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<h3><a href="#">Undergraduates</a></h3>

  is a rising sophomore at MIT studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Biomedical Engineering. Jenna is excited about participating in iGEM because she wants to learn more about synthetic biology. She is interested in synthetic biology because after many years of athletics, she has experienced injury and encountered both kids and adults who have not been able to play a sport because of their physical disabilities. She believes that people can’t control diseases that they might be born with, and that shouldn’t keep people out. In the future, she wants to be able to design something in order to improve the lives of other people. She likes how iGEM is a rare experience where she can come up with her own project idea and work on it with the team. In the past year, she has been conducting research with the Langer Lab at MIT, working on building a scaffold which can be electrically stimulated to allow nerve cells to regenerate faster and with less scar tissue. Jenna is also a goalie for MIT’s Men’s Ice Hockey Team and Varsity Field Hockey Team and a sister of Sigma Kappa sorority.

  is a rising sophomore at MIT studying biological engineering. Her research interests span drug delivery, neurobiological systems and tissue regeneration, but she is especially excited by synthetic biology. Katie is interested in the biomedical applications of synthetic biology, specifically in ways in which we can make cancer therapeutics easier to engineer by designing circuits to detect and destroy cancer cells. iGEM interests her because of the unique opportunity to design a project with extraordinary applications such as cancer therapeutics or biochemical synthesis along with other undergraduates who are also passionate about synthetic biology and under inspirational faculty mentors. After MIT, Katie hopes to pursue her Ph.D in Biological Engineering and reach her goal of improving the lives of those affected by unfortunate diseases and carcinomas.  Katie is also the assistant sports editor of The Tech newspaper, a sister of Alpha Phi Sorority and a Resident Associate Advisor to freshmen in Maseeh Hall, an undergraduate dormitory.

is a member of the class of 2014 at MIT studying Biological Engineering. He decided to participate in iGEM not only to conduct interesting research, but also to develop the ways of thinking required by original work. Previous to iGEM, he studied host-pathogen interactions and systems biology research at the Broad Institute. His research interests include systems biology and regenerative medicine. After undergraduate studies at MIT, he then hopes to pursue a career in biological engineering that will solve medical problems. While not in lab, Nathan is a cellist in the MIT Symphony Orchestra and the secretary of Simmons Hall.

is a rising sophomore at MIT majoring in computer science and electric engineering, and chemical-biological engineering. He also aims to minor in chemistry and public policy. His research interests span computational biophysics, structural biology, organic-inorganic interfaces, biologically inspired electronics, optimized chemical engineering, and health systems. Besides iGEM, he is currently involved in a drug-delivery, protein engineering project in Langer lab and in biotechnology policy research with Professor Kenneth Oye. He decided to join iGEM because he believes that synthetic biology has the potential to significantly transform the lives of people. He also hopes that the skills he will obtain from iGEM will influence his medical studies, as he aspires to earn an MD-PHD.  Ala’a also acts as the treasurer of MEET (Middle East Education through Technology), an android developer in the Media Lab telemedicine initiative SANA, a founding member of MIT’s chapter of UAEM (Universities Allied for Essential Medicine), the distinguished guests coordinator of MIT Biomedical Engineering Society, and as a member of MIT’s NEWDIGS (NEW Drugs Development Initiatives).  

is a rising junior in the new Computer Science and Molecular Biology program at MIT. He comes from Estonia, where among other recognitions he received the highest award in a competition for young inventors. Eerik is interested in solving problems from computer science by using biology. He has previously worked on minimizing unwanted protein-DNA interactions and visualizing real-time datasets. Eerik was thrilled about iGEM when he first heard about it -- in essence playing with LEGOs and getting to choose your own thing to build from them. He plans to tie his undergraduate and graduate academic careers to synthetic biology. He also hopes to explore education, after having had a good experience being a laboratory assistant for the introductory EECS course at MIT. In his free time, Eerik plays the drums and accordion.

<h1>Lihn Vuong</h1>

is a rising senior at MIT majoring in Biology and double minoring in Management and Chemistry. Her research interests concern cancer, cardiology and immunology. She feels as though synthetic biology is an incredibly creative field where the sky is the limit. From modifying the genetic code to a quadruplet code, to re-programming bacteria as a drug delivery device, synthetic biology will give rise to the next-generation technologies, which can be applied to a broad range of applications such as materials, pharmaceuticals, medicine and agriculture. As a member of the 2012 MIT iGEM team, she feels as though she will not only be able to enrich her knowledge in the field of synthetic biology, in particular RNA computing, but also gain significant research and leadership skills that will help her greatly in her aspiration to become a physician. Previously, Linh has worked at the Centre de Recherche en Cancerologie-Leon Berard in Lyon, France working on the role of TGF-beta signaling pathway in activation and expansion of autoreactive B cells, in the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research-Sabatini Lab on cell-based microarrays, in the Institute of Molecular Cell Biology in Singapore on the Characterization of PreS1 promoter of Hepatitis B virus and at the Institute of Molecular Engineering and Biotechnology on the Synthetis of biodegradable injectable hydrogel system from Hyaluronic acid Epigallocatechin gallate. Outside of research, Linh is an MIT Admissions Blogger, a sister of Sigma Kappa sorority, an MIT Ambassador, a Medlink, an Arts Scholar, on the MIT Ballroom dance team and a writer for <i>The Tech</i>.  

