PCR. Digest. Ligation. Transformation. Long ago, the four steps of cloning were performed together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Wiki deadline approached. Only Amith, master of all four techniques, could get everything done in time, but when the team needed him most, he graduated. A semester passed and Charles and I discovered the new Amith, a chemical engineer named Ann. A skilled wet lab lead, she effortlessly wields her pipette, and banishes confusion and delay of all kinds with a single Slack message. Without Ann, we would have no hope of making it to competition.
A junior studying biological engineering, Michelle is one of wet lab’s fearless leaders. She skillfully balances her schoolwork and lab work and is always willing to lend a helping hand. Her enthusiasm is clearly appreciated by others, and people are excited to see her wherever she goes! Michelle also has a keen sense for locating free food, which is much appreciated by her other teammates. When not working in the lab, Michelle amazes us all with her outdoorsiness and sense of adventure! She’s a member of Outdoor Odyssey and frequently enjoys trips camping and rock climbing. We are lucky to have Michelle’s dedication and talent!!
Jackie Zheng is a man of many talents and mysteries. His presence will leave you asking questions like: What is going on with that turtleneck? Why did he just randomly start doing push ups? How did he just make a perfect steak at midnight wearing nothing but briefs, with only a pair of chopsticks and some salt? Undoubtably questionable, Jackie has made great contributions to the team, most notably through his ability to physically intimidate cells to do what we want by simply flexing over a petri dish. In the future, Jackie hopes to actually learn biology and finally figure out how to engineer bacteria to do his algo psets for him.
Rachel will pull up in her snazzy Cool Mom car and take you apple picking in perfect fall weather and even piggyback you so you can get the really tall boi fruits!!!! Unfortunately, she is not a tall boi and it will be unlikely you snag tall boi fruit but it's a hoot and a half with her, always. Other talents include sensing all Madewells within a 5-mile radius with some strange sixth sense, jumping high enough to pick tall boi fruits, and making high school swag look good (seriously how does she do it?????). Really a person like no other, the literal light of everyone's lives, an absolute ray of sunshine 10/10.
This is the story of a woman named Jennifer. Jennifer worked for a company in a big building where she was Employee #7513. Employee #7513’s job was simple: she sat at her desk in room 7513 and she pushed buttons on a keyboard. Orders came to her through a monitor on her desk, telling her what buttons to push, how long to push them, and in what order. This is what Employee #7513 did every day of every month of every year, and although others might have considered it soul rending, Jennifer relished every moment the orders came in, as though she had been made exactly for this job. And Jennifer was happy. Jennifer is a CS major.
Do not be surprised when you meet Rahul. He is a friendly giant lost among us.
A Believelander, making sure your dreams come true. If only the Browns could do the same.
Digestor, ligator, a snipper and a snapper of DNA.
Donning a suit, standing straight, preparing for the talk that will change the world, maybe.
Yes, he is tall, and spiffy, and saying words that might be wise. Yes, it is…
Rahul
Ah yes, Darren Tsai is the only reason Cornell iGEM exists in its multi-member splendor. #cloutforDarren has been a rallying cry heard far and wide that has galvanized the team to recruit from all four corners of the Cornell campus and has brought many a talented prospective member into the fold. Darren is also the granddaddy (not grandfather, that's too tame) of product development. He has been a cornerstone of the team for past two projects and has toiled hard alongside his peers on the subteam to make PD one of the jewels of Cornell iGEM. Some casual onlookers may comment that Darren possesses some serpentine characteristics and at times exhibits slithery behavior. I daresay I disagree. In my observations Darren always exhbits slithery behavior, but is kind and gentle while at it.
Day 726: The iGEMers still think I am one of them and I have finally gained their trust. They still do not know that I am in fact a Math Major, another breed that has seen better days. I have prepared years for this moment. What moment you (the person who happens to stumble on this) asks? Well, its almost time for my people to be free.
Day 727: It sickens me whenever I pass by our campground. Them chanting "mitochondia" like there's no tomorrow. Their dull, lifeless, synchronized chants leave me dazed. But, soon I will leave this torture chamber of what they call a "lab" and escape.
Day 730: They have found me out. Charles has somehow seen me drink the buffer solutions. I am now on the run, but first, I must navigate through this gel electrophoresis. If only I wasn't so tall.
