.
Katie Barr
Junior
Hello! This is my first year on an iGEM team! iGEM has taught me critical thinking skills, time management, teamwork and how to get 8 hours of sleep in 4 hours (Seriously we are in the lab at 6:30am). I love to challenge myself mentally and physically. So when I finally leave the lab, I spend my time cheering for an Allstar team. I am super grateful for the techniques I’ve learned and the family I’ve gained by joining this team.
Gaurav Byagathvalli
Junior
Hi! My name is Gaurav, and this is my first year on the iGEM Team. Being a part of iGEM has given me the opportunity to effectively apply my science knowledge into a project with real-word applications, and has provided me with the dedication, determination, and hard work one needs in order to be successful. I am thankful to be a part of this open science community and to have incredible team members who I work alongside with everyday. I hope to be able to implement the knowledge I gain from iGEM into a career in medicine and research. In addition to iGEM, I share a unique enthusiasm for politics, basketball, and music (piano).
Noora Chandasir
Senior
Hey all! My name is Noora Chandasir and I am a senior at Lambert High School on the iGEM team. iGEM has been an incredible opportunity to be a part of. The experiences I have gained by being on this team have allowed me to learn and approach synthetic biology in a completely different way. I have learned so much! Outside of iGEM, I enjoy traveling, hiking, soccer (go Bayern!), skiing, reading, and following politics. In the future, I hope to become part of Doctors Without Borders and serve as an advocate for human rights. I can’t wait to see everyone at Jamboree again with their world-changing projects!
Alyssa Franklin
Senior
This is my third year on iGEM. I am grateful for the opportunity iGEM grants me to express my passion and gain experience in the career I wish to pursue: genetics. Outside of the lab, I enjoy running cross country and track, dancing, and reading, as well as traveling.
Emily Gibson
Senior
Though this is just my first year as a member of iGEM, it has already been one of the most incredible, demanding, and inspiring experiences of my entire life. I’ve been pushed to exceed every expectation I’ve had for myself and then some! But that isn’t to say I don’t have fun; in my free time I love to go to concerts, travel, devour books, and nerd out over all things pop culture. At the Jamboree you’ll most likely find me checking out every presentation I can see, talking to as many people as possible, or wherever there is chocolate.
Megan Hong
Sophomore
This is my first year in iGEM, and I can positively say that I have never been more excited to go on a school field trip than now. Besides working in the lab, I like to run around a grass field with twenty-one other people who are trying to get to the same ball, pull horse hair over metal to make some hopefully pleasant noise, and pour my ideas and experiences into writing short stories. I can't wait to meet new people and learn about everyone's projects at Jamboree!
Lauren Hong
Senior
Hello everyone!! My name is Lauren Hong, and I am currently a senior at Lambert High School in Suwanee, Georgia. A dinosaur on the Lambert iGEM team, I've roamed the lands of our lab for the past four years. It has been an incredible journey exploring various applications of research to real-world problems through the lens of synthetic biology; as a result of my positive experiences with this team, I hope to pursue medical research as a biomedical engineer. Outside the jungle known as our classroom and lab space, I am a passionate soccer player itching to get back to the field and an enthusiast of the violin and classical music. I'm excited to be returning to the Giant Jamboree for the last time in my high school career and meeting all of you and your projects!
Ellie Kim
Junior
This is my first year on the iGEM team. iGEM has allowed me to dedicate myself into a place copious with other people that share the same devotion as me gaining the involvement and understanding of valuable research and its capabilities. I have grown to fall in love with science and the people on my team. Alongside iGEM, I like to live spontaneously by meeting new people and traveling.
Christina Lee
Junior
Hi! This is my first year on the iGEM team. This organization has allowed me to explore upon the concepts that completely captivate me; iGEM constantly fuels my wild sense of curiosity. Aside from iGEM, i have an ever flourishing love for biology, veganism, and Key Club International.
Julia Leveille
Senior
This is my third year as a member of Lambert’s iGEM team, and it has been the most impactful, amazing experience! When I’m not in the lab, you can catch me out on a long run, working at Starbucks, or eating some weird vegan food! In my rare free time, I enjoy traveling, camping, and drinking more coffee than seems humanly possible.
Kevin Li
Junior
Hey! Glad to see you are remotely interested in who I am. :) I am a current Junior and this is my first year in iGEM (exciting, I know). This team is like a second family to me; all of its members care for each other and wish to see one another succeed. iGEM has also given me countless opportunities in which I can immerse myself in genetic engineering. When you don’t see me buried in a pile of homework or in the lab, I can usually be found in the middle of an episode on Netflix or hanging out with friends.
Natalie Shih
Senior
Natalie is a senior at Lambert High School, and even throughout all the years she hasn’t lost her love for science. Along with science she also continues her pursuit of performing as she strives to become a circus artist and one day attend the national circus school in Montreal. She is a lover of nature, life and fellow humans, and her biggest goal is to spread happiness, love, and knowledge to everyone she meets. Yay science!
David Standeven
Senior
Howdy, name’s David Standeven, otherwise known as: Bacon, Spawn of Standy, Little Sit Crooked. I’m a senior at Lambert High School, a varsity football player (first string), dedicated scout on my way to Eagle, and a wayward student working through the AP grind. I’ve loved science since I was a wee lad, always hanging out in my mother’s classroom playing with her experiments. I love learning about new breakthroughs in science, and am always quick with an interesting fact. And last but not least, I am well versed in a wide variety of accents including Scottish, Irish, British, Russian, Smeagol/Gollum, Southern, and Philly.
Meet The Advisors
Janet Standeven
Advisor
Lover of science, bread baking, knitting, gardening and home design. Passionate about Synthetic Biology and open source science through iGEM. Mother of three wonderful sons, wife of a patient and generous husband and second mother to a generation of talented, inquisitive, intelligent and constantly hungry students.
Shelby Cochran
Advisor
My life is not my own, but that's the way I want it. My life belongs to the One who redeemed my soul, to my husband who stole my heart, to my parasitic offspring whom I adore and would sacrifice everything for, to my amazing students who keep me young. All I ask for is a small part of the day to release some endorphins in a thirty minute workout and a little bit of clean, iGEM green kale juice to keep me going!
Brittney Cantrell
Advisor
If it involves coffee, campfires, tacos or dinosaurs, I'm in! A perfect day is one spent sharing my love for science with my freshmen who have affectionately been deemed my squirrels. Personal goals include turning all of my students into big ol' science nerds and continuing to travel. Free time is spent in the mountains hiking and backpacking with my sweet husband and two fur babies.
