By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Gold and silver awards brought home by U of L iGEM teams

Nov 29, 2017 | 12:21 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Both the University of Lethbridge high school, and collegiate International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) teams, had a great showing at 2017 Giant Jamboree in Boston, Massachusetts when they returned home with medals.

The U of L high school team won a silver, while the collegiate team won a gold and secured nominations in three special categories.

Those included Best Software, Best Education & Public Engagement, and Best Integrated Human Practices.

In addition, the team received the Biosafety and Biosecurity Commendation.

Dr. HJ Wieden, team advisor and professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, says this year it’s safe to say the U of L team was the highest-achieving Canadian team at this international competition.

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“I’m extremely proud of our students. They worked hard, and these results prove their efforts were on the mark. What’s more, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in their presentation at the jamboree, mentioned the U of L’s work as a positive example,” Wieden said.

Josh Friesen, a second-year biology student who competed at his first Giant Jamboree, says the best part of iGEM was showcasing the innovative spirit, ability and willingness of the U of L to compete and excel on an international stage.

The U of L high school team, with Dr. Brian Dempsey as principal investigator, included Kyle Bodell, Autumn Schmidt, Haroon Ahmed, Denysse Garcia, Nimaya De Silva, Stephanie Dang, Kelly Situ, Allison Leam, Chaeli Cowan, Halla Wagner, Candace Chan and Ross Oliver.

Their project centred on producing environmentally friendly printer inks.

U of L collegiate team members are Taylor Sheahan, Keith Aiken, Sydnee Calhoun, Simmone D’souza, Regan Evanson, Cynthia Fonderson, Josh Friesen, Jonathan Hampshire, Matthew Harding, Lane Harper, Chelsi Harvey, Chris Isaac, Rebecca Jeong, Chris Lowen, Derrik Motz, William Reid, Morag Runnett, Jessica Semmelrock, Sandhya Sunuwar, Kristi Turton, with Wieden as primary investigator.

Their project focused on making synthetic biology safe and available for everyone.

The Giant Jamboree brings together hundreds of iGEM teams from universities around the world, and is an annual event showcasing synthetic biology projects from the iGEM Competition.