Calgary

Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, and has a population of over 1 million. It was founded in 1875, when the RCMP erected Fort Calgary (then Fort Brisebois) to protect the western plains from whiskey traders. When the Canadian Pacific Railway reached the area in 1883, Calgary grew into an important commercial and agricultural center. Currently, Calgary's economy is dominated by the oil and gas industry, and major attractions include Canada Olympic Park (the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics), Calaway Park, the Lilac Festival, and the Calgary Stampede (touted as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth founded in 1912). Calgary is also situated near the Rocky Mountains, and plays host to a unique weather phenomenom called the chinook. Famous Calgarians include the young, incumbent mayor, Naheed Nenshi, who is the first Muslim to become mayor of a major Canadian city, as well as the current Prime Minister of Canada, Conservative leader Stephen Harper.

The University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is ranked as one of Canada’s top comprehensive research institutions. Currently, more than 30,500 students are enrolled in 14 faculties in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. The University contains more than 30 research institutions and centres, including the O’Brien Centre within which iGEM Calgary operates. The university is also the birthplace of many inventions including the neurochip, and has had 140,000 alumni since its founding in 1966.

iGEM Lab Space

The University of Calgary iGEM team would like to thank the O' Brien Centre for the Bachelor of Health Sciences Program and the Department of Biological Sciences for providing lab space for our team. The O'Brien Centre is located in the Foothills campus of the University of Calgary. It has provided the iGEM team with lab space as well as funding ever since the University started fielding iGEM teams. The O’Brien Centre is the hub of top-notch interdisciplinary research and education. It funds approximately 9 million dollars a year for research. The department of Biological Sciences donated a teaching laboratory as lab space for our iGEM students to work in during the months of June - August. We would like to thank the entire department for their support of our team.