Day 736: I have found a safe haven. I will lie low for a few days. The odds are low of them finding me here.
Day 752: How is this possible? They have found me at the GYM. How is this possible. Is there a slack channel that somehow has iGEMers going to the gym?
Day 760: The end is nigh. I have ran out of reps. I am doing my last curls as I write this message. To the person who reads this, please be care of the deadly mitochondria.
How to make Olivia: Find some sunshine and rainbows and flowers and kindness and empathy and humor and intelligence and adidas originals and put them a blender. Add a dash of biolog-- wait, business-- wait no, biology, but with some corporate snake. Throw in a dash of iconic but very overpriced Madewell sweaters in addition to the classic comfy iGEM hoodie in BOTH purple and blue. Mix very well with a mixer. A mixer at kHouse or Sumo. Don't forgot to add some ~good vibes~ before cooking. A dish best served warm with a side of apples specifically from THE Indian Creek Farm!
I asked the original Olivia for her input and she said: "As someone that has only recently began pursuing an interest in business, I am constantly surprised and impressed with the resources CVC Cornell iGEM has to offer. On top of the experience analyzing interesting markets and interacting with professionals in the field, the kind, patient, and knowledgable members of CVC Cornell iGEM are always eager to share their advice regarding internships, networking, and life in general. CVC Cornell iGEM has exceeded my initial expectations for a venture capital biology club, and I am so excited to see where we go."
The first thing you should know about Sophia is how dedicated she is to her education. How dedicated, you ask? So dedicated that she left her Tinder (ex)boyfriend, founder of a now multi-million (billion??) dollar company, in Massachusetts to dry his tears with dollar bills (or however rich people do it). Instead of choosing sugar daddy, she chose a Cornell education. Yes, really. She actually did that. I didn’t say she makes the best decisions, just that she’s very dedicated to earning her degree. Wait, did I say degree? Silly me, I meant degrees. Sophia is double majoring in CS and biomedical engineering, while also adhering to the pre-med track, which can only be described as, uh…another great decision.
Sophia had a knee surgery over the summer, during the middle of our work period. She still showed up as soon as possible and hobbled into lab almost every day of the week. Through what can only be described as excruciating pain, and with a leg scar that can only be described as excruciatingly painful to look at (ew), she huffed and puffed and…didn’t blow on anything in the lab because that’s not sterile but you get where I’m headed with this.
Not only is she tenacious, she is an innovative genius and the inventor of our most prized pieces of laboratory equipment, the elephometer and bunbox. Although the elephometer is sadly no longer with us, the brilliance contained within its design has been noted and her nomination for Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been placed. If you see Sophia at the 2019 iGEM Giant Jamboree, no photographs, please. Autographs are $20 per person.
Do you ever see an asian man of average height, decent build, and pumpkin shaped black hair with hints of age due to the stress of being an angsty-premed running around Cornell campus. Yea, if you have, it was probably Longsha (or better known to his peers as Oscar) Liu. You might ask why he is running everywhere, instead of. . . I don’t know. . . walking? The answer is because he is probably more than comfortably late to his many meetings and commitments he has decided to throw himself into. When he isn’t seen at an iGEM event, he’s probably performing surgery on a grape over at the Vet School and running his self-designed experiments that will result in a lucrative first authorship on some prestigious scientific journal that will receive 83 citations. When he isn’t seen extracting a grape cell to run a western blot on either, he’s probably busy team leading his other project team, Cornell Biomedical Devices. Snake Alert? 🐍🐍🐍 The busy man also needs to feed himself high quality, high energy food, so he’ll often make his way to Apollo in Collegetown, insisting that the food is AuTHenTic. After refueling his energy from an already exhaustive day, Oscar will then head to his PERSONALLY founded chess outreach program to teach young thinkers how to play chess, how cute. If you ever are lucky enough to catch Oscar in the midst of his busy life, stop and say hi. He would like practice conversing with others, as he hopes to expand his “people” skills, not just bio-lab technique.
