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Team:TU-Eindhoven/Collaborations
From 2012.igem.org
Symposium Wageningen – getting to know our Dutch competition
Once we decided upon our subject and made a start in the lab, in MATLAB and in the manufacturing of the device, we started wondering how the other Dutch teams were coping. We were very curious to see their approach and ideas for the iGEM competition. Perhaps we could exchange valuable experiences in the first stages of the project, especially since this is the first time the Eindhoven University of Technology participated. Also important, we might be able to set up the first collaborations. No sooner said than done, we sent an email to the four other Dutch teams to gauge their interest for a get-together.
The Wageningen-UR team were enthusiastic and offered to organize the symposium at a location in Wageningen, which is a somewhat central location for all Dutch teams. The date for the symposium was the 9th of July. The Wageningen-UR team arranged the location, a lunch and the day ended with a barbeque. The program contained a presentation by all the Dutch teams, but started with a presentation by the Wageningen-UR team 2011. They gave insights and useful tips for this year’s competition. All Dutch teams gave a presentation on the current status of their projects and there was room for worthy discussion. At the end of the day, the barbecue offered a great opportunity to get to know each other; something which wiki pages and email contact could not substitute. The Wageningen-UR team also arranged recordings of the day, which were streamed live. They are still available online: presentations part 1, presentations part 2.
All in all, the day was an unique experience. It was a first opportunity to test presentation skills and a first chance to set up collaborations. But most importantly, the day warranted a bond between the Dutch iGEM teams. Friendly contact with your competitors can provide perceptive understanding of the competition. Besides, isn’t there a saying about keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer?
Matchmaker NTNU-Trondheim
The NTNU-Trondheim team had an excellent idea this year: a Matchmaker for collaborations. We soon posted two offers on the matchmaker:
The iGEM team of TU Eindhoven offers help with the BioBrick characterization. For instance, we can measure the behavior during cultivation, response time, the kinetics of the expressed BioBrick and, of course, other ways of characterization can be discussed.
And:
We're going to make you an offer you can't refuse... Only lab geeks in your team? No modeling experience? Getting stuck with all the differential equations needed to describe your problem? Or do you just need a check for the correctness of your model? At Eindhoven University of Technology, the modeling part certainly is not new for us! Contact us! Programming languages: MATLAB, MATHEMATICA and (if needed) Python and Java
Unfortunately, no one responded to our characterization offer, but two teams responded to our modeling offer. The Queens_Canada team requested help in setting up a model for their project and the Trieste team wanted help in verifying their model.
Offering modelling help - Queens_Canada
The Queens_Canada team contacted us for help in setting up a model for their project. After a few emails, we decided a Skype-meeting would be the most efficient way of discussing a model. The Queens_Canada team had no plans yet for their model, so we gave them input on what they should be able to model and what options they could consider. Their wiki-freeze is a week later than ours, so we have not seen any results of their model at the moment of writing. We hope our suggestions led to some inspiration and that the team was able to create a working model!
Offering modelling help - Trieste
The Trieste team contacted us for help with verifying correctness of their model. After a few emails about their project, we raised some questions concerning their differential equations. Soon the deadline approached and we have not seen any model results, but we hope we helped them along and that they create inspiring results with their model!
Request iGEM team of Cinvestav
We also responded to a request on the Matchmaker by NTNU-Trondheim. The iGEM team of Cinvestav requested information concerning advices, experiences and other useful information for future iGEM teams. We answered questions posed by the Cinvestav team, such as ‘How to create new projects and ideas?’ and ‘What is the importance of human practices?’. We hope they have received plentiful input from the other iGEM teams, so they can set up an introductory document for new iGEM teams such as ourselves.
iGEM symposium Eindhoven
All Dutch and a few other iGEM teams from neighbouring countries, Germany and Belgium, are invited to join a symposium organised by iGEM team TU-Eindhoven. They are invited on the 3rd of October to have lunch, listen to some guest speakers about synthetic biology, present their own work and to enjoy this gathering with some late afternoon drinks. The aim of this symposium is to get some late critical comments from other iGEM teams and to practice the way to present their own work before the real deal at the Amsterdam iGEM Jamboree. Of course this afternoon is also meant to be a nice way of getting or staying in contact with each other and to have a great day together. Moreover, the entire symposium is open to the public and fellow students and employees have also been invited. If you are one of the teams flying in early to the Netherlands and you want to practice your presentation and receive valuable feedback, you are most welcome to join our symposium!
Wiki template iGEM team of Cambridge 2010
Many thanks to the iGEM team of Cambridge 2010 for making their wiki template available!
