Attributions

Team members

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Lina Lyng Sigfredsson Nielsen

I was involved with the planning and execution of the Biobrick Tutorial. Have been helping in contacting schools for the elementary school project and doing the presentations. Mostly, though, I have been involved in the mycolab and the overall work with the fungi: Determining ideal substrates and conditions for the bricks to grow as well as doing protoplastations and transformations of the fungi.

David Lokjær Faurdal

Initially, my involvement has been administrative in nature; planning meetings, brainstorming sessions, collaborations and the BioBrick tutorial. Since then, my main occupation has been the synthetic biology of the project, which entails a lot of (re)designing constructs and lab work (including the Interlab Study). Additionally, as team leader, I’ve interacted a lot with the other arms of the project to discuss all sort of details and trying to keep things coherent.

Jacob Mejlsted

I have been heavily involved with the creation of the high school iGEM team (CHSS) together with Tenna. In addition to this, I have been in charge of contact with Ecovative Design and helped with presenting in the elementary school project. With regards to lab work, I have been working together with David, Joen and Tenna in the synthlab with the assembly of BioBricks.

Hannah-Marie Martiny

In the beginning of the project, I organized a cabin trip for the team to do some team building, and later on, I’ve been working on analyzing the growth of the fungus including both some image analysis and creating a model that simulates the microscopic hyphal growth. Furthermore, I have been assisting with the design of the wiki in regards to creating some of the graphics and other aspects.

Nicolai Jensen

My early involvement in the project was mainly about administrative work and planning some team building activities. I got involved in mechanical testing which led me to become the team's’ favorite fabricator. I made a budget hydraulic press and supplied the bio-folks with welded inoculator boxes until we decided that silicone ice-cube trays were better(they are). After designing our “brick” design, it was sent on to mechanical simulation. Lately, I’ve been doing compression tests of the fungus and will be designing and conducting tension tests in order to try to get Young's modulus of the fungus.

Lau Halkier Wandall

In the start I focused on ensuring that we chose a project, e.g. plan and book. Together with Mathias, I looked into different types of growth models. After looking at many different types, the coupling between model and reality was not as well-studied as hoped. I started working on modeling structural mechanics for the final structure as a test of realistic conditions. I also grew fungi under different conditions since MycoLab had some periods with very few people.

Tenna Gram Rasmussen

I was involved in a lot of branches throughout the project. I performed the Interlab study together with David, started the elementary school project and was heavily involved in creating the iGEM high school team (CHSS). I was one of the main responsibles who planned and executed the Biobrick Tutorial 2018, kept track of administrative work, worked on designing and writing a big part of the wiki, and I worked in the synthlab.

Joen Haahr Jensen

My efforts in this project have mainly been distributed in a threefold way: Fundraising, accounting and laboratory work. In the spring, I focused my time on applying for grants. Over the summer, I have spent my hours either being in the lab or thinking about being in the lab. Occasionally, in parallel to the rest, I have also brought forth a spreadsheet with expenditures and said “No, we cannot buy that.”

Mathies Brinks Sørensen

My involvement in the project has mainly been in the modeling part of the project. Particularly most of my time has been invested into statistical modeling as well as creating the experimental designs regarding compressive strength experiments. Furthermore, my involvement also included initial attempts in creating a growth model of the fungi via a hidden markov model approach.

Konstantinos Zifkos

My early involvement in the project was mainly about fundraising and generally being involved in the handling of the group economics. Later on, I was part of the mycolab where I focused on determining the optimal growth conditions of our fungi. Moreover, I was responsible for developing a protocol for the manufacturing process of our bricks.

Melissa Emilie McGrail

During this project, I’ve mostly been placing my energy in Human Practices where my main focus has been the collaboration with KU and Exeter. My competences in chemistry have been put mostly in consulting throughout the project.

Mathias Hoeg Boisen

Early on, my main focus was increasing the strength of the material, which has been the main drive in creating the statistical model. I’ve also worked on the collection of data, such as structural data, and design of experiments. I’ve worked on creating a simple growth model of fungi based on existing literature. This model can describe how fungi grow on a meso level, which means that its measurable quantity is explicitly density of mycelium. I’ve also been a part of creating the statistical model and helped gather structural data of the samples.

Alejandro Ventura-Traveset

During the first three months I focused in the economy group, where I was writing funding applications, creating budgets and booking accommodation and flights for the whole team. Then, I was part of the mycolab, where I carried out experiments related to fungal biology. I have been involved in culturing fungi, generating protoplasts, transforming fungi and other lab activities. Also, I have been in touch with several PhDs at the bioengineering department that have provided us with knowledge to continue with our project.

Michelle Lind Østrup

During the project my main focus was on creating a responsive wiki. I worked both with the wiki framework and the design aspect of it.

Instructors

Christopher Workman
Chris has been the supervisor for the DTU Biobuilders since the beginning and is always ready to answer any questions, be it about iGEM or science. He has done a lot for our team. We would not be the well-oiled machine we are today if not for him, and we would probably be sitting in a corner crying if it wasn’t for his guidance.

