30.08.2018 - Official announcement of the final nanoFactory logo
Today we have changed our nanoFactory logo for the last time and published the final version. You will also be able to see our logo on our team sweaters and shirts on the Giant Jamboree.
25.08.2018 - TEM images of our nanoparticles
Today we were in the physics department of our university and made transmission electron microscopy images of ferritin-enclosed nanoparticles from our E. coli cultures. The images were then graphically processed by Yannic Kerkhoff of the iGEM Bielefeld-CeBiTec Team 2017.
24.08.2018 - Visit from the Sparkasse Bielefeld
Our bronze sponsor, Sparkasse Bielefeld, visited us and got a detailed tour through our laboratory and insights into our project. A detailed article about the visit, where we had a lot of fun, can be found >> here <<.
22.08.2018 - Visiting Dr. Rüdiger Gaydoul
Today our team visited Dr. Rüdiger Gaydoul. Gaydoul holds a doctorate in chemistry and is managing director of HBICON GmbH. HBICON GmbH is a local company dealing with hygiene, bacteriology, analytics, environmental medicine and consulting. We have therefore sought his advice on how our project can best be implemented in industry.
20 - 24.08.2018 - Seventh CeBiTec Student Academy
This week, twenty high-performing students from the region are visiting us at the CeBiTec to gain an insight into current research, particularly into genome sequencing and bioinformatics in the context of biotechnology and synthetic biology. Matching to this, we conducted some experiments in synthetic biology with the students in our laboratory. It is also interesting that one of our participants, Matthias Otto, was a participant in the first CeBiTec pupils academy six years ago and is now part of the iGEM team. We hope that one or the other will be inspired by the new fields of biological research.
17.08.2018 - Official press release from Bielefeld University
Today our first official press release was published by the University of Bielefeld. On its homepage the university introduces us and our project. We are pleased about the interest from the official side and hope to be able to represent our university in Boston adequately.
14.08.2018 - Publication from iGEM Bielefeld-CeBiTec 2017
Today iGEM Bielefeld-CeBiTec 2017 published the article "Auxotrophy to Xeno-DNA: an exploration of combinatorial mechanisms for a high-fidelity biosafety system for synthetic biology applications"Auxotrophy to Xeno-DNA: an exploration of combinatorial mechanisms for a high-fidelity biosafety system for synthetic biology applications" in the "Journal of Biological Engineering". Congratulations!
01.08.2018 - Video description of our project
We made a short video about our project, which was is based on our poster for the European iGEM-Meetup in Munich. It can be watched on our >> YouTube-Channel <<.
31.07.2018 - Python course
Part of our team participated in a three-day crash course on Python programming held by our supervisor Boas Pucker. This course helps us to develop helpful tools for the iGEM community. More specifically, we plan to develop a tool for predicting siRNA sequences that can be used by the iGEM community as an open source alternative to CRISPR-Cas.
30.07.2018 - Interlab-Study successfully completed
Today we received a notification from iGEM Headquarters that we have successfully completed the Interlab Study and met our first Bronze Medal criterion. We are looking forward to the results of the entire study.
28.07.2018 - Second Wiki Freeze weekend
This weekend we sat down again as a whole team to progress on our Wiki. The general design is ready now and there are already several theory and some general pages included. Of course we are continuously working on our Wiki, but this weekend we have put our main focus on it.
27.07.2018 - nanoFactory poster now online
Our posters from the German iGEM-Meetup in Marburg and the European Meetup in Munich are now uploaded to Researchgate and show how our project has changed in the last couple of weeks and months. Here you can find both posters integrated into our project: >> project <<
25.07.2018 - International survey on "Dual Use Research of Concern"
Today our international survey on "Dual Use Research of Concern" was released. We would like to get a comprehensive picture of how this topic is dealt with worldwide and subsequently present it at the Giant Jamboree. This topic is very close to our hearts, which is why we want scientists to deal with this topic during their academic studies and are now developing a comprehensive concept in response to the problems highlighted in the survey.
