Template:Virginia/Achievements

Achievements

<img src="T--Virginia--2018_defenestration.jpg" alt="The team on the third floor of the convention center at the 2018 Jamboree">

Virginia iGEM about to throw Ryan out the third floor of the Hynes Convention Center.

2018 Jamboree

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   <img src="T--Virginia--2018_nominated.jpg" alt="Virginia nominated!">
   <figcaption>Virginia iGEM Nominated during the Awards Ceremony</figcaption>

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✔ Virginia iGEM received a software nomination for igem-wikibrick, our Wiki Build Tool!
✔ We also won a bronze metal this year for our work with Quorus, reaching all bronze and gold requirements and missing one silver. Maybe next year!


Collaborations

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   <img src="T--Virginia--2018_marc.jpg" alt="Virginia nominated!">
   <figcaption>Marc Goy talking to Nick about the project while Joseph stands petrified in fear</figcaption>

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✔ We met many of the teams we contacted over the course of the 10 month competition at the Jamboree!
✔ Mentoring of <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:RMHS_Maryland">RMHS Maryland</a>, helping them to establish a more rigid team structure and exchanging of parts, strains and assistance on the Wiki and Model.
✔ A member of <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:BioIQS-Barcelona">BioIQS-Barcelona</a>, Marc Goy, came and met us in person, and shared some code with us that will be integrated into future versions of the build tool, making it even better for next year's teams!


Project

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   <img src="T--Virginia--2018_hatred.jpg" alt="Virginia nominated!">
   <figcaption>Ryan explaining our models to one of the judges</figcaption>

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   <img src="T--Virginia--2018_bigger.jpg" alt="Virginia nominated!">
   <figcaption>Ryan explaining our models to one of the judges</figcaption>

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✔ <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Parts">20 new biobricks</a> related to synthetic quorum sensing and tuning of quorum response

  • Created a library of lsr operon and quorum sensing parts unique to the iGEM Registry
    • Created a functional AI-2 sensitive plasmid
    • Created various functional T7 regulated plasmids
  • Characterized quorum activation trends of lsrK, ydgG, and luxS genes through measurement of sfGFP expression
  • Developed of a functional model to predict the behavior of our synthetically optimized lsr operon
  • Reduced the bimodality and variance of the population by increasing expression of YdgG and LsrK

✔ 3 models - <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Activation">activation</a>, <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Growth">growth</a> and <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Application">financial</a>, exploring different practical aspects of synthetic quorum sensing. In the process, we became the first Virginia iGEM team to use one of our school's high power computing clusters.
✔ A working proof-of-concept for the Quorus synthetic quorum sensing system
✔ <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Public_Engagement">A discussion packet</a> for an impartial public forum on GMOs
✔ <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Software">A tool</a> for creating and quickly building iGEM Wikis which eliminates many of the pitfalls of iGEM's Mediawiki interface
✔ <a href="https://2018.igem.org/Team:Virginia/Software">A tool</a> for scraping and filtering information from many iGEM Wikis of past, present and future years.

Events

✔ Pizza and Pipettes: A public seminar introducing interested members of the University to basic lab procedure and the real implications of synthetic biology.
✔ Synthetic Biology Summercamp: A collaboration with a prior Virginia iGEM alumni and the Charlottesville Albermarle Technical Education Center.

The Real Achievements

<img src="T--Virginia--2018_restaurant.jpg" alt="Free lobster">

Getting free lobster out of Professor Kozminski