Team:Edinburgh OG/Team

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Meet team Expanded

We are 10 master students from different origins
Hear our story!



Paolo Marangio

Hi everyone! My name is Paolo and I come from Italy. I am currently enrolled in the MSc in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology. I like electronic music, football and swimming. I have laboratory experience in microbiology and cell biology. I am very interested in algal biotechnology, so working on the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. 6803 as part of the Edinburgh OG iGEM research project is really exciting for me!

Yu Yan

Hi, I'm Yu Yan and I come from China. I like playing volleyball, cooking and shopping. My major is Biotechnology and I have done Bioengineering before come here. This is my first time to study abroad and also the first time to take part in an iGEM competition. In this team, I'm using the MoClo to prototype the plasmids for our non-model organisms.

Tom Laidler

Hey, I'm Tom and I'm from Newcastle. I spent my undergraduate degree in Manchester studying neuroscience and have since seen the light and switched to synthetic biology. Less than a year ago I hadn't heard of iGEM and I'd only seen Penicillium roqueforti on plate. Now I'm getting used to seeing it in a petri dish. I'm looking forward to travelling to Boston and making the case that useful chassis can be found everywhere, even in your cheese!

Ibrahim Al Masoud

Hey guys! I am Ibrahim from Kuwait. Together with Adair and Matin, we have designed and optimised a modular genetic toolkit for Rhodococcus, in the hope that researchers find it easier to genetically manipulate this potentially model industrial organism. I have done my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and I am the only one here doing the MSc Biochemistry at Edinburgh!

Matin Nuhamunada

Hi people!I'm Matin and I'm from Indonesia. I study Synthetic Biology & Biotechnology in Edinburgh. I love sunshine and the warm tropical beach. Outside the lab, I am concerned with education of young scientist (age 12-18) in South East Asia by doing research and innovation. Anyway, this is my first time being an iGEM team! Very excited to play with Phytobricks & MoClo this year!

Anette Salaz Hernandez

Hey everyone! I’m Anette and I’m from Mexico. I’m currently studying an MSc in Biotechnology and, having studied Biotechnology Engineering previously, I’m excited to learn new programming skills and develop a new risk assessment tool for the community! More about me? I enjoy football, binge-watching online content and playing videogames.

Ricardo Camilo Chavez Martinez

Hi there, Camilo here! Also Mexican. I’m studying an MSc in Systems and Synthetic Biology at the University of Edinburgh. I consider myself an iGEM veteran, after participating four times as a student and twice as an instructor…and have been thought to be a masochist by previous Advisers. I enjoy learning new things and being up to date with synthetic biology, and I am currently applying for a position at my favorite company, Ginkgo Bioworks *wink*.

Adair Islas

Hi fellas, my name is Adair and I’m a sweets addict (from Mexico city). I am doing a MSc in Synthetic Biology and Biotech at the University of Edinburgh. I watch cartoons all the time and my favorite kind of music is? mmm I don’t have one but I like groups like Phoenix and Passion pit. I love molecular biology and microbiology and I have worked with opportunistic pathogens. However, my bachelors was in Biology so I know too some cool things about other type of organisms

Alejandra Schiavon Osorio

Hey! I'm Alex and I'm from Mexico! I did my undergrad and MSc in Biotechnology but now I'm taking new risks and doing my PhD in Synthetic Biology. This is the first time I participate in the iGEM competition and I'm very exited about it! Besides the scientific life I enjoy playing tenis, watching movies, videogames but my biggest passion is Scouting and outdoors.

Yaiza Velasquez

Hi, my name is Yaiza, I am studying the MSc in Biotechnology and I am from Colombia. I enjoy cooking, hiking and looking after pets. As part of the iGEM team, I am working on the Interlab study, which is a great oportunity to contribute to the development of more reliable and reproducible methods in synthetic biology.

Meet our Instructor and Advisor!

Thank you for all of the guidance and help during the summer!

Chris French

Chris French is interested in synthetic biology. With colleagues in the School of Engineering & Electronics, they are developing methods to engineer novel biological systems using modular 'parts' and standardized assembly methods. These can be applied to generate artificial genetic networks, in a process we call 'object-oriented genetics', and also to generate multiple variants of metabolic pathways, in a process they call 'combinatorial genetic engineering'.

