Team:Northeastern/Team
team members
Hannah Worden
Year: Middler
Hometown: Easton, MA
Why I joined iGEM: I joined iGEM because the industry of synthetic biology is poised where the tech industry was in the early 1990s, and I believe it will have an even greater impact on humanity.
Parts I worked on: I mainly worked on the Human Practices portion of our project- an informational video exploring the ethics, morality, and inevitability of genetic engineering.
Asa Budnick
Year: Middler
Hometown: West Grove, PA
Why I joined iGEM: I am very drawn to the idea of problem solving through synthetic biology. I believe that as time and technology progress our society will increasingly need to develop technologies that require less resources and less infrastructure and I believe that synthetic biology offers a great deal of hope for solving complex human and natural issues without consuming as many resources as traditional technology. iGEM gives participants a chance to see how one can approach problem solving from a synthetic biology perspective, giving important experience and insight into a field that is rapidly going to become a core part of human technology.
Parts I worked on: I directed and did much of the lab work for the conjugated CRISPR/Cas side of the project. I also worked on lab safety planning and the corresponding documents. Towards the end of the season I helped with team organization as our team captain transitioned to full time employment.
Career/Post-college Plans: I would like to work on a synthetic biology approach to more ecologically sound production of crops, ideally working on a system of genetically modified crops that is superior to harmful mono-cultural agriculture.
Favorite Joke: What did Sal's mom say when she stumbled upon his plan to rob the McMillian Museum of Over-sized Cooking Utensils? "Son I think you'd be taking a really big whisk"
Ariela Esmurria
Year: Middler
Hometown: Somervile, MA
Why I joined iGEM: I joined iGEM because I enjoy working in the lab and participating in new and innovative projects.
Parts I worked on: Currently I'm working in the wetlab portion of developing a CRISPR/Cas9 system.
Career/Post-college Plans: I plan on going into industry.
Other information: I really love cats!
Joshua Timmons
Year: Fifth Year
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Why I joined iGEM: To use biology as an engineering substrate rather than as an impermeable black box.
Parts I worked on: Project planning, administration, MEC circuitry
Career/Post-college Plans: Computational biology
Aaron Rosenberg
Year: First year
Hometown: Westford, MA
Why I joined iGEM: I believe synthetic biology has great potential as a platform for the development and production of renewable materials and unique technologies that conveniently merges my interests in engineering, innovation, biology and chemistry.
Parts I worked on: I have been involved in design, implementation, and modeling of the biological and physical MEC systems.
Career/Post-college Plans: I want to learn a ton and make things the world needs. How or in what order I don’t know or particularly care. There is a good chance it will involve algae.
Other: "“’The wise man doesn’t seek enlightenment. He waits for it. So while I was waiting, it occurred to me that seeking perplexity might be more fun.’” -Terry Pratchett"
Courtney Chambers
Year: Middler
Hometown: Austin, TX
Why I joined iGEM: I joined iGEM to be part of a student-driven project and learn more about synthetic biology.
Parts I worked on: I was part of the group working to bioengineer E.coli to create an optimized MEC system. I was most involved in both the project planning and characterization experiments.
Career/Post-college Plans: After Northeastern I plan on going to graduate school to get a PhD in a biology-related field.
Favorite Joke: "Q: Where did the king keep his armies? A: In his sleevies!"
David Adams
Year: Senior
Hometown: Grand Isle, VT
Why I joined iGEM: To learn more about using synthetic biology in my future career.
Parts I worked on: PCR, Microbial Electrolysis Cell
Career/Post-college Plans: Biotech in Boston area.
Olivia Wan
Year: First
Hometown: Arlington, MA
Why I joined iGEM: I joined iGEM to expose myself to what research in the biological fields is like, and to explore how I could utilize my interdisciplinary interests in the lab.
Parts I worked on: I coded the wiki and researched hardware components for the MEC.
Vasileios Kreouzis
Year: Middler
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Why I joined iGEM: Education
Parts I worked on: Grant Writing, In silico modelling
Career/Post-college Plans: MD Phd
Other: I like grapes
advisers
Jonathan Soucy
Year: Graduating in 2020
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
Parts I assisted with: Supervising
My research area: Neurocardiology
Jeff Bouffard
Year: 5th Year
Hometown: Manville, RI
Parts I assisted with: Supervised lab time, helped troubleshoot cloning, provided feedback on project plans.
My research area: Mechanobiology in C. elegans, generation of transgenic animals, fluorescence microscopy, image and signal analysis.
Tess Torregrosa
Year: Graduating in 2020
Hometown: Putnam Valley, NY
Parts I assisted with: Lab Supervisor
My research area: Autonomic nervous system and the heart
Other: I love theater and I volunteer for the Student Advisory Council for the CC@MIT
Violetta Medik
Year: 4th year
Hometown: Boston, MA
Keerthana Subramanian
Year: 1st year
Hometown: India
Parts I assisted with: I helped out with one of the PCR reactions
My research area: Nanomedicine
Marissa Puzan
Year: 2nd year
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
My research area: Modeling the intestinal environment for mechanistic studies of the enteric nervous system
David Diaz
Year: Graduating in 2019
Hometown: Lima, Peru
My research area: Neuraltissue Regeneration
