Leaders

Isabella Gonzales - Synthetic Biology Leader

Isabela González, a senior at Colegio FDR. I've been lucky enough to be a part of iGEM since my freshman year of high school and now consider it my second home! My favorite part of iGEM is the unity you create with your classmates when spending late nights at the lab. Outside of the iGEM however, I love going on long walks with my friends, playing board games, and spending time at the beach with my friends and family!

Ana Franco - Production Leader

Hi! My name is Ana Lucia, and I am a junior in FDR. I am originally from Venezuela, and have lived all around latin America. I joined iGem as the production leader, where Ive been able to work on my team with the creation of the promotion & presentation videos and wiki. Outside of iGem, I enjoy playing basketball, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Jorge Alonso Diaz - Human Practices Leader

Hi! My name is Jorge, and I am a current Senior. I am from Colombia, yet I am currently living in Perú;. I joined the iGEM because of the magnificent and revolutionizing work all teams around the world are currently doing. Concerning the sciences, I am especially passionate about Physics and Chemistry, for both give me enough knowledge to be able to understand how and why the world around me works the way it does. Outside of academic activities, I enjoy reading, watching movies, and playing basketball.

Santiago Ochoa - Math Modeling Leader

Hi! I'm Santiago Ochoa, I'm 15 years old, and I'm currently in 9th grade in Hiram Bingham School. This is my second year in iGEM, and I've been working in the Math Modelling team. Apart from iGEM and sciences, I like to play chess and read.

Benjamin Falls - Synthetic Biology Co-Leader

Hello, My name is Benjamin Falls, and I am a senior at Colegio FDR. I am from the US, and have lived all over the world. I joined IGEM in 9th grade, and I am the Co-leader of the synbio hardware section. We When not working in IGEM or for school, I read books, browse the internet, play board and video games, and am a big fan of DnD.

Andrés Romero - Human Practices Co-Leader

Hello! I'm Andres Romero, and I'm sophomore at FDR. I've lived my whole life in Peru, but my family comes from Uruguay and Venezuela. I've been in FDR for about 12 years, but 2021 is my first year on iGEM. I joined iGEM and I'm now the co-leader of Human Practices, where we get to meet many smart people and make new connections. Outside of iGEM, there are many things I like to do but I would say that I enjoy passing most of my time playing video games with my friends. I am excited for the 2021 season and especially eager to fulfill my duties in our team.

Alejandra Domínguez - Secretary

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Hello! I'm Alejandra Domínguez, a 9th grader in Hiram Bingham School, Lima - Perú. I am originally from Peru and half Colombian as well. This is my second year in the FDR-HB iGEM team and I am currently part of the math modeling section and secretary team. I love science, specially genetics and synthetic biology; at a young age I always showed interest in plants, knowing how they work and how can I contribute with my community, thus arose the interest on iGEM. Some of my hobbies are playing the guitar, violin and piano, reading books about philosophy, playing football and basketball, swimming and listening to music.

Lara Reinoso - Secretary

Hello! My name is Lara, and I am a 10th grader in Colegio FDR. I was initially born in Germany, but I have lived in Spain and now in Peru, Lima. This is my first year being part of the IGEM team, as part of the math modeling team, and as the co-secretary of the club with Alejandra. I strongly believe that science is a way of thinking and exploring the world around us. Joining IGEM has been an excellent opportunity to learn about the engineering side of science, how two passions of mine can meet to create something great. Moreover, in my free time, I love to travel, play the piano, and listen to many different genres of music.

Members

Nyahna Sanchez - Synbio Member

Hi everyone! My name is Nyahna Sánchez and I am a ninth grade student at Colegio FDR. I have always lived in Lima, Peru. I like to dance, draw, write, and of course, science. This is my first year at IGEM and I am very excited to help the SynBio team with this project. Since I was little I was fascinated by biology and physics, and I joined IGEM to explore this passion further :)

Miguel Garro - Synbio Member

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Hello, my name is Miguel Garro and I am a 11th grader in Colegio FDR. I was born here in Peru and have lived all of my life in Peru. This is my 2nd year as a iGEM member and I am currently in the synbio team. My passions have everything to do with science especially physics and synthetic biology since I find them to be very interesting and applicable. I love participating in labs, sleeping, and eating.

Isabella Yoshiyama - Synbio Member

Hi! I'm Isabella Yoshiyama, an 11th grader at Colegio FDR. This is my second year in IGEM, where last year I worked in Human Practices and now wish to pursue further my passion in the SynBio section of IGEM. I love being a part of this group in which I can explore my passion for science, but also outside of IGEM and science related things, I also like baking, spending time with my friends and swimming.

