This year our team was fortunate enough to showcase our project at the 2018 RiboWest Conference that was held at the University of Lethbridge in June. The conference brought researchers from across Canada and northwestern parts of the United States to discuss and disseminate research around the topic of RNA. During the poster sessions, we were able to get initial feedback from members of the science community outside of iGEM including professors, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students. We were given suggestions on how to improve our project as well as some potential problems that we may encounter. The poster sessions also gave us an opportunity to practice public speaking.

North American iGEM Meet Up

This year we were able to attend an official iGEM meet up hosted at the University of Calgary in July. At this meet up, we were able to give a brief presentation of our project to gain feedback from other iGEM teams. We were also able to hear about other iGEM projects from teams across Canada as well as parts of the United States. This was a great opportunity to connect with other iGEM teams.

aGEM Competition

Our team attended the Alberta Genetically Engineered Machine (aGEM) competition hosted by the MindFuel and GeekStarter programs. We competed against other iGEM teams from Alberta, including the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary. The competition allowed us to have feedback from experienced iGEM judges, as well as an opportunity to practice our presentation skills. We received a $2000 travel award from this competition.

Chinook Symposium

For the second year, we had the chance to be a part of the 12th annual Chinook Symposium that is hosted by the University of Lethbridge’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department in September. The Symposium showcases research at the undergraduate and graduate levels. We presented a poster of our project and were able to make our University aware of this year’s project. We were able to receive feedback from undergraduate, graduate, and faculty members about our project. This event also allowed us to practice public speaking.

RNA Day

This year the RNA society established August 1st as RNA day. Since our university is home to the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI), we collaborated with them to have a booth at our local farmers market that day to engage with the public. We had a great time interacting with people of all ages by teaching them about RNA, synthetic biology, and our current iGEM projects. The people we spoke with seemed very interested in the work that is occuring at the University of Lethbridge.

Whoop Up Days

This year, both the collegiate and high school iGEM teams were able to have a booth during Whoop Up days, an annual carnival that takes place in Lethbridge. At this event, we were able to interact with members of our community about synthetic biology and our project. We also brought along pipettes to teach people a basic laboratory technique. The individuals we spoke with were interested in the work that we are doing and we were also able to gain opinions on regarding the use of genetically modified organisms. Overall, this event allowed us to connect with the public.

Review

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