Team
Amanda Dang
Ello, people! My name is Amanda Dang, and I am a Grade 12 Full IB student at Winston Churchill High School! This is my second year on the Lethbridge HS iGEM Team, and it's been interesting using my experiences from last year on our current project! I joined iGEM this year because working with a team and on a project that will help our incredible community is extremely satisfying… except that one time I got a stomach ache and suffered during a lab for 3 hours. That really wasn't fun. In my free time, I like to read and write non-fiction stories! But, after graduation, I'm hoping to go to university! Even further after that, become a family physician to pursue my interests in medicine and helping the community!
Amber Quo
Hi! I'm a recent full IB graduate from Winston Churchill High School, and this is my second year on the Lethbridge HS iGEM Team. I will be attending the University of Calgary for biomedical engineering and rugby this fall. Our project this year is awesome and I've been really excited to work with our team! My favourite part of iGEM is definitely the amount of learning and growth that goes on throughout the team, both as wet lab scientists and human beings.
Aubrey Nilsson
I'm Aubrey Nilsson, I am a grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High School. This is my second year on the Lethbridge HS iGEM Team. I love being apart of iGEM, especially this team! My favorite aspect of iGEM is the wetlab work :)
Enrique Zaki Olvis
Hi, I'm Enrique Zaki Olvis. I am a recent graduate from Catholic Central High, and this is my first year on the iGEM team. This upcoming fall, I will be attending the University of Lethbridge with Biochemistry as my major. Being a part of the iGEM team has been such a fun and fulfilling experience, and it has taught me new areas of synthetic biology and how it can be applied in different fields. An aspect of iGEM projects that surprised me as a new student member is its interdisciplinary and encompassing nature. My initial expectation of being part of the team is that it would only be focused on the science behind the project. However, iGEM projects include social outreach, marketing, ethics, and more. iGEM has continuously pushed me beyond my limits, and its introduction to novel aspects of synthetic biology and its infinite applications has developed my fascination in the sciences.
Grace Cofell
Hi, I'm Grace Cofell! I'm a grade 12 student at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute and this is my first year on the HS iGEM team. I joined iGEM because I was interested in science and wanted to meet people who shared those interests. Being a part of the team this year has been really fun and has taught me so much about synthetic biology, but also about marketing an idea to many different audiences, which is a skill that can be applied to any field I choose to pursue!
Jayabhishek Chaudhary
Hi, my name is Jayabhishek Chaudhary (I go by Jay for short) and I am a grade 11 student from Chinook High School. This is my first year in iGEM. I joined iGEM due to my interest in genetic engineering, and for the fun of trying something new. Being a part of the team this year has been a great experience and I have really enjoyed it. It gave me an opportunity to not only learn about biology, but also to improve on other skills such as teamwork & communication which I can use for the rest of my life. In short, I loved being a part of 2022 Lethbridge HS iGEM!!
Karma Patel
Hello. I am Karma Patel, and I am a Grade 11 Student at Winston Churchill High School. I like to play volleyball in my spare time and I like hanging out with my friends. I am also not related to Priyanshi Patel. I am currently taking the full IB program offered at my school. I also like playing Valorant and my friends hate me for it. I have recently learned how to do a backflip too, and I am very happy that I can do one (pogger). I also like spending my time in the lab with Zitong Wu because he is a cool guy. I joined iGEM because I am interested in the sciences, and would like to pursue a career in them.
Lisa Sallah
Hi! I'm Lisa Sallah, and I am a recent graduate of Chinook High School. I'll be attending the University of Alberta and majoring in Immunology and Infection. My first year participating in iGEM has been amazing! I've always been interested in pursuing biology in my future, but I had no idea synthetic biology existed. Through iGEM I've seen how synthetic biology can be applied to solve various real-world issues. Working with my teammates and seeing our project evolve feels very rewarding!
Marie Metz
Hi, I'm Marie Metz. I'm a grade 11 student at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. This is my first year in iGEM and it has been incredibly fun! I have always been interested in the sciences so I decided to join iGEM this year and I have learned so much from everyone on the team. Before joining the team, my knowledge on synthetic biology was very limited, but after working on our project I have gained a better understanding of what it is and how it can be applied. Moreover, iGEM has taught me a lot about coding using HTML and the complications that can arise during a complex project like ours. In the future, I plan on going to university to study electrical engineering.
Masataro Tatsuno
Masataro is the name. Grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High School working on an IB diploma. First year on the team and the team had been amazing. From awesome advisors to high quality equipments, iGEM had exceeded what I first thought of synthetic biology. Networking with experts was very exciting and beneficial as well. Current future goals are in computer eng. Here's a cool quote for reading my bio:
“I have noticed that even those who assert that everything is predestined and that we can change nothing about it still look both ways before they cross the street” - Stephen Hawking
Morteza Faraji
Sup. My name's Morteza and I'm a grade 12 student at chinook high school. This is my 2nd year in iGEM and I'm excited to go to Paris. Science has always been a passion of mine and I'm glad that I'm able to do it in my free time with people I like. My main hobbies include learning Japanese :D. That is all. If u ever want to learn Japanese make sure to check out the moe way cuz it's the best way to learn Japanese, 本当に. I want to study computer science at Waterloo cuz I like maf. My favourite authors include Kafka, Kobo Abe, and Haruki Murakami. I regard 風の歌を聴け as the greatest book of all time. Murakami is quite possibly the greatest literary genius of our time and it shows through his novels. My one and only life goal is to meet him. Anyway, that's it that's all I hope I can meet some cool people in Paris :) #TMWworks
Noehil Ferolino
Hello! My name is Noehil Joy Ferolino, and I recently graduated from Catholic Central High School. I will be attending the University of Lethbridge, majoring in Biological Sciences this upcoming Fall. It is my first year in iGEM and I have been enjoying it so far! Learning more about science, especially synthetic biology, has always been a passion of mine which is why joining iGEM was a great choice. The team gave me opportunities to learn new things through hands-on activities, and meet people who share the same interests as me. What I love about iGEM is how they emphasize that we should do things that leave a great impact on our community. During my free time, I like to sit in my room and read books, or hang out with my friends!
