Giant Jamboree/Judging Sessions

JUDGING SESSIONS

Accessing your Judging Session

Judging Sessions will be hosted via the Zoom meeting application.

Please have all of your team members download and test Zoom on your devices ahead of your Judging Session.

You will access your specific judging session via the Jamboree Website. Please visit jamboree.igem.org, and log in using your iGEM account to access the full event, including your Judging Session access details (Available November 4).

Judging Session Schedule

You can view the Judging Session Schedule now by clicking on the button below. This will load a PDF of the Judging Session schedule. You can use the "Find" function to search for your Team Name. Please note all times are shown in UTC, so you will need to convert the time to your local timezone.

This schedule has been finalized as of October 7, 2021. There were a handful of minor schedule changes and the teams who were impacted have been informed of the change. You may need to clear the cache in your browser to see the changes in the PDF.

Judging Session Instructions

You will access your specific judging session via the Jamboree website starting November 4.

  • Please visit jamboree.igem.org
  • Log in using your iGEM account (available on November 4)
  • You will see a banner at the top of the page with instructions to join your Judging Session

Giant Jamboree sessions, including Judging Sessions, workshops, Jamboree Meetups, and other events, will be live streamed and recorded. These sessions will be re-posted on our websites and may be used for promotional material by iGEM after the event.

Judging Session Introduction

Judging Sessions are when you’ll interact with your judges during the Giant Jamboree. These have been randomly assigned to each team, as shown above.

Some tips for preparing for your judging session:

  • Prepare for predictable questions
  • Ask your team PIs and instructors to go through a mock Judging Session and have them ask questions they think will come up. If possible, ask other members of your department or school to also review your project and ask you questions - it can be very helpful to get some outside perspective.
  • You can share your screen at any time to help answer a question. You can bring up your wiki pages at any time
  • Prepare a few back-up slides that can address the predictable questions easily

Remember - only student team members and student team leaders can participate during the Judging sessions. No one else on your team is allowed to answer questions, including advisors, instructors, or team PIs.

If you don't understand the question a judge asked, you can ask them to repeat it or ask it in another way. You can also ask them to type it in the chat box. It's also perfectly fine to admit you don't know the answer!

Judging Session Format

The general format for each judging session is outlined below:

  • Log on 5 Minutes Early: Your team should plan to be online and join the judging sessions five (5) minutes before the scheduled start time. This will allow you time to do a technology check.
  • Project Overview - 5 minutes: During the first five minutes of your assigned slot, your team may provide an overview of your project or point out key updates since the Wiki Freeze. Those 5 minutes are yours to use however you want. You will be able to share your screen to show slides, a video, wiki pages, or other materials on your computer.
  • Judge Q&A - 20 minutes: Your judges will use this time to ask your team questions.
  • Transition to Next Team - 5 minutes: The next team in the session will join the room and get ready for their judging session.

You can read some additional advice for preparing for your Judging Session by clicking on the button below.