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SYSU iGEM teams receive multiple awards in iGEM 2015 Giant Jamboree

Source: School of Life Sciences
Written by: School of Life Sciences
Translated by: Xiangwan LU, Xiao FENG, Xiaoran YANG
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On September 29, 2015, the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) 2015 Giant Jamboree came to an end in Boston. About 280 teams from all over the world participated in the Giant Jamboree. SYSU iGEM teams SYSU-Software and SYSU_CHINA won multiple awards. The software team SYSU-Software won Best Software Project, Gold Medal, and also the Interlab Study Award for the first time. The experimental team SYSU_CHINA won Gold Medal.

 
SYSU iGEM teams receive multiple awards in iGEM 2015 Giant Jamboree.
 
The SYSU-Software team has received the prize of Best Software Project for three consecutive years since 2013. This team consists of 19 undergraduate students from School of Life Sciences, YAT-SEN School, School of Data and Computer Science, School of Mathematics & Computational Science, and School of Communication and Design, including Feng Xiao, Xu Weilin, Yang Xiaoran, Lin Jinjin, Lai Shaofan, Liu Siyuan, Wan Qianhui, He Zhilu, etc. Aiming at the challenging and technical problem 'how to design and redesign complex bio-systems in the era of big data', the team developed a software system CORE (Crowdsourcing Open Redesign Engine) which is a breakthrough platform for design and redesign by introducing the crowdsourcing idea to synthetic biology. Gathering the wisdom and strength of the crowd and the achievements of previous researchers, this platform offers a convenient way for synthetic biologists and provides an integrated solution to help them design and construct artificial organisms in the whole process of design and experiment. The project was highly regarded by Prof. Raik Grünberg, chairman of the software track, and aroused the attention of PLOS (Public Library of Science in the United States).

The SYSU_CHINA team consists of 17 undergraduate students from School of Life Sciences, YAT-SEN School, School of Mathematics & Computational Science and School of Public Health, including Lai Dengwen, Ni Chunyang, He Qiang, Liu Jianheng, Shi Zhan and etc. The experimental team won the Gold Medal so that their one-year work had a perfect ending. The subject of their design is Micro-Timer, a system that can build up an internal clock for microbes and guide them to live regularly as well as to work efficiently. In such a device within a set of endogenous rhythms, massive design of biological functions will be achieved and microbial applications will become more secure and popular due to the time control.

SYSU iGEM teams continue to make breakthroughs. They have gathered the wisdom and strength of many teachers, students as well as functional departments at SYSU. The instructors include Professor Zhang Yan, Professor Lu Yongjun, Professor Ren Jian, Professor He Xionglei, Professor Huang Shengfeng, Associate Professor Yang Jianhua, Associate Professor Huang Junjiu, Lecturer Liu Feng, Lecturer Xie Junfeng and Lecturer Zheng Lingling. During the whole process, the two teams received great support from the School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, The Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University Biomedical Center, YAT-SEN school, School of Information Science and Technology, School of Mathematics & Computational Science, School of Communication and Design, School of Data and Computer Science, School of Public Health, University Dean’s Office, Student Affairs Office, SYSU Youth Association and Office of International Cooperation & Exchange.