Tell us more about your project. Give us background. Use this is the abstract of your project. Be descriptive but concise (1-2 paragraphs)

Advisors:

• Dr. Dominic Sauvageau: Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
• Dr. Chris Dambrowitz: Biorefining Conversions Network, University of Alberta
• Erin Dul : PhD Candidate, Bioresource Technology

Undergrads:

• Chang Lu: -

I am a second year Chemical Engineering student from team Upcycled Aromatics, University of Alberta. I have found a keen interest in all things related to biology since high school, and I spent my first year of university in biological science degree, where I obtain a general theory understanding of biology. As I am a hands-on type of person, I transferred into engineering after the first year. Through the range of the courses I have taken, not only have I acquired a plethora of engineering knowledge, but have also expanded into the biology and business field. I am so proud to be part of the 2012 International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Entrepreneurial Competition where there is a happy medium of intertwining knowledge of biology, engineering, and business.

• Crystal Theodore: -

I am a fourth year Chemical Engineering student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Originally from Lethbridge, I spent my first two years of university studying Biochemistry there and playing for the University of Lethbridge Women’s Soccer Team. After realizing my true passion for the application of the sciences, I transferred into engineering at the University of Alberta. I hope to find a career related to biomedical engineering upon graduation. Outside of school and iGEM, I like to stay active by playing soccer, basketball and tennis. Upon finishing my undergraduate degree, I plan to spend next summer travelling to South America and Europe.

• David Brown: -

Dave Brown is a Biochemistry major at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Originally from Fredericton, the capital city of the Maritime province New Brunswick, he moved to Edmonton to run for the UofA’s Golden Bears Varsity Cross Country and Track Team. Hes a sponsored athlete with the Running Room and runs 10km and half marathons under the Running Room Athletic Club. Outside of school and training Dave owns and operates a small business shooting aerial photography with a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) drone quadcopter. His free time is spent working on his quadcopter and taking aerial photos for clients. He studied to obtain a UAV operator’s licence from Industry Canada in the winter of 2012.

• Jeremy Morris: -

Jeremy will complete a BSc Molecular Genetics in Spring 2013 after which he will enter graduate studies. His research interests include plant genetics, molecular biology techniques and synthetic biology. He envisions a future where synthetic biology will be called upon to conduct more complex tasks – tasks impossible for individual microbial cells. He hopes to establish a career in the nascent field of multicellular synthetic biology by engineering novel components in plants and fungi. Outside the lab, Jeremy enjoys gardening, reading, cooking, camping and “citizen science”. He dreams of one day retiring to New Zealand with a flock of Barred Rock hens.

• John Chen: -

I’ll be going into my third year of chemical engineering starting this fall, and since I’m in the biomedical stream of my program, iGEM sounded like a great opportunity for me to explore something on the cutting edge of scientific innovation, while at the same time being relevant to my field of study. I feel that the entrepreneurial track, despite lacking a wet lab component, provides an interesting, more practical look at questions of synthetic biology’s applications in industry. Hopefully, our project can shed some light on the economic feasibility of a business based on something much like the projects being done in the Main Track. Although this is my first year doing iGEM, I’m having a great time so far and I’ve definitely learned a lot.

• Kelly Holdstock: -
• Lindsey Suh: -
• Shuwei Song: -
• Valerie Ho: -