Team

Hey, we are a group of 20 students from RWTH Aachen University. Our team is made up of students from various fields, including Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, and Mechanical Engineering, with 12 master's students and 8 bachelor's students. This diversity in academic backgrounds, combined with our wide range of personal interests, brings a wealth of knowledge and talent to our different subgroups. But "Who are we really?", and "What motivated us to join iGEM?"You can find more detailed information in our team introduction.

Our Team Members

Maik is involved in the modeling and hardware subgroups, applying theory to practice. He joined to gain insights into biotechnology. As our "Fun Officer," he ensures a balance between work and fun by planning team activities and enjoyable days, providing a much-needed counterbalance to our efforts.

Maik Biermann

M. Sc. Mechanical Engineering

Emeline focuses on social media and content design, bringing creativity to the team’s online presence. Inspired by previous iGEM teams, she joined to work on an original project. Her enthusiasm and positivity in the lab and her creativity have made her a key contributor.

Emeline Terlingen

B. Sc. Biology

Kilian is the mastermind behind Alphafold Decoded. With admirable dedication, he has brought this project to life and works on our website and other modeling projects. He often joins team members on trips to fulfill his wish for opportunities to attend bio events, all while maintaining a positive attitude and supporting team spirit.

Kilian Mandon

B. Sc. Molecular and Applied Biotechnology

Vanessa is a dedicated lab member, always eager to gain hands-on experience and contribute to the project. Her positive attitude and work ethic have had a significant impact, and she’s a great collaborator, helping the team achieve its goals.

Vanessa Veccari

M. Sc. Biology

Fynn is a key member of our hardware and software projects for iGEM 2024. He joined us to gain deeper insights into project processes and practical experience. His dedication and skills have significantly impacted our team.

Fynn Ole Wadehn

M. Sc. Molecular and Applied Biotechnology

Cherubina adds a creative touch to all our designs, including logos and merchandise, while also contributing in the lab. She joined iGEM to gain experience and meet new people, and her artistic skills and positive energy have already made a great impact on the team.

Cherubina Langohr

B. Sc. Biology

Advisors

Prof. Dr. Lars Blank

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schwaneberg

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Wolfgang Wiechert

Subgroups

We divided into 10 different subgroups based on individual interests and skills. Each group worked on specific tasks to support the overall project. The members of each subgroup and their contributions are outlined below.

The Design team creates our visual elements, including color palettes, logos, and icons. We also design stickers, flyers, roll-ups, banners, and team merchandise. To achieve this, we learned to use vector graphic programs, allowing everyone to contribute creatively.

The Design team creates logos, stickers, flyers, and team merch, using vector graphics to express everyone’s creativity.

Design

The Fundraising team handles finances, acquiring funds and donations. They identify sponsors, manage proposals, and promote the project to attract resources. Their communication skills drive strategic partnerships and ensure efficient use of the budget.

The Fundraising team secures funds, handles sponsors, and promotes the project while managing the budget.

Fundraising

This year’s Hardware team integrates wet and dry labs. We developed a system using colorimetric sensors and microfluidic chips to measure cell vitality after exposure to a cytotoxic agent. The team mastered all necessary experiments.

The Hardware team combines wet and dry lab work, developing a sensor system to measure cell vitality after exposure to a cytotoxic agent.

Hardware

The Human Practices team ensures stakeholder perspectives guide the project’s development, incorporating feedback from the public, policymakers, and experts. They also promote education on synthetic biology through presentations and events, connecting the project to society.

The Human Practices team gathers stakeholder input and promotes synthetic biology through educational events.

Human Practices

The management team ensures smooth team operations. They organize brainstorming sessions, manage resources, oversee progress, and plan participation in key events. They also maintain communication with principal investigators, the university, and iGEM headquarters.

The management team organizes brainstorming, tracks progress, and coordinates events, ensuring smooth operations.

Management

The Modeling team supports wet lab efforts through protein engineering. They propose mutants to improve protein quality and lead educational initiatives like Project AlphaFold Decoded. This work blends scientific rigor with creative storytelling through videos and animations.

The Modeling team improves protein quality and leads AlphaFold Decoded, blending science with creative video work.

Modeling

The Social Media team runs our Instagram and LinkedIn, sharing updates and fostering collaboration with other teams. They create posts, plan photoshoots, and write captions, providing insights into lab work and keeping our followers engaged.

The Social Media team manages Instagram and LinkedIn, sharing updates and fostering collaboration.

Social Media

The Storytelling team develops and refines the project narrative based on lab results. They manage sources for presentations and articles, ensuring scientific accuracy. They also write scripts for promo videos and handle all project descriptions.

The Storytelling team refines the project narrative, manages sources, and creates video scripts and descriptions.

Storytelling

The Wetlab team aims to prove that the tumor microbiome is a potential cancer therapy target. They develop a fusion protein designed to convert a prodrug into a cytotoxic agent and test bacteria binding. Their work includes cloning, protein expression, and analyzing enzyme kinetics.

The Wetlab team tests a fusion protein to prove the tumor microbiome is a cancer therapy target, handling key lab experiments.

Wetlab

The Wiki/IT team documents the project on our wiki and maintains the iGEM Aachen website. They collaborate with the design team to create custom templates, ensuring clear presentation of the team’s work and achievements.

The Wiki/IT team documents the project and maintains the iGEM Aachen website and wiki.

Wiki

Achievements

Discover the unique achievements of each team member, from personal growth to groundbreaking contributions that have shaped our journey.