>>> You can participate here <<<
20 - 22.07.2018 - Participation in the European Meetup in Munich
The iGEM Team Munich organized a 3-day meetup of the European teams in Munich. A total of 28 teams respectively 230 people took part, among them Randy Rettberg and Piers Millett from the iGEM foundation. Eight scientists gave lectures and the total of eight different workshops were very interesting and also the lively exchange with the other iGEM teams during the poster presentations that took place throughout the whole weekend. We got a lot of new ideas for our project and had a lot of fun.
17.07.2018 - Start of our crowdfunding campaign
Today our crowdfunding entered the second round. Until 21.09.2018 we plan to collect a minimum of 600€ to cover our laboratory costs at least partially. If we should reach our second goal of 1200€, this would be perfect. Many consumables are very expensive and also some technologies like sequencing, MALDI-TOF and others cause high costs. You can support us >> HERE <<
16 - 19.07.2018 - Support of the High School iGEM Team Bielefeld-Rheda at the Interlab Study and Wiki Workshop
As part of our mentoring for the high school team iGEM Bielefeld-Rheda, we supported them in carrying out the Interlab study in our laboratory. In addition, we organized a workshop for the team on "HTML and CSS" to give a short introduction and help for the design of the wiki page.
05 - 11.07.2018 - Interlab Study
In the Interlab Study organized by iGEM headquarters, the measurement variance of various laboratories around the world is recorded. The aim of this study is to be able to make statements on how measured values depend on personnel, equipment and the environment. For this purpose we have carried out the following designed experiment: We cultured Escherichia coli cells that produce different fluorescent proteins and analysed them for optical density and fluorescence.
11.07.2018 - Organization of a lecture evening on the topic "Dual Use Research of Concern
In cooperation with btS Bielefeld, we have organized an evening of lectures entitled "Where does free science stop? Opportunities and risks of self-regulation of research" at our university. The experts Prof. Dr. Alfons Bora, Prof. Dr. Kathryn Nixdorff and Tom Hobson each gave a lecture and Irina Rais from our team presented our nationwide survey on the current situation of education on this topic at universities and its relation to the iGEM competition.
22. - 24.06.2018 - German iGEM Meetup in Marburg
The Marburg iGEM team hosted the meetup of all German iGEM teams in their beautiful city directly in the heart of Germany. Altogether 13 teams from Germany took part and besides exciting lectures and amazing poster presentations from all teams we got to know lots of great new people. The Marburg team organised a wonderful event that was not lacking anything. They took care of our physical well-being and also the camping site offered enough opportunities to get in touch with the other teams. We also enjoyed the World Cup match Germany vs. Sweden together in a cosy atmosphere.
16.06.2018 - Workshop on DNA extraction with children
At an event organised by the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für das hochbegabte Kind OWL" we gave a workshop for children aged 9-13 in which we isolated and visualised DNA from fruits such as peaches, strawberries and grapes as well as our own DNA from oral mucosal cells. In addition to extending their theoretical knowledge, the children were then able to take their DNA home as a souvenir.
04.06.2018 - Skype - Talk with Benjamin Lehner in cooperation with NASA
Today we talked via Skype with Benjamin Lehner from the Technical University of Delft about our project. Lehner cooperates with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and is working, among other things, on how to print with metals or silicon. Since we plan to print electronics with copper anoparticles, we were able to get some good tips.
27.05.2018 - First simulation of a "Wiki-Freeze"
We simulated a "Wiki-Freeze" and worked hard all weekend on our wiki page. Many texts on theory and the already carried out experiments have already been written and compiled today. We optimized these texts together and created a design and structure for the wiki. At the same time, work continued on the projects themselves and many graphics were created. Designs for a final team name and logo were also created. Some of the results can already be seen online in our Wiki.
17.05.2018 - Skype call with iGEM Aix-Marseille
Today we had a Skype conversation with the iGEM-Team from Aix-Marseille. We presented our topic and got to know the topic of the French team. They want to use a genetically modified fungus to control the spreading of bedbugs. One of their human practice projects is a survey on the acceptance of genetically modified organisms in the population. To do this, they need as much data as possible, which is why we support them in collecting data.
