Several upcoming deadlines have changed! The following are now due on September 7:

• Regional Jamboree attendance fee
• track selection
• project abstract
• team roster
• safety questions

The complete Calendar of Events is available here.

Check out all the publicity that teams have been getting! The Publicity page lets you post news articles, blogs, and more! Recent additions have been from:

• UANL Mty-Mexico
• University College London
• Valencia
• Leicester
• Queens Canada
• NRP UEA Norwich
• St Andrews

Want to add something to the Publicity page? Just log in and post!

The online visa invitation letter system is now live! To access the system and get a letter to use when applying for your travel visa, follow the instructions on the visa help page.

Note: You must be listed on your team's official roster in order to use the system.

If you have any questions, send an email to: registration (AT) igem (DOT) org.

The iGEM Videos page has been updated! We've added video tutorials on how to use the Registry, At-the-Bench protocols, and community contributions. Some recent additions include:

• Requesting Parts
• Quality Control Overview
• At-the-Bench: Restriction Digests
• At-the-Bench: Ligating Your Parts

Registration for the Regional Jamborees is now open!

See the Jamboree Attendance Fee page for instructions on how to register for your Regional Jamboree.

Be sure to register by the September 7 deadline!

The iGEM Community page has been updated! Check out what's happening in the community. We've recently added community contributions from:

• Edinburgh
• NTNU Trondheim
• Stanford-Brown
• UANL Mty-Mexico

If you want to add something to the community page, send us an email. We'll add your details to the list.

If you have not already, apply for your travel visas to attend the Regional and World Championship Jamborees now! The wait time for visas is typically 3 months, though it can be longer. There have been teams in the past which couldn't attend Jamboree events due to visa issues. To prevent this from happening to your team, apply for your visa now!

Additional information can be found on the visa help page. To request an invitation letter, send an email to: registration (AT) igem (DOT) org. Include the following in your email:

• Name
• Address
• Passport number
• Nationality
• Jamboree event (i.e. Americas East, Americas West, Asia, Europe, Latin America, World Championship Jamboree)

IDT is the largest manufacturer of custom oligo products within the US, and has joined the iGEM 2012 competition as a sponsor!

To see more information about the IDT offer to registered iGEM teams, see the IDT sponsor page!

GenScript has joined as an iGEM partner! Here's what they have to say:

The rapidly expanding science of synthetic biology is a field that GenScript, the leading synthetic biology company in the world and the No. 1 gene synthesis supplier in North America, has helped pioneer since 2002. We believe GenScript will support your synthetic biology research by making the "scripts" into "reality"."

To see more information about the GenScript offer see the GenScript partner offer page.

The iGEM Community page is growing! Check out what's happening in the community. We've recently added videos from:

• University College London
• Bielefeld-Germany

The MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software such as MATLAB and Simulink, has joined as an iGEM sponsoring partner! They will provide iGEM teams with MathWorks software during the competition, and are also offering technical mentoring.

To see more details about the MathWorks sponsoring offer, see the MathWorks sponsor page!

Autodesk, Inc., a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, has joined as an iGEM sponsoring partner! Autodesk will provide iGEM teams with Autodesk Maya®, and virtually all other Autodesk software, to help animate and visualize their projects in 3D.

To see more details on how to take advantage of the Autodesk offer, see the Autodesk sponsor page.

Team project descriptions are due on July 15th! Please post on the team wiki page. Details are available here.

View the complete Calendar of Events for all relevant dates!

iGEM 2012 Teachers Workshop locations have been finalized and registration is open!

• 4 July: Paris, France
• 28 July: Cambridge, MA

See more details on the Workshops page.

We hope you're excited to start work on your projects! We've been working on a redesign of our Registry help pages and adding more videos. You may find these useful resources as you plan and work on your projects, and they can answer questions you have about iGEM, the Registry, and synthetic biology.

If there is something you'd like to see on these resources, send us an email at hq (at) igem (dot) org.

Ready for some lab time? The 2012 Distribution Kits have been sent!

The kits contain five 384-well plates, linearized plasmid backbones, and coveted iGEM collector's items! Be sure to check out the distribution kit page for more details!

Oil Sands Leadership Initiative is once again partnering up with iGEM teams! If you're considering the Energy & Environment track, they would love to hear your project proposal! The deadline is May 30.

To see more details about their offer, click here.

Distribution kits will be sent out to the 2012 iGEM teams over the next two weeks! Be sure to verify your team's shipping information, as incorrect or incomplete addresses will cause delays.

For more information about the 2012 distribution kit and its contents, click here!

Regular registration for the 2012 season is now closed!

Late registration has now begun. Late registration fees will be accepted until May 1st and are subject to the increased rate.

Stay updated on all the news for iGEM 2012, and check back often!

IDT is the largest manufacturer of custom oligo products within the US, and has joined the iGEM 2012 competition as a sponsor!

To see more information about the IDT offer to registered iGEM teams, see the IDT sponsor page!

The MathWorks, the leading developer of mathematical computing software such as MATLAB and Simulink, has joined as an iGEM sponsoring partner! They will provide iGEM teams with MathWorks software during the competition, and are also offering technical mentoring.

To see more details about the MathWorks sponsoring offer, see the MathWorks sponsor page!

Check out the great video the iGEM Europe committee made to encourage students to join iGEM 2012!

And remember to register your team before March 31!

Autodesk, Inc., a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, has joined as an iGEM sponsoring partner! Autodesk will provide iGEM teams with Autodesk Maya®, and virtually all other Autodesk software, to help animate and visualize their projects in 3D.

To see more details on how to take advantage of the Autodesk offer, see the Autodesk sponsor page.

Registration for iGEM 2012 Collegiate division is now open! If you're a software team, registration is integrated into the 2012 Collegiate Division.

Submit your registration fees here! And be sure to read the requirements for participation this year.

Wondering what the iGEM community is talking about? Join the discussions in the forums!

• Suggestions for iGEM? Post them here!
• Thoughts on 2012 Regional Jamborees are in this section.
• Did you know iGEM teams get individual forums?

New to forums? Check out the help section!

Graduating this spring? Come intern at iGEM Headquarters!

iGEM is growing and who better to help it continue to grow than you, the iGEMers? iGEM Headquarters has moved out of MIT and we are looking for fun, talented, passionate iGEMers who want to give back to the iGEM community and help "make iGEM better."

If you're graduating this spring and looking for your next step, apply to be an iGEM paid intern!

Find details on the igem.org jobs page.

iGEM 2012 High School registration is now open! Remember, only instructors (teachers or faculty members) can register teams.

Detailed information about requirements can be found here, and all team members should complete and submit a consent form to iGEM Headquarters.

Keep in mind, the registration deadline is February 29!

Looking for information on the iGEM 2012 High School division? The iGEM 2012 HS wiki is up! Stay updated on all the news, and check back frequently, as registration will open soon.

Have a knack for video-editing? Interested in parts and improving them? If so, you could be a member of iGEM Headquarters! We are looking for an enthusiastic individual to join our team in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For more information, click here.

iGEM 2012 will be divided into five regions, with selected teams advancing to the World Championship.

• Asia
• Europe
• Latin America
• Americas East
• Americas West

We'll be adding more details on where and when the regionals will be held in the future, so be sure to check back often!

Can't wait for iGEM 2012? Check out the Start A Team page for information on how to start a team at your school!