Priyanshi Patel
Hey! I'm Priyanshi and I am a recent graduate from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. I will be attending the University of Lethbridge this Fall for a major in Biochemistry. This is my first year in iGEM and it has been an amazing experience. I have been given the chance to collaborate and engage with my peers and to contribute in the field of synthetic biology. Our project this year is truly inspiring and we hope our project creates a positive impact for others! I really enjoy working in the wet lab, but being a part of iGEM has given me the opportunity to continuously grow and learn from my team members.
Raiyana Shams
Hiii friends! I'm Raiyana, and I'm a grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High School! This is my second year in iGEM and I absolutely adore it. I've learned so many things from our amazing mentors and have been incredibly inspired by my hardworking peers. This year's project has been so awesome and I can't wait to see how beneficial it is to our community. After high school, I plan on studying engineering and design and business - and iGEM has truly taught me how to think like an engineer, while also using the public to help promote a product (or raise awareness)! I tend to focus more on the promotional and marketing aspects of iGEM and hope to finish off my high school career with some more synthetic biology (:
Samreet Mutti
Hi! My name is Samreet Mutti and I am a grade 12 student at Winston Churchill High School in the IB program! This is my second year in iGEM and it is by far my most favorite team to be a part of. IGEM has opened my eyes in the world of synthetic biology and has taught me many new skills. From wet labs to marketing to community collaborations, I have been so fortunate to be able to experience it all alongside my mentors and my teammates. Although I haven't decided what I will be studying in post-secondary, iGEM has led me towards a path in either engineering or computer science.
Sophia Bird
Heyy, I am currently attending the University of Lethbridge majoring in BioChemisty cause *science* and gotta get into med school somehow- This is my second year of being on the Lethbridge HS iGEM team and I am extremely excited about our project this year! My favorite thing about iGEM is working in the wet lab with Marcel and the team and my least favorite thing is writing the lab book and the protocols :( In my spare time I will either be expanding my knowledge watching anime or kdramas or crying over anime or kdramas. I'm hyped to go to Paris this year to eat some fancy cheese and croissants!!!
Steven Yang
Da name, Steven Yang
In igem this year to pull up in paris with the gang
Aime notre igem équipe but excuse my grammar cause french ain't my lang
Bussing yessir no cap sheesh ong frfr, I'm actually the ceo of slang
Ew this guy morteza built like an orangatang
Text me for my mymcd's app code cause I'm trying to get to 14000 points, bang
Earnestly, I'm 5'11” after stretching with basketball shoes on ifyouknowwhatI'msang
Software engineering is the move since math is my thang
Zitong Wu
I'm Zitong, a grade 11 student at Winston Churchill. I enjoy learning about science (hence my participation in iGEM) and outside of school I spend much of my time playing piano, listening to Ye, skiing, and mountain biking. On the days my diseased and atrophied limbs are not capable of the aforementioned activities I grind Clash Royale, where I have achieved a personal best of over 6.3k trophies (Master II).
Advisors
Laura Keffer-Wilkes
Hello! My name is Laura and I have been the primary investigator for the Lethbridge high school iGEM team program since 2018. It has been such a joy to watch our team accomplish so much this year and I'm really looking forward to going to Paris in October.
Marcel Koupantsis
Hi I'm Marcel, I am one of the advisors for the Lethbridge Collegiate and the High School iGEM Team. This is his 4th in iGEM and in the past two years I have also been a mentor for the DNHS SanDiego iGEM and the University of Rochester iGEM teams. I am currently studying biological science with a specialization in molecular genetics at the University of Lethbridge. I have a particular interest in RNA based research, virology, protein based research, genomics, epigenetics and synthetic biology. I joined iGEM because it seems like the perfect place to grow my passion for science, to be in a wonderful team such as the Lethbridge Collegiate team, and Lethbridge HS team, and of course to learn more about applied synthetic biology. In my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my friends, playing the cello, reading and going on hikes. You will always find me in the lab or on a run for more coffee.
Jessica Semmelrock
Hi, I typically go by Jess. I am an M.Sc. student studying biochemistry in the lab of Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden and this is my second year mentoring the Lethbridge High School iGEM team. I love the world of DNA, RNA, and proteins. Our project is especially fun as there is so much complexity to untangle and the motivation for it is heartfelt. As someone who knows over 7 people with type I diabetes, I sincerely hope our project can be a stepping stone to better treatments for this severe autoimmune disease. It has been a treat learning alongside this team and knowing that in addition to being good jr.scientists, they are also good people.