iGEM Competition September Newsletter
In this issue...
- Presentation schedule for teams now available
- Judging form open now
- DNA Submissions - Do's and Don'ts
- October 17 - The Big Freeze; Deadlines you don't want to miss!
- Jamboree announcements:
- Pre-register now for the Monday After iGEM Summit
- Submit your team banners and videos (optional)
- Last Chance for advanced Jamboree Registration!
Message from iGEM Headquarters
As busy as September has been, October will be one of the most important months of the competition, with many crucial deadlines approaching that teams simply can't afford to miss.
One of the most important parts of October is documenting your project. Clear documentation is directly related to successful communication of your team's goals and accomplishments with judges, other Jamboree attendees, and present and future iGEM teams. This includes building wiki pages and registry part pages, filling out the judging form, and finally the presentation and poster at the Jamboree. Knowing what is required well ahead of the deadline will be the key to success.
Read on for key announcements, and tips for what to pay attention to in the coming month.
Best wishes,
The iGEM Headquarters Team
Check out our News Archive to see what else happened this month.
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Community/News_Archive
Jamboree Presentation Schedule Now Available
The presentation schedule for the Giant Jamboree is now ready for teams. If you have any questions about your team's assigned presentation slot, please contact us by email at HQ [AT] igem [DOT] org.
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/wiki/images/b/b8/GJ_Schedule.pdf
Judging Form Open Now!
Judging forms are now open for editing! Through the judging form, your judges will be able to see at a glance which aspects of your project they should be paying attention to for evaluation of medal criteria and special award criteria.
The judging form is explicitly dependent on your team's understanding of Pages for Awards, and the DNA sample submission process. Make sure that you know how these work to ensure your judging forms are correct. We suggest creating your part pages on the Registry as early as possible so that you can ask your questions sooner rather than later.
The Judging Form Freeze is on October 12, 2018 at 11:59PM EDT.
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Judging/Judging_Form
Don't forget...
The Judging Handbook is openly available to all teams and judges to view prior to the Jamboree. Access the Judging Handbook here.
DNA Submissions - Do's and Don'ts
If your team is working with BioBrick parts, you'll need to know how to document those parts on the Registry of Standard Biological Parts and correctly submit samples of those parts to the Registry. Teams should start familiarizing with the submission requirements now. Here's a checklist to keep in mind as you prepare your submissions:
- The part must be added and documented on the Registry.
- The part must be BioBrick RFC10 compatible.
- The part sample must be in pSB1C3, the Registry's shipping plasmid backbone.
- The part sample must be flanked by the full BioBrick prefix and suffix on pSB1C3.
- A completed submission form.
- Parts must be shipped in the provided Submission Kit.
- Parts must be in the mail with a tracking number to iGEM HQ by the deadline on October 10.
Shipments also must be declared as containing DNA on the outside of the package with the following language:
"DNA (non-hazardous, non-regulated, non-infectious, for research purposes only)"
Don't forget to log back into the registry to declare your shipment tracking number on your online submission form, and submit your form by the deadline on October 10.
DO NOT...
If you are worried about your shipment getting stopped at customs, DO NOT hide or try to disguise your shipment as something else. If your shipment is delayed due to customs, your team will not be penalized.
Teams in China should send shipments to GenScript by the deadline. GenScript does not need to receive your shipment by October 10. Please see the submissions page for more information:
Direct Link: http://parts.igem.org/DNA_Submission
October 17: The Big Freeze
October 17 is the last big deadline before the Giant Jamboree. Both the Wiki Freeze and Registry Freeze are on this day, meaning that all of your online documentation must be complete on your wiki AND on your registry part pages. For software teams, the Github repository will also be frozen for the first time this year. Pay close attention to the word Freeze: this is a hard deadline, meaning it is not possible to make any changes after the date*.
Our Advice: Behind the scenes, we have seen teams in previous years lose entire wikis due to last minute changes at the midnight deadline (11:59PM EDT). DO NOT leave your documentation to the last minute, and avoid making last minute tweaks to your code (especially your css/formatting files). You should also be aware of what your teammates are up to, as it is not possible for two people to edit the same page at the same time; you may lose information if this happens.
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Calendar#October
*Wikis and Registry pages will be thawed after the completion of the Jamboree for final corrections or team updates, and finally archived in December 2018.
After iGEM Summit
The Monday after the Giant Jamboree, join us for an unforgettable After iGEM experience.
Following last month's announcement of the new keynote session at the 2018 Giant Jamboree, we are extremely excited to bring you the first ever After iGEM Summit.
This brand new event will offer opportunities for professional development designed to help you pursue your dreams, chances to make new friends, and to join an unconventional gathering that will positively impact synbio and the world.
If you're interested in headshots, boom boxes, biology, or iGEM history, you'll want to sign up for one of our limited pre-Jamboree registration spots today.
Direct Link: https://afterigemsummit2018.eventbrite.com/
Don't forget...
Not only does the Boston area have one of the highest concentrations of university campuses in the world, but it is also home to big influencers in industry. Ginkgo Bioworks and New England BioLabs are both offering limited spots for tours of their facilities.
Learn more...
Submit your team banners and videos (optional)
What makes the Jamboree so special? The teams! Teams are invited to submit team banners and videos for display at the Jamboree.
Team banners will be displayed all over the Hynes Convention Center for iGEMers and attendees to see. Use your team imagery, high resolution photos and all your creativity to showcase your team. After the event, you can even take your banner home as a souvenir!
Each team is also welcome to submit a team video by emailing us the file to hq [AT] igem [DOT] org. We will select some of the videos to show during the Giant Jamboree Closing Ceremony!
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Giant_Jamboree/Information_for_Teams/Team_Banners
Don't forget...
Late registration for the Giant Jamboree will be closing on October 1 at 11:59PM EDT. After this date, attendees will only be able to register on-site at the late registration rate. Register Now.
Sponsor News
MathWorks has been generously sponsoring iGEM teams with complimentary software and technical mentoring for 10 years. Get access to free MATLAB and SimBiology software to help your team with:
- ODE modeling and simulation to guide and optimize the design of genetic assemblies
- Drag and drop model building diagram
- Sensitivity analysis and parameter scans to identify key parameters
- Data fitting to estimate key parameters
Thank you, MathWorks!
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Sponsors/Special_Offers/Mathworks
Don't forget...
- IDT is giving FREE 20kb of custom DNA through synthesis OR Alt-R® CRISPR Genome Editing products to ALL teams
- GenScript is offering 20% off synthesis and cloning services to all teams
- Promega is supporting all teams with free technical support all year
- MathWorks is giving complimentary MATLAB software (includes 13 products) and technical support to all teams
- Opentrons is offering $2000 off a team's first OT-2 Robot (equivalent to 50% off)
Many of these offers end in October, so take advantage of them while you can!
Upcoming Dates
- September 21: Team Roster Freeze More...
- September 28: Team banner files due (Optional) More...
- October 1: Giant Jamboree late registration ends More...
- October 5: Team video files due (Optional) More...
- October 10: DNA Submission Deadline More...
- October 12: Judging Form Freeze More...
- October 17: Registry Freeze More...
- October 17: Wiki Freeze More...
- October 17: Github Freeze (Software Track teams only) More...
Direct Link: http://2018.igem.org/Calendar