is a rising sophomore at MIT majoring in course 6-7 (Computer Science and Molecular Biology). Her research interests include computational biochemistry and biophysics, DNA computing, and computational phylogenetics. She ultimately wants to do research with an emphasis on using computational methods to tackle biological problems. Being a part of the 2012 MIT iGEM team will allow her to see what conducting scientific research is like and to see whether synthetic biology is a field she wants to get involved with further. The 2012 team's project interests her because of her background in both computer science and biology. Previously, Chelsea served as a counselor for the USA Biology Olympiad 2012, helping mentor high school students in biology skills and lab techniques and collaborating to prepare an intense lab practical exam. She also went to the Intel Science Talent Search in 2011 for research conducted under Dr. David Dill, Stanford computer science department, in summer 2010 studying how to program boolean, asynchronous models of signaling pathways for analyzing aspects of C. elegans development.  

is a rising sophomore studying Chemical Biological Engineering at MIT. He decided to participate in iGEM because he finds the idea of manipulating the properties of life, polished by billions of years of evolution, to affect a desirable outcome intriguing and appealing. He also hopes to gain invaluable experiences and skills that will promote his future career in synthetic biology. Previous to iGEM, he has worked in the Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics at Rockefeller University, attempting to elucidate a high-resolution structure of <i>Thermus aquaticus σ70</i>, a protein vital to transcription initiation, and of an analogous transcription initiation factor in T4 bacteriophage called gene protein 55. Outside the lab, Wilson enjoys working with friends on building a Parallel Computing Cluster from scratch, and also enjoys programming and playing the violin and piano.   

is a rising sophomore in MIT. He is currently planning to major in physics, but is interested in many fields including math, bio-engineering, chemistry, and computer science. Jon was fascinated by iGEM because it offered cutting edge research, where undergraduate students get to perform experiments that literally have never been done before! He also loved being able to program organisms to be able to do anything: glow in the dark, make bio-fuels, or fight cancer. He hopes to learn from iGEM what working in a lab is like, and gain some expertise in biology. Jonathan is a brother of AEPi, MIT's Jewish fraternity. Jon enjoys playing the piano and playing tennis with friends.  

is a rising sophomore majoring in biology and minoring in biomedical engineering. She is interested in immunology and bacterial circuit research. At MIT, she is doing research at the Koch Institute in LMRT on a project called "Using Bacteria to Deliver Cancer Therapeutics." Her passion for synthetic biology led her to iGEM. She would like to learn even more about this area and truly create a project from the ground with a team of like-minded students. Her previous research work was looking at creating biofuels and cancer preventive agents from algae for which she was an Intel STS Finalist. Currently at MIT she is part of an initiative, Takachar, which seeks to help areas of Kenya in which charcoal is becoming hard to come by.

is a rising junior at MIT studying Biological Engineering. She is specifically interested in using biological engineering for medical purposes such as cell and tissue regeneration. After MIT she is deciding between pursuing medicine or furthering her studies in bioengineering. She is excited to be participating in iGEM because it exposes her to all aspects of research from the formation of the goal to applicable papers to working in the lab. Outside of iGEM, she enjoys dancing ballet, is the Shabbat & Holidays VP for MIT Hillel and is on the MIT Sport Taekwondo Team.

is a rising senior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Bioengineering, with a focus on Cell and Tissue Engineering and Synthetic Biology. She is participating in the MIT iGEM team through the EBICS REU program. Divya's research interests are situated in understanding molecular mechanisms behind which cells function and the manner in which they can be manipulated through engineering to yield novel results, particularly for therapeutic purposes. After graduation, she plans to obtain her MS and/or PhD in Bioengineering. As a longer-term career objective, she aspires to pursue a position in the biotech or pharmaceutical industries to design novel bio-medical therapies. Divya's previous research experience includes metabolic engineering research using <i>E. coli</i> for bio-fuels synthesis at the Joint BioEnergy Institute under the direction of Dr. Jay Keasling, as well as identifying oxidative and nitrosative stress-resistant mechanisms of <i>E. histolytica</i> at the Stanford Department of Internal Medicine under the direction of Dr. Upinder Singh. In her free time, Divya enjoys swimming and dancing. She also actively volunteers at her local Berkeley/Oakland YWCA, mentoring young girls in science and technology, as well as planning and organizing community events such as Shadow Day.

is a rising sophomore studying physics at MIT, with an interest in biological and medical research. By participating in iGEM, she hopes to be able to explore the burgeoning field of synthetic biology by participating in a student-driven, focused project, and to gain knowledge regarding the applications of synthetic biology's techniques to human disease. Her previous laboratory experience includes studying the impact of environmental effects on cancer metastasis using the eyeful line of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> as a model. In addition to iGEM, she develops stunts and performs for MIT Lion Dance, serves on the logistics committee for MIT Techfair, and teaches for the Terrascope freshman learning community.

is a NSF Graduate Fellow in MIT Biological Engineering and a student in Ron Weiss' Synthetic Biology Group. He is interested in synthetic protein phosphorylation networks and the emergence of multicellularity from single celed organisms. Deepak is a returning instructor and been instrumental in our success thus far.

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leads the GeneFab research team at the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The goal of this work is to expand the limits of genetic engineering, from single genes to the engineering of complete genomes. He holds a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia University. Prior to his current position he was a post- doctoral research fellow in the lab of Peter S. Kim at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.  

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<p>Meet the 2012 MIT iGEM Team!</p>

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<img src="http://2012.igem.org/wiki/images/c/c1/MIT_team.png">