Regions/Americas East/Pre-Jamboree

iGEM Deadlines

Keep an eye on the iGEM deadlines and check the iGEM 2012 Calendar of Events regularly.

Americas East Teams

Check out the competition. Investigate how many teams are registered for the iGEM Americas East Regional Jamboree.

Team Project Description

Team projection submissions should be posted on the wiki by July 15, 2012.

Team Roster

In order to get a final list of team members, each team must finalize their team roster by September 3, 2012. For your roster to be finalized, each team member must have a user account and be listed on the Team Information page. Note that all members must be confirmed and NOT listed as "pending" (i.e. they should be in the Team Roster section of the Team Information page.

Be sure to include all members who participated over the summer, not only those who will be attending the Jamboree, as this list will be used to create participation certificates (so check for spelling mistakes too!).

For more information on how to add members/edit your Team Information page see the iGEM team Registration Handbook.

Safety Proposal

All teams are asked to detail how they approached any issues of biological safety associated with their projects. Be sure to read the Safety in iGEM page. Then review and answer the questions required for eligibility in the iGEM 2012 competition by September 3, 2012. The questions are posed on the iGEM 2012 safety page.

DNA Submissions

iGEM teams are expected to submit their parts to the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Consider that all BioBricks for submissions contain the pSB1C3 as a standard backbone. Physical DNA for parts is due before the Jamboree. In addition to submitting your parts, you must also declare which of your parts are "favorites." Judges will only be looking at favorite parts so make sure to promote them before the October 3, 2012 deadline.

Note: Send your samples to iGEM HQ and NOT to iGEM Regional committee.

Judging Criteria & Forms

Teams will be required to submit a judging form that outlines their accomplishments according to the judging criteria. Judging forms are due on October 3, 2012.

Wiki Freeze

Wikis will be frozen on October 3, 2012 at 11:59 EDT.

The project and parts documentation should then be finished according to the iGEM requirements. This includes the documentation for all medal criteria. What is considered proper documentation is decided by the judging committee and you can find details about proper documentation at the judging page for details.

Jamboree Registration

Regional Jamboree registrations with payment are due September 3, 2012. Payments after the due date will increase by $50.00. Visit to the attendance fee page for more details and to register.

Undergraduate: $275.00 USD ($325.00 USD after deadline)
Instructor: $475.00 USD ($525.00 USD after deadline)
Industry: $1175.00 USD ($1225.00 USD after deadline)

Jamboree Schedule

Click here for a preliminary Jamboree schedule.

Track Selection

Track selection helps group similar projects together so that they may be judged fairly and share presentation time. It is important that you submit your track selection on time by September 3, 2012.

Practice Session Sign-up

Friday, October 12, 2012 Presentation Practice
Please click here to indicate your presentation practice schedule time preferences. The first practice session will begin at 6:00 PM and the last session will begin at 9:00 PM. When completing the sign-up sheet be sure to adhere to the following instructions:

• Indicate your team name
• Choose up to 3 time slots (Note: you do not need to choose 3 times but if your team is flexible please click more than one option so that as many teams as possible are scheduled at a time that works best for them.)
• Each practice session is 30 minutes
• Type your name, email address & team name in the comment section

A tentative practice schedule will be posted on the iGEM Wiki and emailed to team contacts by September 28, 2012. The final schedule with your team's time, room name & location will be available at the registration desk on October 12, 2012.

Note that there will a projector and screen in each room but there will NOT be a computer. A maximum of ten (10) meeting rooms will be available during the practice session and you should use and leave the room as you found it.

We cannot match the practice room with the room you will be giving your actual presentation however this should give you a chance to practice your talk in a new environment.

Please keep in mind that there will be teams waiting to use the room after you, so make sure that your practice finishes on time.

Project Abstract

In order to provide others with a summary of what your project is about, we will be asking each iGEM team to submit an abstract of 100-150 words along with your project title (maximum 15 words) by September 3, 2012. Your abstract will be used in the Jamboree program that will provide a guide to the different topics that iGEM teams will be presenting. Please see the project abstract page for more details.

