Hey everyone! We are so glad to be with you all today. We are part of iGEM, an award winning project team in the College of Engineering that focuses on using synthetic biology. And if you’re wondering what that is, then you’re in the right place! Our goal today is to introduce the idea of synthetic biology, understanding how synthetic biology interacts with engineering, gene editing, policy, business, and more! Students will see their very own synthetic biology idea comes to fruition, from an initial concept to a fully fleshed out project that can make a tangible impact in the world. The structure of our class will be in the form of different workshops focusing on the different facets of synthetic biology. Simulating the Cornell iGEM brainstorming process, students will build upon a real world problem of their interest ranging from cancer therapeutics to food insecurity. The class will be highly interactive, and students will cycle through mini workshops focused on a different subteam of iGEM: Wet Lab, Product Development, Policy and Practices, Business, and Wiki and Design. We will also have some activities to demonstrate the science behind important concepts in synthetic biology. By the end, students will have a complete understanding of the scientific process behind creating, testing and executing a fully fledged iGEM project, which they can bring to the real world!

Synthetic biology is an amazing field that has the potential to solve many of our world's problems! Join us to learn more about the benefits it has to offer and the science of the field, all while discussing some of its ethical concerns. The class will be an active learning experience, with class discussion and hands-on activities with members of the award-winning Cornell iGEM (Genetically Engineered Machines) project team. No prerequisites required.