Team:Utrecht/MeetUps
RIVM meetup (14/5/18)
In the early stages of our project our team attended a meetup hosted by the Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Rathenau Institute in The Hague, the Netherlands. During this event, we met with other Dutch iGEM teams. The teams from Leiden, Eindhoven, Delft, Groningen and Rotterdam also attended the meetup and each team pitched their project. After we got introduced by each others projects, we got to talk with experts about safety, policy, after iGEM, ethics and society in speed dating sessions. These sessions helped us discover flaws in our project, which were solved during our design process.
The Rathenau Institute also introduced their own-designed iGEMers Guide to the Future, full of tips for integrated human practices. This guide was designed to help every starting, experienced or any other iGEM team in need of some guidance to get the desired result, so feel free to explore it. Also, we did an assignment for RIVM regarding integrated human practices and safety and made appointments for further aid with the assignments and general troubleshooting for our project. We want to thank the RIVM and the Rathenau Institute for hosting this meetup and for helping us with our projects.
European meetup in Munich (20 – 22/7/18)
On Thursday 19 July, eight of our team members left Utrecht in a van with the direction: Munich. After an exhausting ten plus hour ride, we arrived in Munich to attend the European iGEM meetup hosted by the iGEM team of Munich. During this weekend, we attended a lot of lectures organized by their team. These lectures were very interesting and educational and taught us a lot about biotechnology. Furthermore, there was a poster session, where we had a chance to get to know the project of other teams. This resulted in new friendships and multiple collaborations with other iGEM teams.
During this event several workshops were taking place. Team Utrecht was one of the iGEM teams that helped team Munich by organizing a workshop in team building. Team members of several iGEM teams attended the workshop. During the feedback session after our workshop, a lot of teams gave positive feedback and said that this workshop was very enjoyable and insightful. If you are interested in the content of the workshop click here.
In the evening, team Munich organized a city tour and dinner. During this period the iGEM teams could enjoy Munich’s ambiance and get to know each other in a less formal way.
Looking back, the European iGEM meet-up was a great weekend, where we gained important knowledge, started valuable collaborations and experienced new foods and cultures. We are very thankful for the iGEM team of Munich to have invited us to your event giving us new insights, establishing meaningful connections, creating a nice time in Munich for us and all the other iGEM teams.
Leiden BBQ (17/8/18)
This summer all Dutch teams were invited to meet and socialize at the Dutch Meet-Up and BBQ. Here they were given the opportunity to get more acquainted with the other teams on a more personal level. Teams also participated in a pub quiz to immerse ourselves in other team's respective projects. The meeting was hosted by iGEM Leiden.
Dutch Mini Jamboree (19/10/18)
On Friday the 19th of October, iGEM Eindhoven hosted the Dutch Mini Jamboree. During this event, all the Dutch iGEM teams got together for a final practice moment before the Giant Jamboree in Boston. Our final presentation as well as our poster presentation were judged by professional jury members, with experience in the iGEM competition. After the feedback sessions, we listened to the ‘After iGEM’ talk by Will Wright. In the evening, we finished with dinner, fun and drinks.
Embassy Boston
iGEM team Groningen arranged a meetup with the Consulate of Kingdom of the Netherlands in Boston to increase cross-border collaboration and impact of our research. Also, the Holland Innovation Network is present to stimulate international cooperation between companies, knowledge institutes and governments in the fields of innovation, technology and science. During the Giant Jamboree, we will pitch our research to interested parties aiming to valuable collaborations.