Poster Requirements

There is a poster session on Saturday. Locations will be assigned at random prior to your arrival at the Regional Jamboree.

Posters shall be NO LARGER than 4ft (width) x 4ft (height). Each team may only put up ONE poster.

For details on poster judging see the judging page. Keep in mind that the poster must be able to convey your team's project fully. It should be able to be judged without any external information or input from team members.

iGEM Americas East will be asking for a copy of your poster in pdf format for our files. You will be required to provide the pdf version of your poster at the beginning of your scheduled presentation session.

Presentation Requirements

Each registered iGEM team is to give a 20-minute presentation, followed by 5 minutes of questions/answers session. A laptop will NOT be provided to your team - please make sure you bring your own laptop from which to display your presentation as well as any necessary accessories to connect the laptop to a projector cable.

iGEM Americas East will also be asking for a copy of your presentation in pdf format for our files. You will be required to provide the pdf version of your presentation prior to your scheduled presentation session.

Software Tools Track Teams

Visit the iGEM Software Tools Development page for detailed information about the software tools track teams criteria.

Book your Hotel

iGEM does not provide travel or housing for any iGEM members. Participants are required to make their own travel and lodging arrangements.

However, we have arranged for iGEM Block rooms with special pricing at the Cambria Suites Pittsburgh Downtown at Consol Energy Center and Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. All iGEM Block rooms are available until September 7, 2012 on a space and rate availability basis so book your accommodations early to take advantage of the discounted room rates.

Travel Information

Click here for information about getting to and around Pittsburgh, PA.

Weather

The temperature in Pittsburgh ranges from 41°F to 65°F in October. You may visit www.weather.comto get a useful 7 day weather forecast. Layering is the best way to dress in October and remember to bring an umbrella with you for the occasional rain.

General Release Form

The iGEM 2012 Americas East Regional Jamboree will be a multimedia event: in addition to the team presentation videos that will be uploaded online, we will also be uploading photos and videos from the entire regional event so others can get an idea of what iGEM and the Regional Jamborees are like.

In order to comply with the law, every person attending the Jamboree must fill out this general release form. All participants attending the Americas East Regional Jamboree must print, fill out, and bring a general release form with you to the Jamboree.

Guests, Family and Friends

Guests, family and friends are welcome to come to the Jamboree. Each must register and pay the Jamboree attendance fee. As space is limited in presentation rooms and at the opening and closing ceremony, preference will be given to iGEM team members. Extra seating will be available on a space available basis. Payment of the Regional Jamboree attendance fee does not guarantee a seat in presentation rooms or at the opening and closing ceremony.

General Inquiry

For inquiries, please contact
Sarah Clements, IBE Meetings Director
sclements@ibe.org
859-977-7450

Organizing Committee

Meeting Director: Sarah Clements, Institute of Biological Engineering
Committee member: Nikki Kapp
Committee member: Tom Richards, Pennsylvania State University

Contact Information
Sarah Clements, IBE Meetings Director
sclements@ibe.org
859-977-7450

Volunteer

Hundreds of iGEM participants will be in Pittsburgh for the iGEM Americas East Regional Jamboree. The Jamboree will take place on October 12-14, 2012 on the Duquesne University Campus in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. During this event, we rely on a team of hardworking volunteers to help us ensure that every iGEM participant has an amazing experience.

If you're an student, interested in synthetic biology and would like to take a peek at what we're doing at iGEM, please contact Sarah Clements at sclements@ibe.org. We're currently looking for helping hands.

Basic requirements for all our volunteers:

• Preferably available at all three days of the Jamboree (October 12-14), with the understanding that these are long days
• Available to attend the training session in the afternoon on October 12, 2012
• Arrange and pay for your own accommodation

What will you get in return?

• Great experience in international events production
• Free t-shirt
• Free dinner on Friday, lunch and dinner on Saturday; and breakfast on Sunday
• Exposure to senior and young scientists: the current and future European leaders in the field of Synthetic Biology

Main duties as volunteer

• Videotape the team presentations
• Help coordinate sessions
• Answer questions and help the attendees