Kyle Rothschild-Mancinelli
As an iGEM alumnus and PhD student working with fungi, Kyle not only knew when to push us to keep up with the time-schedule, but he always pushed us to factually justify anything we did for our project. His drive and expectation made us want to do better and he was the perfect second-in-command to Chris Workman.

Project Design

Lynn J. Rothschild, Evolutionary biologist and astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center
Our project goals were developed with Lynn after hearing her ideas for mycotecture on Mars in a presentation at DTU in the spring this year. Therefore, key project ideas and goals were provided to us from Lynn and we were encouraged to collaborate and complement our efforts with the Stanford-Brown-RISD team. As the supervisor of the Stanford-Brown-RISD team and mother of Kyle, Lynn was the connecting point of both our projects. She had a strong vision for a two-parted project and managed successfully to convey the possibilities to us. Even though she is across the world, she has managed to visit us three times to guide us.

Mikako Sasa, Researcher at Novozymes
Helped with direction of the project.

Sara Landwik, Researcher at Novozymes
Helped with the direction of the project

Synthlab

Jens Frisvad, DTU Bioengineering
Expert on fungal biodiversity who helped us in our initial search for befitting species.

Uffe Hasbro Mortensen, DTU Bioengineering
Helped us deciding on non-homologous end joining instead of homologous recombination.

Philip George Hau Sørensen, DTU Biobuilders 2017
Helped immensely with designing, ordering and procecuting different protocols. He also helped a lot with our Biobrick tutorial.

Chrysillis Magaard Polhaus, DTU Biobuilders 2017
Helped in submitting parts and helped with the laboratorial part of our Biobrick tutorial.

Cathrine Agnete Larsen, DTU Biobuilders 2017
Helped in submitting parts.

Aleksander Moldt Haack, DTU Biobuilders 2017
Helped with the Biobrick tutorial.

Rasmus John Nordman Frandsen, DTU Bioengineering
Gave feedback regarding cloning-strategies and colony PCR in A. oryzae.

Anna Joensen, DTU Bioengineering
Helped with sending the submitted parts.

Jens Preben Morth, Professor at DTU bioengineering
We coincidentally had several conversations with Preben, where we discussed our challenges in the laboratory work. He gave us good sparring on our ideas and inspired solutions to some of our problems.

Abigail Sison, Laboratory Technician and Ambassador to Australasia at IGEM
Abigail attended our BioBrick tutorial, where she shared valuable information and advice with the participants. She has also helped Synthlab clarify some doubts with respect to the rules and guidelines of the iGEM competition.

Mycolab

Ecovative Design
Ecovative Design is a New York based company that provided both inspiration and guidance to Mycolab. We collaborated with Damen Schaak, an experienced senior research scientist and project manager. As part of the collaboration, he supplied a protoplastation protocol and strains of Ecovative’s Ganoderma, and helped us adapting the protocol.

Mycoworks
This San-Francisco-based startup, who produce alternative and sustainable biomaterials using fungi, was also a good source of inspiration for our project.

Fungal Genetics Stock Center
Center based in the USA that preserves fungal strains used in genetics research. They kindly provided free plasmids containing inducible promoters.

Dr. HAB Wösten, Professor of Microbiology, Department of Biology, Utrecht University
Developed a hydrophobin knockout in S. commune.

Freek Appels, PhD student at Utrecht University
Helped with sending the S. commune from Utrecht to DTU.

Skyttegården
Local horticultural farm that donated hay to be used as a substrate for our fungal cultures.

Timothy Hobley, DTU Brewery
Provided spent brewing grains to be used as a substrate.

Fabiano Jares
PhD at DTU Bioengineering. He provided support for Mycolab activities, especially for protoplastation and transformation for Aspergillus oryzae.

Jakob Kræmmer Rendsvig
PhD student at DTU bioengineering. He helped mMcolab with assessing transformation conditions of A. oryzae, specifically with providing a way to select for transformants.

Andreas M. Vestergaard
PhD student at DTU bioengineering. He assisted Mycolab in protoplastation of A. oryzae.

Jacob Grau Thisted, Hyphaebox, a mycotecture startup at DTU
Helped with the growth conditions and interesting structural factors to examine.

Mine Lisberg, Hyphaebox, a mycotecture startup at DTU
Helped with the growth conditions and interesting structural factors to examine.

Drylab

Lisbeth M. Ottosen
Head of the Materials Section of DTU Civil Engineering. Guided us by sharing her considerable expertise in building materials, and helped us gain access to the labs.

Christian Peter Rasmussen
Electronics technician at DTU Civil Engineering. Instructed us in the use of the universal testing machine for performing ultimate compressive strength experiments.

Holger Koss
Associate professor at DTU Civil Engineering. Gave us foam samples used to compare to our final fungal bricks.

DTU Skylab
Allowed us to use their equipment and provided us with instructions on how to weld and cut metal.

