• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Friday, September 5, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS

iGEM Bioengineering Competition

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
October 23, 2012
in NEWS
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

On Oct. 13 and 14, these bioengineering wonders will be showcased  and judged at the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Americas East regional competition – or jamboree, as it’s known – on the campus of Duquesne University.

The largest synthetic biology competition, iGEM is global and attracts 190 collegiate teams encompassing nearly 3,000 students from more than 30 countries. In Pittsburgh, 275 undergraduate students from the U.S. and Canada – accounting for 40 teams – will share biological systems developed over the summer using engineering principles, standard molecular biology techniques and a bit of bacteria. Previous teams have created probiotic foods for gluten intolerance, new strategies for cancer drugs, advanced biofuels and remediation of toxic waste – to name a few examples. The 2012 teams’ creations will be revealed and judged, and the winning team will advance to the iGEM global finals at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) this November. Among the competitors are teams from both Carnegie Mellon Universityand Penn State.

Why do these microscopic marvels matter? Well, this is a century of biology – some, including President Obama, say – much as the 20th century was an age of technology. Synthetic biology enables revolutionary advances that can allow people to live better and to better interact with their world. It’s a fairly new field that’s quickly being recognized as a “prominent emerging technology,” and it’s an industry that will be shaped by today’s youth. As Tom Richard, a professor of biological engineering at Penn State and of the Pittsburgh iGEM jamboree organizers, says, “The iGEM competition and the alumni community it forms are the primary sources of synthetic biologists who will impact the industry.”

Their impact is bound to touch the lives of ordinary people, like you and me. We’ll live better and be healthier because of synthetic biology.

Interestingly, synthetic biology has Pittsburgh roots in Herbert Boyer – born in Westmoreland County and schooled at both St. Vincent College and Pitt. Dr. Boyer is a co-founder of Genentech the first company to commercialize recombinant DNA technology, the foundation of the synthetic biology field.

“Dr. Boyer must be proud that his native Pittsburgh region – once a world capital of steel manufacturing and industry – is now capital of knowledge where health care and life sciences is the fourth largest industry sector, in terms of gross regional product,” said Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Dennis Yablonsky, who in 2000 founded the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse – an incubator focused on growing the region’s biosciences companies.

What better place than Pittsburgh for the revelation of new synthetic biology advances at this weekend’s iGEM jamboree?  We’ll look forward to seeing what the mastermind competitors have created almost as much as we’re anticipating presenting Pittsburgh a possible place for these young women and men to advance a world-class education and grow an exciting career in our life sciences sector.

Authot:Phil Cynar

Phil Cynar is senior communications specialist at the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. By trade and by choice, he is a proud promoter of the Pittsburgh region.

Share14Tweet9Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Advancing Nursing Education with Augmented Reality Technology

September 5, 2025

MELK Shields Against Immunogenic Death in Liver Cancer

September 5, 2025

New Zealand Rabbit TCT Proteins: Climate Adaptation Insights

September 5, 2025

FDX1 Drives Malignant Progression in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

September 5, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    149 shares
    Share 60 Tweet 37
  • Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    142 shares
    Share 57 Tweet 36
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    115 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Modified DASH Diet Reduces Blood Sugar Levels in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes, Clinical Trial Finds

    61 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Advancing Nursing Education with Augmented Reality Technology

MELK Shields Against Immunogenic Death in Liver Cancer

New Zealand Rabbit TCT Proteins: Climate Adaptation Insights

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.