From the 20th - 22nd of May we went to Marburg to participate at ‘Summer and Science’ organized from jGBM, an organization of students from life science study fields.

iGEM is not only about educating others about the advantages and disadvantages of Synthetic biology, but it is also about learning about new developments in science and technology. The jGBM symposium provided an excellent opportunity to combine both. In interesting presentations, we have learned how research with the Marburg Virus is done and how Design Thinking influences the modern sciences and research. Also, a visit to venues of research in Marburg like the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology or the Center for Immunology in Marburg gave fascinating insights into new fields of research. On Saturday iGEM Teams got the chance to present their topics. We also got the opportunity to present this year’s project of our group and to introduce iGEM many interested participants of the symposium. People got an insight into the synthetic biology and their significant role in future. After the presentation, the audience got the chance to ask critical questions about our project and iGEM.

In the evening it was time for the social part of the meeting. During an entertaining guided tour through Marburg we got to know historical stories about the University of Marburg, and in the following pub crawl, we talked about future collaborations with other iGEM teams. In general, Marburg was a successful trip where we both shared our knowledge with other iGEM Teams and got in contact with many interested people.