Norka Peña - Synbio Member

Hi, my name is Norka Peña and current sophomore at Colegio FDR. This is my first year in iGem and I chose the Synbio section. I love Science and I am extremely happy and grateful to be part of this team. Apart from Science, I love to play sports and spend time with my friends and family.

Hiten Sharma - Synthetic Biology Member

Hello! My name is Hiten Sharma and I am an 8th grader in Colegio FDR. I am from India, but I have lived in Brazil, USA, Thailand before coming to Lima, Peru. This is my first year in the Synbio section of IGEM. I love doing science experiments which helps me solve my curiosity and learn about the never ending wonder world of science! When I am free, I like reading books, playing soccer, swimming, building legos, and listening music.

Minsol Kim - Synthetic Biology Member

Hi! My name is Minsol Kim and I'm a senior in Colegio FDR. I am from Korea but I have also lived in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and finally Lima, Peru. This is my first year as a member of the iGEM team, and I am excited to work with scientists who share the same interest as me. During my free time, I enjoy listening to music and talking to my friends.

Alessandra Rojas - Synthetic Biology Member

Hello! My name is Alessandra Rojas I'm a 8th grader in Colegio FDR. I am from Lima, Peru. This is going to be my first year in synbio section of IGEM. When I'm not doing IGEM or homework, I like to listen music, watch movies, swim and ride my bike.

Sae Jin Park - Synthetic Biology Member

Hello, I'm Sae Jin Park. I'm a junior in Colegio FDR and a newbie to the Synthetic Biology group of IGem. Since 9th Grade, I have been intrigued by the idea of the various applications of science in real life. Through IGem, I hope to explore, experiment, and discover many aspects of biology and chemistry that will strengthen my interest in biology and chemistry. I usually like to watch YouTube or sleep in my free time.

Celine Hoyle - Synthetic Biology Member

Hey! My name's Celine Hoyle, a 10th grader in Colegio FDR. Originally im from Miami but I moved to Lima when I was a little girl. I have been in IGEM for a year, I joined my second semester of 9th grade. My favorite branch of science would probably be the hands on stuff we get to do with bacteria or other organisms. I find it entertaining and a lot of fun! When im not in IGEM or doing academic subjects I like to hangout with my friends and go crystal shopping, vinyl shopping, have picnics, see the sunrise, have bonfires and more.

Maria Gracia Maldonado - Synthetic Biology Member

Hi I am Maria Gracia Maldonado, and a freshman at FDR. I am passionate about the environment and wildlife. I love watching movies, reading, and listening to music.

Belén de Osma - Synthetic Biology Member

Hello, I’m Belen de Osma, a senior at colegio Roosevelt. I am from Peru and I’ve live here my entire life, currently I’m applying to universities in the US, and preparing myself to leave home for the first time. This is my se kind year in the synbio section of iGEM, I really like spending time in the lab with people who I share common interests with. When I’m not doing iGEM, I enjoy baking and spending time with my family and friends.

Maria Nopo -Production Member

Hello! This is my first year at iGEM and I have learned a lot of new stuff and enjoyed being part of the team.

Letizia Lopez - Production Member

Hi! I am Letizia Lopez, a 7th grader in Colegio FDR. I am from Peru and I have lived here since I was born. However, I have travelled to many places around the world. This is my first year in iGEM. I enjoy science a lot but since I am still in Middle School I decided to enter the Production team. I love everything related to designing and creating!

Macarena Bazo - Production Member

Hi! My name is Macarena Bazo and I'm a 9th grader at Hiram Bingham. I decided to join iGEM because I really love graphic design, video editing, and photography, so being part of the production team was going to help me not only work on my hobbies, but learn new things, in this case sciences. I love music, arts, and I'm always up for an adventure!

Valeria Barrios - Production Member

Hey! I'm Valeria Barrios. I'm a student in 12th grade at Colegio FDR. Originally I'm from Caracas, Venezuela, and moved to Peru 6 years ago. I have been part of the IGEM production team for over a year now, and it is quite interesting. We as a group, are in charge of displaying all the information for the audience. That would be by making the website, the videos, and so forth. When I'm not on IGEM, I like to go to the beach and spend time with family and friends.

Kristel Tapia - Production Member

Hey! I'm Kristel Tapia Sardi, an 11th grade student at FDR. This is my first year at iGEM as part of the production team, where I can use my graphic design skills to contribute to the FDR-HB team. Apart from iGEM, I like to apply art in many other areas, such as poetry, painting, music, or literature.

