The University of Texas at Austin :: iGEM Team

2012 iGEM team at the America's West Jamboree at Stanford

What is synthetic biology? What is iGEM?

"Synthetic biology is the design and construction of biological devices and systems for useful purposes."    –Wikipedia page For a flavor of what synthetic biology is like, check out the Adventures in Synthetic Biology comic.

"The International Genetically Engineered Machine competition (iGEM) is the premiere undergraduate Synthetic Biology competition. Student teams are given a kit of biological parts at the beginning of the summer from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools over the summer, they use these parts and new parts of their own design to build biological systems and operate them in living cells."    –iGEM Foundation

Past UT Austin iGEM Team Projects

2013 iGEM Team MAPs and Bioscrubber

2012 iGEM Team Decaffeination

2006 iGEM Team Edge Detector

2005 iGEM Team Edge Detector

2004 iGEM Team Bacterial Photography

Interested in joining the *2014 iGEM Team?

Expectations for members of the team

1. Previous experience
   • It is expected that most new iGEM team members will already have previous research experience in a field such as: biology, molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, computer science, programming, phsyics, math, etc.... Many members have participated in the Freshmen Research Initiative (FRI) here at UT or previously worked in a research lab on campus. However, previous research experience is not an absolute requirement for highly motivated students.
   • We encourage non-biologists to apply. Many of the most successful and interesting iGEM projects of all time have had contributions from computer scientists, physicists, mathematicians, game programmers, graphic designers, visual artists...
2. Spring: Synthetic Biology Course
   • You are STRONGLY encouraged to participate in the synthetic biology seminar course taught by Professor Barrick and Dr. Dennis Mishler to become more familiar with the current state of the field. As part of this course, you will examine past winning iGEM projects and work as part of a group to propose an iGEM-style project that the team might work on during the summer.
   • Register for CH 391L: Synthetic Biology (Unique #52960).
   • The course is scheduled to meet Mondays 2-5 pm.
   • You will need Dr. Barrick to sign a "register for a graduate course" form available from Undergraduate Chemistry Office to register for the course.
3. Spring: Begin Research
   • Main objective is to learn techniques and perform exploratory projects under the supervision of current team members.
   • Write research proposals and apply for summer funding/fellowships. Several research fellowships will provide a research stipend for full-time work during the summer. All iGEM team members will be required to apply for funding.
   • Brainstorm and find funding sources for iGEM summer work and travel to the competition. Research is not cheap, and neither are scientific conferences. Members of the iGEM team will search for local sponsors and other organizations that might help cover the costs of doing undergraduate research.
4. Summer: Main Work on iGEM Project
   • Expected to contribute 20-40+ hours of work per week for most of the summer on the iGEM project
   • If sufficient time is spent writing a proposal and working on a specific project, signing up for research credit is possible.
   • Members of the team are also expected to perform outreach activities to educate the public about the impacts and ethics of synthetic biology.
5. Fall: Prepare for and Attend Jamboree
   • Includes creating a multimedia website and presentation describing the project.
   • Selected students who have made the greatest contributions to the iGEM project will attend the Jamboree and present the team's project. (Number depends on sponsorship of team and available resources. Some travel grants are generally available.)
   • iGEM projects may lead to work that is published in scientific journals with team members as co-authors. For an example of a past UT Austin iGEM project, check out this ACS Synthetic Biology article: Decaffeination and measurement of caffeine content by addicted Escherichia coli with a refactored N-demethylation operon from Pseudomonas putida CBB5.

How to Apply

• Send a resume (or a CV) and a short (<1-page) statement about why you are interested in synthetic biology. Additionally, as part of that <1 page statement, please refer to one of your previous research experiences and how that experience will make you a great iGEM teammate. Include at least one idea you have for a possible project or use for synthetic biology to improve society. (it doesn't necessarily have to be realistic for an iGEM project). Mail your application as a PDF to utigem@gmail.com.
• DEADLINE We will begin contacting students who have applied starting on Jan. 8th to arrange interviews with team advisors. Final decisions will be made before Jan. 15th
• Depending on the number and quality of applicants, we expect to be able to accommodate 4-8 new students on the team.