Okanagan Igem

Okanagan iGEM is a multidisciplinary, curious, egalitarian, and creative community surrounding biotechnology, bioengineering and synthetic biology. We do this by providing social and academic opportunities where everyone can share and communicate their ideas. We host talks, expert seminar series, workshops, active learning opportunities and much more! We aim to teach, train, and spark curiosity about these new fields in science that are emerging as this century’s most important scope. The University of British Columbia Okanagan curriculum lacks a focus in these areas which is why we want to bring these opportunities to students and researchers from every discipline, regardless of year or major! While we host lab-related activities and workshops that are open to everyone as a Club, our main objective each year is to form an iGEM Competition Team on campus and participate in the annual International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, held in Paris! Started in 2003 by MIT, the Competition has now expanded to hold over 350 teams from 46 different countries, and is the largest international synthetic biology competition in the world! iGEMers have the opportunity to spend their summer developing a synthetic biology research project, working in our Wet Lab, Dry Lab, Human Practices and Finance subgroups and meeting with experts worldwide! Some examples of projects include designing a carbon-negative light source using bacteria, synthesizing biodegradable plastics, creating diagnostic tests for wastewater contaminants and much more! This is your opportunity to expand your curriculum, learn incredible things, make great connections, and create projects in the pursuit of a better world. Welcome to iGEM!