C o m m u n i c a t i o n

JSM3

JSM3 (Junior Scientists Microbiology) was the first event to accept us and allowed us to present our poster to an audience of researchers for the first time.

This meeting, created by a group of Ph.D students from Aix-Marseille University in 2015, aims to bring young researchers together with collaborators and new individuals.

Our instructors, who were present at this meeting, familiarized us with the world of conferences and introduced us to many researchers and sponsors like NEB, the Grand Luminy.

This meeting gave us our first experience as presenters and exposed us to lively and constructive discussions about our project. As a result, our vision for our project broadened.

MINI JAMBOREE LYON

On the first Saturday of September, we had the opportunity to attend the French Mini Jamboree in Lyon, an event organized by the local iGEM team. We were invited to present our project for the first time in front of a jury, allowing us to gather valuable feedback and initial impressions before the official competition.

Upon our arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the Lyon team, who hosted the event with great professionalism and enthusiasm. The day began with an introduction and networking session, where we met members from various French iGEM teams as well as the jury composed of researchers and professors. This exchange gave us the chance to learn about their backgrounds, discuss our respective project ideas, and share our motivations and challenges.

We then attended the presentations of the different teams, discovering a wide range of innovative and creative projects. Each group explained the scientific basis, social impact, and technical approaches of their work, which helped us better understand the diversity of topics and methods within synthetic biology. Moreover the feedback we received was constructive and encouraging, helping us identify both our strengths and the aspects we could improve before the final iGEM competition.

After these presentations, two jury members gave insightful talks about their research and experience in the field. It was very interesting to learn more about iGEM and what we can do with this incredible experience.

We also had the privilege of attending an enlightening lecture by Yasmine Amrani, iGEM Europe Ambassador, who shared her journey within the iGEM community.

Overall, this experience at the French Mini Jamboree was extremely enriching, both scientifically and personally. It allowed us to build connections with other students passionate about biology, gain confidence in our presentation skills, and refine our project thanks to professional advice.

Meet-up Paris

We were invited to the iGEM Ionis 10-year anniversary event in Paris — a celebration that brought together past and present iGEMers, researchers, and students passionate about synthetic biology. The event took place at Sup'Biotech, where we spent the day meeting the Parisian team and exchanging about our respective projects, struggles, and successes.

Throughout the conference, we learned more about the Ionis team's project and discovered inspiring initiatives from previous iGEM teams. A round-table discussion with former iGEM participants and scientists gave us valuable insight into how the competition can open doors to research, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration.

During the coffee break, a poster session was held where we presented our project, Living Scaffolds. It was a great opportunity to answer questions, discuss our experimental design, and share the challenges and joys of our journey. The level of curiosity and enthusiasm from both students and professionals reminded us how powerful scientific exchange can be when done in a friendly and collaborative environment.

The Ionis team also gave us a tour of their laboratory facilities, where we compared setups, techniques, and creative approaches to common lab problems, all while sharing a few laughs about the universal experience of waiting for PCR results.

This meeting was not only enriching scientifically but also humanly. It strengthened the bonds between French iGEM teams and reminded us of what the iGEM spirit is all about: curiosity, collaboration, and a shared passion for building a better future through synthetic biology.

Fête de la science Marseille

In a festive and welcoming setting, we will participated in the Marseille Science Festival the weekend 11 and 12 october.

This three-day festival, initiated by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, includes conferences, booths, shows, screenings, experiments, and exhibitions in all scientific fields.

It promotes scientific culture and stimulates debate on new scientific topics, particularly among young people.

It is the ideal event to present our team and our project with a booth offering small interactive and fun experiments to attract the attention of people who are not yet familiar with the iGEM competition.

Forum des Biotechnologies Polytech Marseille

Since synthetic biology is a branch of biotechnology, it seemed natural for us to participate in the Biotechnology Forum organized by engineering students at Polytech Marseille.

This forum allowed us to attend lectures given by researchers and professionals in the field of biotechnology and enabled us to meet new companies and talk to researchers from research laboratories that we had not yet introduced ourselves to.

This event also gave us the opportunity to introduce the iGEM competition to new people and discuss our projects and results with professionals in the field of biotechnology, particularly those working in synthetic biology.

Forum BioTechnoSud 14 October

Communication can also be approached from a financial perspective, as we need to find investors for our project. That is why we participated in the BioTechnoSud Forum, which is organized throughout France, including in Marseille, to connect young researchers from the academic world with professionals and employers.

This is why this forum is important for giving visibility to projects such as Living Scaffolds to sponsors and professionals from the business world.

The discussions during this forum allow us to connect with people outside the scientific world who are nonetheless just as important.

Rentrée des assos and Printemps des assos

The “Rentrée des assos” organized the 14 october and "Printemps des assos" organized in april is an event organized by the student life office at the Luminy faculty in october and in april, allowing all campus associations to make themselves known, mainly to new arrivals at the university.

This event provides an opportunity to introduce students to the IGEM competition and its principles through discussions with students, and to let them know that students from any field of study can participate in their own way, in a setting where the majority of students involved in this association are studying cellular and chemical biology.

This allows us to broaden the future horizons of the association for even greater diversity.

We participated in the association kick-off event in April 2025("Printemps des assos"), where we were able to talk with former members of the 2024 iGEM team, who explained to us how their Grand Jamboree went. We also had the opportunity to talk to students from different fields to explain our project and try to recruit them. We plan to participate in the 2026 event as well, with the members of the 2026 team, in order to guide them as the previous members did with us.