Team:TEC COSTA RICA/Collaborations
Collaboration
Collaborations proved themselves to be a valuable way to further our knowledge, outreach and project.
Biocontainment Round Table
The biocontainment round table was our biggest incursion in collaboration this year. Along with the iGEM MSU team we planned an event open for all iGEM teams to discuss and learn about biocontainment and related subjects. This involved several meetings throughout the year in order to plan the event, create educational content to precede the event, design the presentations and discussion subjects to be addressed and other similar topics. Gladly the event was a success, we got several teams involved (MIT_MAHE, iGEM Laiden, FBC_UANL, iGEM Bielefeld, iGEM EPFL) as well as the safety and security committee from iGEM HQ. You can find our insights on this event at Human Practices.
Here you can access the material we went through at the discussion table, which can serve as a guide for future teams wishing to host events like these. It includes multiple generating questions and explanatory sections of the most studied biocontainment systems.
Intellectual Property- iGEM UANL
We know that for the registration of products or procedures of biotechnological nature, there are variants depending on the country regarding: what is or is not patentable, the ways to do it, the bureaucracy involved, and the benefits and powers given to the applicant in case of positive approval. That is why we decided to participate in the {iGEM UANL}’s initiative to highlight the contrast of the panorama in each country and at the same time rescue the improvements that can be made to the system, leaving the documentation as an available reference so that colleagues and iGEMers know how to protect their inventions and the requirements to be considered as well.
Mental health as a priority for integral human development- iGEM Vienna and NCKU Tainan
During the pandemic our access to the lab was limited, but this was not the biggest obstacle to overcome, neither were virtual meetings. Our team struggled with mental health throughout our journey. The already stressful time that is University (more so with iGEM) had to withstand an even bigger strain: a full shift on our life, including routine, habits (work and personal), interpersonal relationships and our goals and possibilities. Because of this, it became evident that taking the time to discuss mental health and implement changes in order to preserve it became a priority. Soon, during our meetings with iGEM Vienna, while checking out NCKU’s project’s focus, and realizing that coffee hours were being implemented, we realized that the issue was widespread for most iGEM teams, which lead us to develop several social-media strategies focused on trying to diminish stress and reminding everyone to take a well deserved break.
Sustainable development goals-iGEM Patras team
One of the most reflective collaborations was the one with iGEM Patras regarding sustainable development goals related to our project. Even though the assignment was very simple, to turn in a 20s video mentioning at least 3 goals that could be achieved with or aided by our project, we took to it with a very serious and reflective attitude, which in turn made us spend a lot of time discussing the ramifications of our project. If you want to see our reflective process on this subject, you can check out Human Practices.
Attending Meetups and other events where we’re able to present is a great example of an experience where everybody wins. By giving our presentation we enable other teams, or the audience, to learn from our project. This is also a plus for the organizing teams, since supporting their initiatives promotes engagement with a broader audience. For us, presenting is great practice for our communication skills and receiving feedback is always a great way to improve our project.
Latam & Russian Meetups-iGEM TEC CEM & iGEM Moscow City teams
Both the Latam and Russian Meetups were organized by fellow iGEMers (iGEM TEC CEM, iGEM Moscow). In attending we supported their initiative, learned from several other projects and gained feedback from their very different target audiences. The Latam Meetup had the added value of including a panel of judges, who highlighted important aspects of our project in which we should elaborate, and also reminded us to have fun throughout the experience.
Peruvian Journal Club-JC UPCH
The peruvian journal club, hosted by JC UPCH, served as an exercise for us to be able to present for audiences without extensive knowledge on synthetic biology, since it was oriented to highschool students. This helped us improve our communication skills. The club was also a fun and dynamic space for us to participate in, which we enjoyed tremendously. Being a catalyst for young people to engage in synthetic biology is always very rewarding for us as a team.
After iGEM Latam Fest
The iGEM Latam Fest, organized by After iGEM was a great opportunity to practice our story telling skills while presenting our project to a broad audience and a panel of experienced judges. The feedback we obtained was of great quality and the questions that were asked served us as pointers regarding what was missing from our presentation.
