Team:Lethbridge HS/Team

Team

Students

Nimaya De Silva

Hello! My name is Nimaya De Silva, and I go to Winston Churchill High School. I am 17 years old and this is my second year of iGEM. I joined iGEM to gain more experience in the lab, and to venture more into the world of biology. But I have also found myself working on human practices as well and have been thoroughly enjoying it! Besides iGEM, I love to read anything and everything to do with dystopia and Harry Potter! I also take piano lessons, and love to recreate pop songs on the piano!

Candace Chan

Hello! My name is Candace Chan and I attend Winston Churchill High School. I joined iGEM because I thought it would be a good way to meet like-minded people from different schools. Particularly I enjoy the human practices aspect of iGEM as it is important to me that our work as a team has an impact on the local community. After high school, I plan on going to university most likely pursuing the science field as I have enjoyed these subjects throughout high school. In my limited spare time I enjoy listening and playing music. I have played piano for 10 years as music is a significant passion of mine.

Autumn Schmidt

Hello! My name is Autumn Schmidt, and I am a grade 10 student attending the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. This is my first year of iGEM, and I joined because I was interested in learning more about biochemistry and synthetic biology. What I enjoy most about the program are the lab experiments that we do frequently, and seeing all the interesting projects that have been created years before. In my spare time, I enjoy sports, playing the piano, and art.

Ross Oliver

Hello I’m Ross and I am a grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High school. Currently I am in my third year of iGEM. I was interested in re-joining iGEM because of the opportunities and knowledge that it has provided me. Prior to joining iGEM, I had no lab experience, and had very limited knowledge about synthetic biology. In my free time I enjoy learning new things, baking and traveling.

Kyle Bodell

Hello all my name is Kyle Bodell and I was in grade 12 at Winston Churchill high school at the beginning of the season. I joined iGEM because i am very interested in biology, my favorite part of iGEM is the biology and the science behind what we are doing. After high school and currently i am going to the University of Lethbridge and i am majoring in Biology (possibly switching into BioChemistry)! And in my very limited free time I like to go to Crossfit and play video games.

Kelly Situ

Hello there! My name is Kelly Situ and I am in grade 10 at the Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. I joined iGEM because my passion is in the sciences, in specific, bio-chemistry. There are certain aspects of iGEM, like the human practices and lab component, that I enjoy. After high school, I want to pursue post-secondary in University. Fun fact: I don’t have a middle name!

Halla Wagner

Hello! My name is Halla Wagner and I am a grade 12 student at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. This is my first year of iGEM, and I joined because it is an excellent opportunity to delve further into the world of biology and a great chance to gain experience working as a team. Although I am very interested in all aspects of iGEM, I most enjoy human practices and public outreach. After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in a higher study of mathematics and potentially move into the field of medicine in the future. I also like to spend my (very little) spare time working as an actor!

Denysse Garcia

Hello! My name is Denysse Garcia, I am a grade 11 student at Chinook High school. This is my first year in iGEM, and I decided to join because I believe this was a great opportunity to learn about all the aspects of science and human practices. I most enjoy getting to know all my teammates and the aspect of making synthetic biology more well known within our community. After graduation, my plan is to further develop my knowledge of mathematics and hopefully go into law soon after. In my spare time I enjoy rugby and watching mystery/crime documentaries!

Haroon Ahmed

Hello, my name is Haroon Ahmed and I currently attend Chinook High School. This is my first year of iGEM. I joined to learn more about the fascinating field of synthetic biology and how it can be used to solve many important real-world problems. Out of all aspects of iGEM, I most enjoy human practices and public outreach. I also enjoy playing sports, and when my high school education is over, I plan to eventually move into the field of medicine to become a physician.

Stefanie Dang

Hello, my name is Stefanie Dang and I’m currently a grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High School. I joined iGEM because it is an excellent opportunity to meet new people and experience how synthetic biology can be applied to everyday situations. Although there are multiple intriguing areas, I gravitate towards coding, graphics, and design. In the future after high school, although it is unclear, I hope to pursue a career in anthropology, graphic design, or creative writing. I have mastered the art of making puns so well, I die a little crying at my own jokes each time.

Chaeli Cowan

Hello! My name is Chaeli Cowan, I am a grade 12 student at Chinook Highschool. I am 17 years old and this is my first year in iGEM. I joined iGEM because I am interested in the sciences and wanted to gain more knowledge as to what a science program might entail. In my spare time I work as a lifeguard, I enjoy playing rugby and love to travel!

Allison Leam

Hello! My name is Allison Leam and I am currently finishing up my final year of high school at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute through the french immersion program. I was excited to join iGEM for the first time this year as I’ve always had a passion for science and joining the team would give me the opportunities to explore it in ways different from your common classroom methods. Though I believe it important to explore all aspects of the project, I enjoy getting down and dirty (in safe ways) working in the lab and also simply working alongside all the lovely people on the team. After high school, I hope to pursue post-secondary studies in the science field.

Advisors

Sydnee Calhoun

Hi! My name is Sydnee and I am a third year biochemistry major at the University of Lethbridge. This is my third year of iGEM and my second year advising the high school team. While I have been involved with many aspects of iGEM, I really enjoy working on human practices and seeing how synthetic biology has an impact on the community. After I graduate, I hope to pursue a Master’s in genetic counselling.

Erin Kelly

BSc 2017, Biochemistry

MSc Candidate Biochemistry

Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute

My first High School iGEM experience was actually when I was in grade 12 and participated on the Lethbridge High School iGEM team in 2012. I then went on to be an advisor to the high school team in 2013 when I started my undergraduate program. I am excited to be back instructing HS iGEM again! My favourite part about iGEM is designing genetic constructs because these molecular biology systems are so elegant. I shall pursue my MD after my MSc, and hopefully maintain an emphasis on biomedical research and engineering.

Harland Brandon

Fourth year PhD Candidate

I am a long time iGEM member but this is the first year I have helped with the Lethbridge High School iGEM team. iGEM helped me discover that I was truly passionate about scientific research and considering the ethical implications that come from the work that we do.

Dr. Brian Dempsey

I am a Structural Biochemist and new to Synthetic Biology and iGEM. I love the idea of being able to make whatever I want in the lab. Previously I have used NMR and X-ray crystallography to look at protein-protein interactions. My wife is a Biochemist also, which makes dinner conversation interesting (for us anyways).

Chris Isaac

Hi there. My name is Chris and I am pursuing an MSc in Bioinformatics and Genomics. I worked with the team as a specialist mentor through MindFuel and GeekStarter's high school synthetic biology program. I discussed initial project design with the team and also helped teach them how to code their wiki through various workshops hosted by GeekStarter.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden

Originally from Germany I moved to Canada in 2005 to start a research group on the structure and function of the bacterial protein synthesis machinery, a cellular process targeted by over 50% of the known antibiotics. I am intrigued by the molecular design and function of this essential bio-nanomachine. I try to unravel the underlying design principles in order to enable the rational design and engineering of novel bio-nanomachines. I am essentially asking the question if such novel bio-machines can be constructed from simple and fundamental principles or are these assemblies just to complex. Well and that’s why it was extremely easy to rope me into doing iGEM.