Alexandra Yoshiyama - Math Modeling Member

Hey! I'm Alexandra Yoshiyama but everyone calls me Ale. I'm currently 16 years old, and I'm from Peru and have been here my whole life. I recently joined IGEM because I'm interested in the scientific projects that are going on and working with like-minded people. Outside of IGEM, I like to play on my Switch, watch Youtube, and read books.

Ilan Mitma - Math Modeling Member

¡Holaa! My name is Ilan Mitma. I am a 9th grader student from the peruvian Hiram Bingham School. This is my first time in iGEM, and I am really having lots of fun in it. Before the pandemic, I used to play basket and training capoeira, now, I do some running in the mornings. I enjoy watching suspense and action movies as well as playing videogames every now and then. I dream of becoming a talented physicist and helping humanity solve its greatest issues.

Danika Newton - Math Modeling Member

Hi I am Danika Newton and I am from Peru! I am new to IGEM and I was wishing to explore some more math with a bit of science. I love movies and like to dance.

Maya Escajadillo - Human Practices Member

Hi! My name is Maya Escajadillo, and I'm a 9th grade student at Colegio FDR. I decided to join IGEM this year and am part of the human practices team. I wanted to try something new and get more involved with school so IGEM was a great match. I've lived my whole life in Lima, Peru. Not only that, but I enjoy watching Netflix and baking in my free time.

Valeria Miranda - Human Practices Member

Hi :) I’m Valeria Miranda, and I’m a 10th grader in Colegio Hiram Bingham. This will be my second year in iGEM, mainly in Human Practices. I really like science, especially biology. Other than that, I also like listening to music, reading and learning new things.

Gioia Pinasco - Human Practices Member

Hey! I'm Gioia Pinasco, a 9th grader at Colegio FDR. I'm Peruvian and have lived in Peru all my life. This is my first year in the Human Practices section of iGEM and I really like contacting others and doing different outreach programs. If i'm not doing iGEM or other school things, you can find me reading a book, playing soccer, or doing math.

Lucia Yuren - Human Practices Member

Hello! My name is Lucia, I'm a 9th grader in Colegio FDR. I am from Mexico, but I was born in Switzerland and lived in Chile for about 10 years before coming to Perú. This is my first year in the Human Practices section of IGEM, and I love being able to offer solutions and creative ideas to my community. When I'm not working on school or IGEM I like to spend my time swimming, reading, or writing for fun.

Mentors

David Kostial - iGEM mentor

This is my second year as an iGEM mentor/instructor, and I am looking forward to getting into the lab with iGEM students after a year and a half of COVID restrictions. I am a high school science teacher and I have taught biology, chemistry, environmental science and outdoor education for over 15 years. In my free time, I like being outside hiking, backpacking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, or canoeing.

Dr. Nina Markham - iGEM mentor

This is my 5th year mentoring a HS iGEM team and I'm a huge iGEM fan! I teach science and love working with teenagers. I have a Ph.D. in Immunology and segued into teaching once my own children entered school and I started volunteering for their schools. I realized how much I loved it and made the change. 5 years ago I inherited a fledgling iGEM team and embraced it and haven't looked back!

Dr. Claudia Muñoz - iGEM mentor

I am an IB MYP/DP Chemistry teacher at Hiram Bingham school in Lima, Peru and this is my third year being a mentor of our joint high school iGEM team with Colegio FDR. I’m a scientist by training and am very much looking forward to the day we can go back to the iGEM lab, hopefully soon! During the pandemic the baking has gone from hobby to almost a second job, much to the delight of friends and family, but will hopefully get out and travel (another one of my hobbies) in the near future.

Sasha Salters - iGEM mentor

I'm Sasha Salters a high school science teacher at Colegio FDR. This is my first year as a mentor with iGem, but I'm excited about all the things students are doing. Prior to moving to Peru in 2020, I lived in China and the US. I obtained my Master's in Secondary Science Education from Mercer University and my Bachelor's in Biology with a minor in Spanish from the College of Charleston. I love all things science, although my passion is life science. My other passion is learning, and thus I have participated in a variety of professional developments like studying brain activity in stroke patients at the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging at Georgia Tech utilizing a FMRI, researching sustainable forestry in partnership with Georgia's Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Project Learning Tree, and even learning more about exploring the deep ocean in partnership with the Georgia Aquarium and NOAA.

Team:FDR-HB Peru/Members