Bolivia-iGEM Bolivia team
When reached by the Bolivian team with the proposal of collaborating on the creation of a guide for future iGEMer teams we were thrilled. We have had many obstacles and have learned so much from each and every experience, both the triumphs and the failures. Because of this we are always looking forward to having the opportunity of sharing our journey and hopefully making a positive impact in others’. Another great factor was that we were able to support the initiative of a new latin team, making the sharing of experiences a lot more intimate given the shared culture and history.
Guelph-iGEM Guelph team
The interview by the Guelph team had similar interests in mind, since it involved the creation of in-depth summaries regarding iGEM projects and team experiences, with the added bonus that, since it was first requested as a form, our written information could be directly used or cited. It also presented itself as an opportunity to reach a broader audience, since aside from the content published in their wiki, they developed educational material directed to Canadian highschoolers.
Public engagement might be one of the most important initiatives in iGEM competition. The only way to interest people and gain their support is by involving them in current projects, particularly, in their development. For this, extensive communication skills are needed, since the project must be explained in a way that is to be understood by almost everyone and that can be easily related to on a personal level.
Inclusion campaign-iGEM Concordia team
For us inclusion is one of the key pillars of human interactions. Many of our team members have experienced exclusion so to pursue well-rounded and respect-based interactions is a personal issue for us. We believe that in multiculturalism and diversity, creativity and innovation are found. For these to exist values such as respect, empathy and freedom have to be not just encouraged, but built upon at the core of projects and events. This is why we endorsed iGEM Concordia’s campaign on social media and made a commitment to advocate for openness, inclusion, intersectionality, diversity and equity.
Picture book project-CCU Taiwan team
The picture book project was one of our favorite collaborations. The collaboration itself involved translating a short illustrated story for CCU Taiwan iGEM team in order for them to be able to engage with a much broader audience, since there are plenty spanish speaking countries. The process of translating was such an enriching experience for us as Costa Ricans, since we got to learn from Taiwan’s mythology and traditions in perfect harmony with CCU Taiwan’s project. The translation itself was a challenge, since many expressions didn’t work well in Spanish and others we are used to saying in english. Nonetheless, completing this collaboration was very fulfilling and the end product inspiring and impressive. Additionally we took it to ourselves to spread the picture book projects around our networks in Costa Rica.
Comic-iGEM - IISER Berhampur team
As a team with many art-inclined members, we were delighted by the opportunity, presented by the IISER Berhampur team, of having our project presented as part of a comic book. The design was inspired by a post-pandemic world submerged in devastation and affected by many problems including environmental pollution caused by humans, such as radiation leakage. This is why we decided to orient our submission towards the development of accessible and drinkable water sources through the use of synthetic biology, which is one of the multiple applications that can be given to our Chronobacter project. As a whole, we believe that this comic is an extraordinary way to engage with just about anyone; having as many topics, designs and different content in general, almost assures that a light will spark in each and every person who comes in contact with it.
Postcard-iGEM Düsseldorf team
The postcard initiative has been on iGEM for several years now, and as such it’s always a way to make us all come together and take an interest in each other’s projects. It’s also a media to express our creativity and communication skills. This iGEM Düsseldorf’s team collaboration not only allowed us to spread our project with teams from the rest of the world, but also involved a communicative challenge, in which in a few words and certain visual elements, we had to describe it in an understandable and striking way, as communication and science should be.
Photo Collage-iGEM ULaval, iGEM Concordia-Montréal, iGEM Patras and iGEM Thessaloniki teams
The teams iGEM ULaval, iGEM Concordia-Montréal, iGEM Patras and iGEM Thessaloniki, have partnered to develop the "Rosalind Chronicles'', an initiative in which we participated, since we believe in women’s impact has changed and will continue to change the world. The objective was to highlight the faces and achievements of women who have represented science in any of its forms, as is Alexandra Elbakyan: software developer and creator of the Sci-platform hub to provide free access to scientific information. This proposal supports the thinking of our team in which we want to highlight women’s empowerment in STEM and other areas and we are excited to see initiatives like this being developed by iGEM teams.
