Nils Birkholz

Age: 24

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

In contrast to the routine I am used to in the course of my curriculum where I am mostly exposed to established experiments with forseeable results, iGEM offers the possibility to plan and carry out an own research project with a team –including all the accompaniments and imponderabilities. Thus, by being part of this year’s iGEM team, I expect to get a taste of the thrill hopefully awaiting me in my future work life.

Rüdiger Frederik Busche

Age: 19

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

Synthetic biology is a fascinating field which has intrigued me for a long time and which I am considering as a possible future occupation. Furthermore, iGEM offers great opportunities into broaden my horizon beyond factual academic learning and to get to know other students with whom I can share my ideas and interest in biology and biotechnology.

Oliver Konzock

Age: 23

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biotechnology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

Apart from the various experiences you can gain in the field of project planning and applied science, I am especially looking forward to meeting iGEM teams and their projects from all over the world at the Giant Jamboree. What impresses me most about iGEM is to see that nearly every problem can be solved with the help of synthetic biology.

Steffen Lippold

Age: 22

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

The competition offers a unique opportunity to both apply and enlarge the knowledge already gained in biosciences in an interdisciplinary project. Apart from the experimental challenge, the collaboration with scientifically dedicated students is a main aspect of my motivation.

Carsten Ludwig

Age: 22

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biotechnology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

Although the daily routine of academic studies facilitates some practical experiences as a student I am bound to the strictly arranged practicals. Under the conditions of the iGEM competition I hope to gain more practical knowledge which exceeds the “standard university knowledge” and which is distinctly closer to actual research. Furthermore I´m excited to work with ambitious colleagues and realize an entire project in all its facets (development, funding, conversion and presentation) and discuss and exchange about all that with students from around the world.

Melanie Philippi

Age: 22

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biotechnology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

iGEM gives you the opportunity to create your own ideas and to put them into a great project. To try out so much by yourself together with such a great team is simply awesome!

Lukas Platz

Age: 19

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

At first I was really skeptical about the iGEM program because as a first semester there are so many new things to learn and to think about. However I decided to learn more about iGEM and on our first briefing I was so impressed about the engagement and courage of the members of last year´s team that I decided to join. Furthermore there was also another aspect which guided me to the iGEM-Team. It was the idea of being creative, meeting new people and learning about synthetic biology all at once.

Christian Sigismund

Age: 35

Occupation: Bachelor student of Biology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

iGEM offers me the opportunity to test and expand my knowledge und experience in bio science. Therefor I look forward to working on a self-organized research project with other motivated students parallel to studies. The cooperation in a team to work out a suitable project, the work in the wet lab and finally the presentation of our results allows a realistic look into the daily routine of scientific research.

Maren Wehrs

Age: 23

Occupation: Master student of Biotechnology

Why I take part in the iGEM competition:

This competition provides the opportunity to develop an own idea from the very beginning in a young, diverse team. One has to come up with a finance plan, the implementation and finally the presentation. I think that we’ll have a lot of fun working on our project and especially on exchanging experiences with other teams.