If you're looking for tiktoks of cute doggos, you've come to the right place. Our tiktok sensation Karen can also in fact lick her elbow. A true double threat. From environmental science to information science and from product development to wiki, this girl can truly do just about anything. You might be thinking, wow, what a great looking bunch on this page. Well, that is all thanks to Karen and her photography skills here to make Cornell iGEM look better online than in person.Thank you Karen Zhan, our resident face-tuner.
Question: Who speaks with all the joy in the world yet types like a demon?
Question: Who gigatasks at the speed of light?
Question: Who is a native of Omaha, Nebraska?
Question: Who can pitch a baseball like no other?
Question: Who is the busiest member of this team?
Question: WHAT IT DO, BABY?! HIHI HELLO HELLO HOW ARE YOU
Answer: Do I even have to mention it? This tour guide superstar constantly scours the water for those darn toxic algal blooms as she graces Cayuga Lake on her perpetual quest to recruit high school megamind talents to Cornell-and ultimately, our iGEM team! A true legend among us nerds, cap or no cap, glasses or no glasses, her forensics skills, nonstop ideas and avant-garde fits will surely bring us victory.
#LuoGang2020
If you ever need help with any academic subject, there is no need to go to office hours, if you just ask Harry. Yet I rarely see him actually study. Do not be fooled by your first impression, because Harry has a sassy side to his silent and strong exterior, which comes out in the most unexpected situations. Having grown up in Bay Area, he drinks milk tea for lunch and drinks even more for dinner. In his free time, you can see him rock-climbing or winning at card games against his friends! If you take the time to get to know him, you will realize that he is a friend you can trust and depend on. If you are interested in becoming friends with Harry, email him at 2smart4you@cornell.edu
Jackson is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering. He was a crucial member of the product development team this year. A CAD master, he spent a lot of time in the lab this summer designing our boat, sampler, and bioreactor. 3D printing is his “passion,” and man, the kid can solder. He’s been interested in robotics since highschool, where he was a part of a robotics team. However, he’s into more than just the technical stuff; he likes paintball, flag football, and on numerous occasions has tried to get iGEM to form an intramural softball team. You only wish you were this sporty! If you’re lucky enough to spot him, you might see him cruising around campus in his grey Honda, which most likely has several dumbells in the back seat. Jackson terrifies the masses with his high GPA but we're excited to see which million dollar company he founds first.
You may see Jade’s long hair flowing in the autumn breeze as he runs around Beebe lake at sunset. Or, you may see Jade scrambling with some electronics in the workspace. On what? No one knows, just a “side project.” No one ever has any clue what Jade is doing in the lab until something works, which is why he is the ECE star of the team. From fixing our 3D printer to building a drone, Jade is always making cool things and making the rest of us look bad. He somehow doesn’t get annoyed when you ask him the same question 5 different ways because you still don’t understand the answer, which is great, but he also has a dark side. He betrayed us and joined another project team so who is Jade? I don’t remember that name. Whoever he is, we wish him the best in all his endeavors and hope he remembers us when he builds a robot with 10ft hair that can destroy the world.
A true Ithaca woman, you can catch Emma strolling around town in her Birkenstocks or intimidating Wegmans employees with her plethora of reusable bags, but don’t be fooled by the innocuous appearance: as a freshly minted ECE major, she is fascinated by computers and would love to put one inside of your head, especially if Elon Musk is paying for it. In the meantime while that plan is being ironed out, Emma spends her time in lab protecting the rest of us from potential malaria outbreaks engineered by her overenthusiastic PI. As someone of many talents, she’s an avid soccer player and ice cream lover, and was even able to develop a new favorite pastime over the summer: driving on the wrong side of the road! Luckily for us, she adds as much excitement to iGEM as she does to driving and it’s always a fun time when she’s around.
Ladies and gents, this is the moment that you’ve been waiting for. Allow me to introduce m’boi Leo Song, one of the most wholesome human beings you’ll ever meet. (That is, unless you play him in Avalon. This dude is like 99.9% always evil and 200 IQing the entire side of good.) You’ll rarely see Leo out in the wild because he’s probably either nerding out in lab over bAcTeRiA or getting dem gainz at the gym (tryna be a swol boi). While I’m out here dying from one month of winter, he’s survived in the cold, harsh environment of Ithaca for eons. Sadly, this sort of endurance doesn’t hold true for his food tastes as he rejects almost every single food option in collegetown. Moreover, the freezing chill of Cayuga waters has not stopped his goofiness; this dude says ‘TA-DA’ unironically and is known to spontaneously erupt into strange noises with Charles. However in the lab, if you ever need a lab partner who can open a test tube on one hand while pipetting with the other, Leo’s your man. He’s a good and virtuous Christian boi, hardworking, reliable, full of humor, and someone I can always count on to #MakeLabMemeAgain.
