Team:BostonU/Team

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Our Members

Jeffrey Marano

Jeffrey is a rising junior studying biomedical engineering. He was first turned on to the idea of participating with the iGEM team when he started working in Wilson Wong’s lab under Ben Weinberg this past January. He has nothing but extreme thanks for the opportunity they have given him to grow as a scientist. Jeffrey intends to go on to graduate school doing a PhD in epidemiology and infectious disease. His dream is to work with the CDC or WHO doing work in the field of tropical diseases, and ultimately take his experiences and teach a new generation of scientists. In his spare time, Jeffrey is an avid musician performing at bars and restaurants in both Boston as well as back in Westchester, NY. A fun fact about Jeffrey is that he has a twin brother, Jason, and he is an avid collector of art.

Kami Drezek

Kami is a senior studying biomedical engineering. She has worked in the Tissue Microfabrication Laboratory under Prof. Chris Chen since her sophomore year and decided to join the iGEM team to gain some insight into how synthetic biology could play an important role in the field of tissue engineering. She aspires to a career in medicine and hopes to contribute to the fight against cancer. In her spare time, Kami enjoys chasing after balls on the volleyball and tennis courts and painting masterpieces on canvas. When the sun is out, you’ll find her hiking or quadding through the trails of Vermont, and overall just enjoying the tranquility of nature. A fun fact about Kami is that she does not have an appendix.

Rachel Petheridge

Rachel Petherbridge is a sophomore studying biomedical engineering. She became interested in iGEM after spending a summer working with the CRISPR/dCas9 system in the Khalil Lab in high school. This interest grew when she took a position as an undergraduate research assistant in the same lab this past January Rachel plans to pursue a PhD/MD to become a medical researcher and practitioner, and eventually, a teacher. In her spare time, you can find Rachel in the FitRec center either taking a dance class or working out to stay in shape, involved with the BU Model United Nation events, or hanging out with Arrows-U, the undergraduate WISE club on campus, where she is Vice President. A fun fact about Rachel is that she is a dual citizen of both the US and UK, which explains her penchant for tea and Marmite on toast for breakfast each morning.

Will Benman

Will is a rising junior studying biomedical engineering. He participated in iGEM in order to learn how research is conducted and gain the ability to perform useful lab techniques. Will hopes to continue on to grad school, pursue a PhD, and someday work in the field of DNA technology. He is highly interested in the field of synthetic biology both for its potential to solve real world problems and for its "design and build" nature. Outside of the lab, Will also has a strong interest creative writing, and he enjoys writing stories as a hobby. Fun fact: Will plays the electric violin.

Marisa Mendes

Marisa Mendes is a junior studying biomedical engineering. She joined iGEM because she wanted to gain experience working in a lab to help her decide if she wants to pursue a research-oriented career path. As a child, she remembers looking at her hands and wondering what hands were made of and what allowed them to perform simple day-to-day tasks. She knew synthetic biology was a subject she needed to pursue when she saw a brief news report that cardiac tissue had been synthesized in a lab and was able to pulse like a human heart. Marisa wants to mass-produce synthetic tissues to replace malfunctioning ones. When she is not playing the role of a student researcher, you can find Marisa in a theatre designing lights for her next theatre production. Fun fact: Marisa’s first time traveling was from her home in Southern California to BU for freshman orientation.

Our Mentors

Divya Israni

Divya is a 4th year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering department at Boston University. She conducts research in Dr. Mo Khalil’s laboratory studying properties of protein aggregation in mammalian cells, and is interested in applying synthetic biology to study complex genetic diseases. Divya is originally from California and completed her Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering at UC Berkeley in 2013. She is an iGEM alumnus herself, having participated as a student on the 2012 MIT iGEM team. Outside of lab, Divya helps run the BU Graduate Women in Science and Engineering chapter and a science club for girls at a local after-school program. She enjoys mentoring students, reading, and traveling.

Ben Weinburg

Ben is a 5th year PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering department at Boston University. He conducts research in Dr. Wilson Wong’s laboratory building novel genetic tools for logic and cellular computation in mammalian cells. Ben is originally from Connecticut and completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Boston University in 2012. This is his second year being involved with iGEM! Outside of lab, Ben enjoys reading, traveling, and tending to his community garden.

Our Advisors

Marilene Pavan

Marilene Pavan is a biologist and technological innovation management specialist with over five years of experience in molecular and synthetic biology research, both in industry and academia. She loves challenges, her most recent being her move from Brazil to Boston. She is now working as Lab Manager for CIDAR lab and is part of the Living Computing Project, working in cell free systems, microfluidics, and automation projects. What draws Marilene to the field of synthetic biology is that both the people and the implications of her work have opened up avenues in both biotechnologies and medicine and this desire to help those in need is a core tenant of Marilene’s philosophy. In addition to the atmosphere of scientific discovery, Marilene has found a secondary family among both CIDAR labs and the iGEM Team. Her hobbies and interests are photography, cooking, travelling, and social and environmental affairs. She is most happy being with her family and friends. She is married with a very supportive husband and has two adorable kids: a cat and a dog. Fun fact: one of her dreams is to learn how to play the drums.