University of British Columbia International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Team

TitleUniversity of British Columbia International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Team
Faculty/College/UnitApplied Science
StatusCompleted
Duration3 Years
Initiation04/01/2009
Completion10/05/2012
Project Summary

We seek to form a team of undergraduate students to compete in next year’s International Genetically Engineered Machines competition. This will be the third year of participation by UBC in iGEM, with the first two years having been a resounding success. The iGEM competition draws teams of undergraduates from the top universities all over the world to try to answer the question: “Can simple biological systems be built from interchangeable parts and operated in living cells, or is biology simply too complex to be engineered in this way?”

The team will work for a summer on the assigned project and submit their findings to an international conference, the iGEM Jamboree, held annually in November at MIT. Due to its exponential growth as a program, iGEM will move to a “regionals” format in the coming year, in which teams compete within their region first, then proceed to the finals at MIT if they place well. This funding request covers part of the costs of entering and running a UBC team. Other required funds will be provided by in-kind and cash donations from UBC units, other academic contributors, and industrial partners.

Funding Details
Year 1: Project YearYear 1
Year 1: Funding Year2009/2010
Year 1: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 1: Principal InvestigatorEric Lagally
Year 1: Funded Amount36,817
Year 1: Team Members

Eric Lagally, Michael Smith Laboratories / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Joanne Fox, Michael Smith Laboratories
David Ng, Michael Smith Laboratories

Year 2: Project YearYear 2
Year 2: Funding Year2010/2011
Year 2: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 2: Principal InvestigatorEric Lagally
Year 2: Funded Amount10,266
Year 2: Team Members

Eric Lagally, Michael Smith Laboratories / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Joanne Fox, Michael Smith Laboratories
David Ng, Michael Smith Laboratories

Year 3: Project YearYear 3
Year 3: Funding Year2011/2012
Year 3: Project TypeSmall TLEF
Year 3: Principal InvestigatorEric Lagally
Year 3: Funded Amount26,752
Year 3: Team Members

Eric Lagally, Michael Smith Laboratories / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Joanne Fox, Michael Smith Laboratories
David Ng, Michael Smith Laboratories
Royann Petrell, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science
Leonard Foster, Centre for High-Throughput Biology