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May Newsletter
In this issue...
- iGEM HQ hiring laboratory intern
- Where are all the iGEM teams this year? Find them on the team map
- Judging Handbook now published, Apply to be a judge!
- Coming from overseas? Apply for your travel visas early!
- Check that you comply - Safety Check-In Forms
- New iGEM measurement protocols
- Upcoming dates and team meetups
Last month at iGEM, we had a number of exciting opportunities presented by our sponsors for the benefit of iGEM 2019 teams. We also announced some big changes to the competition, all part of bringing iGEM's vision for the future to life: synthetic biology without DNA manipulation. This month, we have an exciting job opportunity for an iGEMer, and even more resources for teams! Read on to learn more.
Last chance to apply for Opentrons robot giveaway
REMINDER Apply for 1 of 10 OT-2 robots and add $10,000 value to your team budget!
Deadline: May 8, 2019 (Today!)
Where are all the iGEM Teams?
Around the world, we now have 295 teams officially approved, and counting! Find them on the interactive team map on Google Maps. Have trouble accessing Google Maps? Click to browse the Team List on igem.org
Travel Visas for the Giant Jamboree
Are you traveling from overseas to attend the Giant Jamboree? We recommend that teams who need a visa to travel to the United States of America apply for their visa as early as possible. It can take a long time for some visas to process, and even if the rest of your team receives their visa quickly, it may take longer for yours to be approved. You don't want to miss out on the amazing experience at the Giant Jamboree, so apply early!
All team members registered for the 2019 Competition can download a customized Visa Invitation Letter to assist with the visa application process. Visit the Visa Help page below for more information:
Direct Link: https://2019.igem.org/Resources/Visa_Help
Judging Handbook published - Apply to be a Judge
We provide a Judging Handbook for both judges and teams to review during the iGEM season. This handbook allows everyone involved in the competition to see how judging works in iGEM. Click below to access a PDF of the 2019 Judging Handbook!
Visit the Judging Hub to learn more about judging in iGEM.
Want to be a judge for the 2019 Competition? Applications are open now.
Direct Link: https://2019.igem.org/Judging/Apply
Is your project safe? Safety Check-Ins
Complying with the safety and security requirements is a condition of competing at iGEM - that includes providing all the information in this form by the relevant deadlines. To help teams make sure that they are complying, the Safety and Security Committee has created a series of resources and check-in forms.
Any team that plans to acquire or use any organism/part that is NOT on the White List must submit a Check-In form first. In addition, If your team plans to use any vertebrates (e.g. rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters), or higher order invertebrates (e.g. cuttlefish, octopus, squid, lobster) you will need to complete an Animal Use form to tell us about any risks associated with your work and how you will be managing them.
New protocols from the iGEM Measurement Committee
One of the major goals of the Measurement Committee this year is to make it easier for teams to gather reliable and reproducible results. To do this, we have developed and published 5 new protocols to help teams calibrate their measurements. We strongly recommend that every team making such measurements use these protocols. Understanding and debugging your results will be easier, and future teams will be better able to build on your results.
Featured protocols include:
- Converting plate reader absorbance measurements to estimated cell counts.
- Converting plate reader GFP or YFP measurements to equivalent fluorescein per cell.
- Converting flow cytometry fluorescence measurements of any fluorescent protein to equivalent fluorescent molecules per cell.
- Converting flow cytometry forward scatter measurements to estimated cell diameter.
We also want to help teams more easily share both their results and their protocols with other teams. This year, iGEM is allowing and encouraging teams to use Protocols.io to create and share methods. Learn more:
Direct Link: https://2019.igem.org/Measurement/Protocols
Contact us anytime at measurement [AT] igem [DOT] org, and be sure to visit the Measurement Hub for more resources.
Job Opportunity: iGEM Headquarters Laboratory Intern
iGEM is hiring a laboratory intern to assist with the iGEM-Twist synthesis pilot program at iGEM Headquarters in Boston, USA. Previous participation in iGEM is required (including students, instructors, judges, or other participants). Visit the iGEM Jobs page below for more information:
Direct Link: https://igem.org/Jobs
Upcoming Dates to Consider
- May 8 (Today!): Application deadline for Opentrons special offer More...
- May 17: Application deadline for Promega special offer More...
- May 17: Application deadline for GenScript special offer More...
- May 31: Last chance - Late Team Registration closes More...
- May 31: First round judging applications More...
Upcoming Team Meetups
- May 17-19: Nordic iGEM Conference (NiC)
- May 17-19: iGEM Collaboration Meet Up
- May 19: The Third iGEM Nanjing Regional Meetup
- June 13-14: iGEM Europe Meetup
- July 5-7: German iGEM Meetup
Email HQ to get your team meetup listed on the meetups page!
With thanks to iGEM's partners for 2019
Don't forget...
- IDT giving FREE 20kb of custom DNA as gBlocks® Gene Fragments OR Alt-R® CRISPR Genome Editing products to ALL teams
- Twist Bioscience offering complimentary 10kb of Gene Fragments
- GenScript offering 20% off synthesis and cloning services to all teams, plus an exclusive team sponsorship opportunity
- Promega supporting all teams with free technical support all year, plus an exclusive team sponsorship opportunity
- MathWorks giving complimentary MATLAB software (includes 13 products) and technical support to all teams
- Opentrons offering $2000 off a team's first OT-2 Robot, plus an exclusive team sponsorship opportunity
Missed something? See our newsletter archive to read previous issues
