Team Philosophy
iGEM 2019 was a remarkable experience. Beginning from countless brainstorming sessions and continuing past the numerous hurdles
we had to cross (including, but not limited to, nearly burning all of our sensors and possibly discovering a way to degrade gold?),
it’s been a surprising learning curve. Throughout this period, we have had several goals in mind that now, looking back, have definitely
guided our approach and perspectives to result in the project we have today.
GOAL # 1: To build a strong foundation on the ideas of synthetic biology in the impressionable minds of young students and to
expose them to the wonders a career in science can provide
Among Indian adults, a stigma against a profession in research continues to exist. As a result, Indian children are guided away from research
as a career and are schooled accordingly. Being students of science ourselves and having grown up in the same environment, we aimed to dispel
this stigma amongst the student community around us. Hence, we undertook activities that would help spread the ideas of synthetic biology in
a unique way that Indian schools don’t expose students to. Through practical demonstrations, hands-on experiences and even the merging of
fiction with microbiology, we believe we have carved out space in the minds of the students we interacted with, a space that we hope will
elicit innovative ideas and a passion for science. Read more about the events conducted, in collaboration with other iGEM teams here.
GOAL # 2: To focus on localized problems and to target resources to combat the issues around us
We believe that projects geared to be locally relevant will together add up to have a large positive impact on the community. Keeping this goal in
mind helped streamline our ideas that were initially all over the place, into ones that would beneficially affect our environment and the people around us.
This focus, besides allowing us to work more efficiently with our resources and time constraints, also let us stay in contact with the problem we were
considering and to directly witness its effect on society. Head to our Inspiration page for more information.
GOAL # 3: To research projects that aim to develop the betterment of the human community
This was one that was decided upon during one of our brainstorming sessions. Although the project we ended up working on was one that has a
multitude of industrial applications, this objective was one of the influences that directed our human practices work to one that was closer to
the interests of the human community.
GOAL #4: To prioritize team building and effective communication
As a team, we have continued to stress the importance of team building and have strived to be open to all ideas and inputs. This was a goal we were aware
of and was emphasized upon by our seniors. Although this was our primary motive to participate in collaboration projects like the Stony Brook instagram
challenge, it soon became one of the most fun experiences we have had during iGEM. We also set out to post descriptions of every member of our team on
Instagram to encourage us to learn about each other and to share the enthusiasm of working in a team in an attempt to inspire future teams. It turned out
to have worked. We have had several of our juniors approach us with interest in our project. This goal has played an important role in guiding all of our
steps from deciding on an approach to work on, distributing work, building our wiki and more.