Louise Horsfall

Louise Horsfall, a Lecturer in Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, is interested in multidisciplinary challenges involving Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology. She is the recipient of the University of Edinburgh’s 2015 Chancellor’s Rising Star Award, the elected co-chair of the Bioengineering and Bioprocessing Section of the European Federation of Biotechnology and a member of the EPSRC's Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research.

Jon-Marles Wright

Jon-Marles uses structural biology, biochemistry and cell biology techniques underpinned by synthetic biology technologies to answer questions relating to the function of bacterial compartmentalization systems and their rational design as platforms for biotechnology and synthetic biology.

Heather Barker

Dr Heather Barker is the MSc Technical Support for the School of Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh. She has been with us the whole summer, teaching and sharing her experiences on lab skills and also guides us on our iGEM project. She is in charge of making sure no one burns the lab!

Matthew Edmundson

Matt gained his PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Leeds. He joined the Horsfall lab at the end of 2013 and is working on the CL4W project, engineering bacteria to convert heavy metal waste from contaminated land into industrially and medically useful nanoparticles. In his spare time he likes reading, hiking and kayaking.

Nikolaus Pantidos

Nick Pantidos graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2011 with a degree in Microbiology and Biotechnology. He completed an MSc in Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh in 2012, before starting his PhD studies in the Horsfall lab. Nick is currently researching the use of bacteria to remove copper from contaminated waste, funded by a BBSRC CASE studentship His hobbies and interests include snowboarding, Krav Maga and cycling.



Team Attributions


Human Practices: Anette, Camilo
Wiki: Matin, Anette, Paolo, Camilo, Alejandra
Collaboration: Camilo, Alejandra
Parts: Camilo, Paolo, Alejandra, Ibrahim
Characterization: Camilo, Matin, Alejandra
Poster: Alejandra
Team Fungi: Alejandra, Tom, Yu
Team Cyanobacteria: Paolo, Camilo
Rhodococcus: Ibrahim, Adair, Matin
Presentation: Camilo, Paolo, Alejandra
Social Media: Yu, Ibrahim, Adair, Alejandra, Camilo, Anette, Tom, Yaiza, Matin, Paolo
Interlab: Yaiza

Acknowledgments


We would like to thank of the people that helped us through the project, without their guidance and advice We couldn't have completed this project all by ourselves. Specially to our supervisors, Dr Chris French, Dr Jon Marles-Wright and Dr Louise Horsfall, we will never be able to thank you enough for taking this project in the right direction.

We also want to thank all the members of the University of Edinburgh who provided guidance and assistance


Dr Heather Barker, who was with us all summer long in the lab cheering us up and helping with material, equipment and anything we could need. Also for providing expertise, understanding and patience with us.

Holly Robertson-Dick, for helping the team organizing fundraising events, finding sponsors and motivation when needed.

Dr Matthew Edmundson and Nick Pantidos for giving Tom and Alejandra a space to work in their lab. Thanks for your guidance, enthusiasm, jokes, time, and patience while we were in your lab.

Efrain Zarazua-Arvizu and Laura Tuck for providing us with the MoClo CIDAR kit and for giving us advice on performing MoClo assemblies.

Dr Annegret Honsbein, for providing the pPMQAK1 plasmid and giving invaluable advice on how to work with this plasmid and Synechocystis.

Dr Aitor de Las Heras, for allowing us use the plate reader in his lab and helping us generate and interpret fluorescent data.

Dr Jane Calvert, for meeting with us in several occasions regarding the importance of human practices aspects of our project.

Diana Gamez, for the advice, guidance, time and effort provided that helped us develop the CARE software.

Marina Freijo Mata, for helping us out on busy days in the lab, for your enthusiasm, support and feedback in our project.

Britanto Dani Wicaksono for the RT-PCR guidance

People outside the university that helped through the project


Paul Thomas (freelance technical consultant, dairy scientist and raw milk cheesemaker) for advice regarding Penicillium roqueforti, dairy tech and safety.

Immanuel Sanka (MSc student, Uppsala University, Sweden) for his advice on primer design

Canggih Puspo Wibowo (MSc, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand) for teaching team members CSS and javascript for the Wiki design.



Collaborations


We have collaborated with team Dundee HS to help each other with the Wiki.