07 November 2010

iGEM 2010 ~ Synthetic Biology Design Challenge!

iGEM 2010 is happening now, this weekend at MIT! This International Genetically Modified Machine competition is...
"...the premiere undergraduate Synthetic Biology competition. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts and new parts of their own design to build biological systems and operate them in living cells. This project design and competition format is an exceptionally motivating and effective teaching method. iGEM began in January of 2003 with a month-long course during MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP) [and then grew into a competition] For 2010 we have 130 teams participating and about 2000 participants taking part in the competition. They will all specify, design, build, and test simple biological systems made from standard, interchangeable biological parts."
Epic DIY bio! See here the Slovenian team win in 2006... And here Drew Endy defining Synthetic Biology...

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