Christina Ankjærgaard and Arne Miller from DTU NucTech
Helped us expose the fungi to a dose of gamma-radiation, equivalent to what they will receive on Mars.

Human Practices

High school team

Rasmus Ibsen Dehli, Head of Biotech Academy
Primary contact in Biotech academy. Helps in organizing the team.

Anne Sofie Dyerberg, Head of Biotech Academy
Helps in organizing the team.

Philip Hau Sørensen, Biobuilders 2017.
Co-organiser together with Biobuilders 2018.

Janet Standeven, Lambert iGEM.
Helped with answers to how a successful high school iGEM team can be organised and managed. In the high school project, multiple teachers and coordinators have helped us inform the project.

Teachers and talent coordinators

Morten Eskildsen, Teacher from Birkerød Gymnasium
Nicolai Bogø Stabell, Science teacher from HCØ Lyngby
Charlotte Hofman-Bang, Science coordinator from HCØ Lyngby
Mårten Flø Jørgensen, Talent coordinator from Bagsværd Kostskole og Gymnasium
Hans Marker, Science teacher from Sankt Annæ Gymnasium
Bo Kristensen, Science teacher from Sukkertoppen Gymnasium
Pernille Højen, Talent coordinator from Sukkertoppen Gymnasium
Lisa Tobiesen, Talent coordinator from Nærum Gymnasium
Dorte Kühnau, Science teacher from Virum Gymnasium
Birgit Riedel Langvad, Vice principal from Virum Gymnasium

Elementary School talks

Dmitrij Getman
Teacher from St. Magleby skole contacted us with regards to the talks. Helped design the focus of the talk.

Juliane Hansen
Teacher from Skt. Knud Lavard elementary school.

Stefan Tausen
Teacher from Kratbjergskolen, Ravnsholt Department.

Lasse Stampe Boje
Teacher from the elementary department of Sankt Annæ Gymnasium.

Collaboration with UCopenhagen and Exeter

Matthew Romang, Exeter
Head of HP collaboration at Exeter.

Frida Kampp, UCopenhagen
Head of HP collaboration at UCopenhagen.

Michael Linden-Vørnle, Astrophysicist and Chief Consultant at DTU Space
Helped shape the DTU part of the collaboration.

Victoria Sværke Rasmussen, UCopenhagen
Head of HP collaboration at KU.

Christian Lund, PhD in history and philosophy at Sankt Annæ Gymnasium.
Helped with historical expertise during the DTU part of the collaboration.

Collaboration with Stanford-Brown-RISD

The whole of the team, but special thanks for being very involved goes to:

Leo Penny, team member of Stanford-Brown-RISD 2018

Javier Syquia, team member of Stanford-Brown-RISD 2018

Arvind Veluvali, team member of Stanford-Brown-RISD 2018

Ecovative

Eben Bayer, CEO
Helped with aligning the project with industry demands.

Damen Schaak, Senior Research Scientist and Genomics Program Lead
Helped with acquiring the Ganoderma strain and provided the protoplasting protocol. Furthermore, he shared his knowledge of NHEJ in Ganoderma, which influenced the experimental design.

Jen Towne
Coordinates meetings with Eben and Damen.

Economy

Line Aastrup, Member from last years iGEM team.
Line helped shape how bookkeeping of this years iGEM team was done.

Malene Bonne Meyer, Head of teaching and talent development at DTU Bioengineering.
Malene has been a great source of help for the economy group. She has made sure that our bills have been registered and paid the right ways and in general helped us navigate the bureaucratic system of DTU’s economy. She has also guided us in matters of flight bookings and not least fundraising.

Rosalba A. Marek, Section secretary at DTU Bioengineering.
Rosalba has played a crucial part in the booking of flight tickets.

Louise Balling, Project controller at Finance and Accounting, DTU
Gently scrutinized and subsequently approved our budget.

Stamatina Rentouli, member of iGEM Stockholm
Stamatina inspired ideas helping our fundraising efforts.

Sponsors and Grants

Grants

DTU Blue Dot
DTU Biobuilders is one of the student projects supported by DTU, in general called a BlueDot project. All projects associated with BlueDot aims to develop a sustainable solution to a problem. During the projects the students work together across semesters, curricula and fields of study - www.dtu.dk

Lundbeckfonden
For over 60 years, Lundbeckfonden has fostered active, value-adding ownership of the foundation’s subsidiaries while using the foundation’s independent research grants to benefit Danish-based biomedical sciences research, science education and research communication. - www.lundbeckfonden.com

Otto Mønsted Fonden
Otto Mønsted Fonden was founded in 1916. The fund supports and contributes to the Danish Trade and industry. They also supports research and educational science within the technical science and commercial disciplines - www.ottomoensted.com

Images and Illustrations

All illustrations are created by the team and photos are either purchased from Shutterstock or captured by ourselves.

Sarah Lassen
Graphic designer that edited the photographs for us: www.sarahlassen.com

Team:DTU-Denmark/Attributions