Ladies and gentlemen, behold the iGEM Super Smash Bros Ultimate 2019 tournament champion, Lucas Evans. When he’s not organizing tournaments and smashing the competition at said tournaments, he’s working hard in lab in style wearing skinny jeans tighter than that bottle of LB broth in lab no one could open for years. While it’s a total mystery how he gets those jeans off at the end of the day, it’s unquestionable that he’s the most reliable lab partner anyone can ask for. He never complained once about being my pack mule for six weeks while I whined endlessly about being crippled after knee surgery. Lucas isn’t just a fire gamer and a stellar lab partner, but also an honors premed 🐍. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Too cool for a bio.
This wet lab prodigy is as swift in the lab as she is on her horse. Rachel grew up with a love for animals (especially her pet dogs, cats, and pig!) and almost became a pre-vet student before deciding to pursue biomedical engineering at Cornell. It’s not surprising that she chose an engineering field after she designed a 7-foot tall humanoid robot with a team in high school! In addition to her work with synthetic biology, Rachel is dedicated Theta girl and carefully balances iGEM, schoolwork, and sorority events to get the most out of her college experience. She is a great asset to the team, and always fun to have around!
!! ATTENTION LADIES & GENTS OF IGEM !!
Are you looking for a man who can
1. get you that height difference
2. wows you with that ivy league education
3. dress in clothes other than hollister or A&F (hypebeast type fit)
Now that iGEM season is over and cuffing season is in FULL FORCE… look no further for
Name: Brian
Location: Ithaca, NY
Heart: gold
Opportunity: priceless
Bacteria: recombinant
Pros:
- business team so big earnings potential $$$
- DEPENDABLE unlike that bacteria that just wont transform
- plenty of JACKETS to “borrow” for those cold winter months (lab coats don't cut it in frosty ithaca winters)
- ~graphic designer~ if you want a collage or something (or maybe you just want that sponsorship packet to look good)
Cons:
- too tall so may have to look up
- team comes first so sorry but you’ll be second in his heart :/
**DM IF YOU’RE INTERESTED (Who wouldn’t be?)
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that Swasti is the best member of P&P (for Policy and Practices, not for Pride and Prejudice).
With her bright smile, she is undoubtedly the energizer of iGEM. Outside of iGEM, Swasti is a Sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering. She has moved a lot around the country, starting from Michigan to Albany and now in Missouri. She’s creative director on Cornell Sitara!!!!! When you pass Schwartz, you should definitely check out her newest choreography. You can always find her studying in Upson so go say hi, unless she has her headphones in, in which case she'll be too focused to hear you :( When you do talk with her for more than 5 minutes, it’s guaranteed she’ll talk about hockey, fishing and hiking.
And Swasti was ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards Cornell iGEM who, by bringing her to the best team mates, had made her the happiest college experience.
Hannah! Hannah, Hannah
Ba-na-na bo-na-na fanna!
Fo-fer-ley, fee fi mo-na-na, Hannah!
When she isn’t killing it on P&P,
Hannah can be seen riding LimeBikes around campus, burning that ATP.
Her major is BME, and she can be found studying in Uris, totally.
Don’t be upset if she doesn’t say hi back, she’s glasses free :(
She has a cute turtle, and his name is Compy.
Her favorite show to rewatch on TV? Modern Family!
She misses Aladdin’s dearly.
If you talk with her, she’s always nice and cheery.
We’re all gems in iGEM, but Hannah’s the realest G.
Behold Aaron, a glorious senior on our team. When Aaron isn't launching frisbees across campus as the fearless leader of the ultimate frisbee team, he plays a mean game of slap cup. He's a champion alginate bead-maker and resident COMSOL guru, but his biggest flaw is his undying fandom for *sigh* Eli Manning and the Giants (yeah, we know).