Lisa Amelung
Degree course: B.Sc. Life Science
Task: Sponsorship

“Working in a team, having to organise the complete project ourselves and the high degree of specialist competence required are my main reasons for participating in the iGEM competition. I’m looking forward to all the challenges we will meet in the course of the project and I can’t wait to see where we will be in terms of our discipline and also on the personal level at the end!”

Frederik-Matti Bartels
Degree course: M.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Detection methods for heavy metals and biological safety

“I became interested in this form of international exchange of teams of future natural scientists through a report on the German team of students from the University of Bielefeld that participated in iGEM 2012. When I then heard that Leibniz Universität Hannover wanted to enter a team in iGEM for the first time, I was eager to be a member of the participating team. Since my primary field of study is not in genetics or molecular biology, I hope this project will help me to gain more detailed insights into these interesting and innovative research disciplines. Having to organise ourselves as a team, acquiring new knowledge and skills and learning new techniques together is the most important part of the competition for me. Getting to grips with the project tasks as a team creates a dynamism which does not arise when an individual works alone.”

Melanie Barth
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Photo documentation, transformations and chairing meetings

“For me, the exciting feature of the iGEM competition is that the complete responsibility is almost exclusively in the hands of our team. This means each student can use their individual talents and interests to contribute to the success of the group as a whole and thus gain valuable experience in planning and executing a scientific project.”

Andreas Buchbender
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Web admin and proteins

“The “iGEM Team Hannover” project inspired me from the very first second. The key reason for my participation is the opportunity to gain experience that transcends the degree syllabus. In addition to the practical application, the main focus is on the division of the work and the organisation of the group. I am looking forward to the forthcoming challenges and hope for an intensive and instructive time.”

Markus Ehbrecht
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Transformation, PR and hand-drawn website illustrations

“People must be given a reason to trust biotechnology and recognise its potential in research. Projects which demonstrate right from the start that they have a positive effect on the world in which we live, and can even remedy anthropogenic problems which are thought to be insurmountable, deserve to be realised. The iGEM project provides young researchers with the opportunity to realise such creative ideas and at the same time develop an awareness of how to treat our environment in a responsible way. These are the main reasons I am delighted to be a part of iGEM Team Hannover.”

Alina Eilers
Degree course: B.Sc. Life Science
Task: Sponsorship

“What I find most interesting about my course is the molecular biology. iGEM gives me the opportunity to extend my knowledge in this field and to “work” autonomously. In addition I find the self-organisation and the teamwork factor with iGEM very exciting and important for my future career.”

Fabian Joachim Frömling
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Cloning and BioBrick^Rrepresentative

“I am really delighted to be able to participate in the iGEM competition with Team Hannover and have the opportunity to gain a great deal of experience. I hope that the competition will enable me to make international contacts in the world of science, to use my own initiative to solve problems which arise, to learn a variety of skills (from Internet presence to attracting sponsors), and to plan and design a scientific project right from the start. For the coming months I also hope that our team as a whole has great fun working in the laboratory, regardless of whether the PCR may sometimes not work and proteins may fold the wrong way.”

Björn Heinemann
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Facebook page and finance

“I am taking part in the iGEM project because it is a great opportunity to broaden my horizons in the world of biotechnology and to work with others on setting up a project of our own. A further motivation is to be a member of the first iGEM team from Leibniz Universität Hannover. This gives us the chance to lay a foundation stone and act as role models and contacts for the upcoming iGEM teams from Hannover in the future. As I see things, being a team player and curiosity are the most important characteristics one should have in order to progress in our scientific field. The iGEM project embodies precisely these characteristics and I am therefore delighted to be able to participate. I feel certain we will have to solve many demanding tasks, but will have a lot of fun in the process!”

Steffen Israel
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: in vitro and transformation

“Biotechnology has not yet achieved its full potential by any means, in my opinion. Research has been able to solve a great many of the world’s problems and intensive work is still being done on them. By taking part in the iGEM competition I hope to participate in this research, on a small scale, and develop a new biological system which our project then realises. The laboratory work also offers me the unique opportunity to discover new techniques for scientific work, on a high level, and to further develop my own abilities in many areas.

Anke Londenberg
Degree course: M.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Cloning, organization and web admin

“When I heard of the iGEM project, I was immediately enthusiastic about the idea. It provides a platform to realise one’s own creativity, implement ideas, expand one’s knowledge and solve problems. At the same time it shows how important teamwork and the frequent exchange of ideas are. I am convinced that knowledge can enrich us only if we share it with others.“

Katharina Johanna Winkel
Degree course: B.Sc. Plant Biotechnology
Task: Organising team and finance

“Bearing responsibility myself and the enjoyment I get from research are what motivate me to participate in the iGEM competition with a very large dose of ambition. I hope to extend my skills in scientific research and practical laboratory work and acquire expertise in the areas of sponsoring, project planning, financial management and presentation. I am confident that, as the first team from Leibniz Universität Hannover, we will lay the foundation stone for many further years of the iGEM competition and I am looking forward to the variety of experience which we will gain as a team!”

Prof. Dr. Christoph Peterhänsel
Institute of Botany

“iGEM is a fascinating opportunity to work through a project idea together with students. The students learn everything here that they will later need: creativity, organisational talent and how to apply the knowledge they amass to actual problems. Even for me it is very interesting to think outside the beaten paths for once and be confronted with very off-beat ideas.”

Dr. Thomas Reinard
Institute of Plant Genetics

“The iGEM competition provides the students with an in-depth look into real science. The breadth of experience they gain with their own project is invaluable. Such a competition opens up completely new learning concepts and gets the students as well as the supervisors to break away from conventional schemes of thought.”

Prof. Dr. Edgar Maiss
Institute of Horticultural Production Systems Dept. Phytomedicine (Hannover)

Biosafety support

Prof. Dr. Manfred Schenk and Team
Institute of Plant Nutrition (Hannover)

Heavy metal technique support

Prof. Dr. Carla Vogt
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (Hannover)

Heavy metal technique support

Dr. Petra Böhmer-Brinks
Designee for Biosafety (Hannover)

Biosafety support

Frank Dielitzsch
Designee for safety at work and physical health (Hannover)

occupational safety support

Birgit Lippmann
TA (Berlin)
Institute of Botany (Hannover)
Heavy metal support

Kai Londenberg
Data Scientist (Berlin)

Wiki support

Margret Möller-Reinbold
Institute of Botany (Hannover)

Finance support

M. Sc. Jan Thieleke
Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (Hannover)

Heavy metal measurements