17.05.2018 - Interview with Hertz87.9
Irina and Antonin were guests at our campus radio station Hertz87.9. They gave a live interview for the science program ImpUls, which presented iGEM in general and our project in particular. The recording can be listened to on our YouTube-Channel.
15.05.2018 - First mentoring meeting with iGEM Hamm-Lippstadt
This year, University of Applied Sciences Hamm-Lippstadt took part in the iGEM competition for the first time. We answered general questions about the competition and afterwards Prof. Dr. Jörn Kalinowski provided a detailed and informative guided tour through the CeBiTec sequencing platform. We will have a lot of contact in the future and hope to be able to give lots of advice to the motivated team and to learn from them as well.
08.05.2018 - New iGEM glass cabinets for the CeBiTec
There are now new showcases for the previous iGEM teamsand their achievements on the second floor of CeBiTec. Last year's teams have won several trophies. It gives a good overview of all the successes of the teams since 2010.
07.05.2018 - Meeting with RAG
Today we met Dr. Drobniewski from RAG Corporation. The company owns several former tunnels in the Ruhr area. The mine water accumulating there is continuously monitored. In addition to the contamination with various heavy metals, we have learned that PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in particular pollute the water occurring there. We will continue to be in contact and work together.
04.05.2018 - Meeting with iGEM Düsseldorf
The iGEM team from Düsseldorf invited us to spend the evening with them. We talked about our projects in detail and paricipated in further team building. Thank you for the lively exchange and we will definitely stay in touch.
26.04.2018 - DNA distribution kit
Today we finally received our DNA distribution kit from iGEM headquarters. We are already busy in the laboratory and now we can finally get fully started. The DNA plates are sorted into our collection and laptops and notebooks are decorated with the iGEM logo.
26.04.2018 - Application for the OT-2 pipetting robot from Opentrons
We made a creative video for our application to Opentrons. The video shooting was a lot of fun and was again a great teambuilding activity. We hope that we can convince the jury and get one of the ten sponsored OT-2 pipetting robots. We have built our own robot for this purpose.
24.04.2018 - Meetup with iGEM Tübingen
Five people from this year's iGEM team from Tübingen visited us today. We talked about our projects and received a detailed guided tour through the sequencing department of CeBiTec by Prof. Jörn Kalinowski.
16.04.2018 - Skype conversation with iGEM Düsseldorf
Today we skyped with the iGEM-Team from Düsseldorf and talked about our projects. The Düsseldorf team wants to cultivate the three organisms Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Synechcoccus elongatus together. We have also arranged a meeting in Düsseldorf in the upcoming weeks.
14.04.2018 - March for Science
The March for Science took place for the second time today. Together with hundreds of other science enthusiasts and the iGEM teams from Aachen, Bonn and Düsseldorf, we went out on the streets of Cologne to fight for free science and against fake news. There were rousing talks with science communicator Ranga Yogeshwar, ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald and criminal biologist Mark Benecke, among others. Afterwards we talked to the other iGEM teams from NRW about our current projects.
13.04.2018 - Visit of the Analytica trade fair Munich
Three of our team members were in Munich today at the Analytica trade fair for laboratory technology, analytics and biotechnology. It was a great opportunity to establish new contacts with renowned companies and to further strengthen existing contacts. We also met some of our sponsors again. In addition, many other iGEM teams such as Düsseldorf, Marburg and Munich were represented, whom we saw here for the first time. The team from Munich was also kind enough to accommodate us for the duration of our stay.
12.04.2018 - Poster
Some posters of the local research groups are currently on display at CeBiTec. Of course we are also there and have prepared our first thematic poster.
07.04.2018 - Experiments at the family day at the Sparrenburg
Again in cooperation with the btS Bielefeld we conducted numerous exciting experiments with children at the family day at the Sparrenburg Bielefeld. Again in cooperation with the btS Bielefeld, we conducted numerous exciting experiments with children at the family day at the Sparrenburg. In the sunny weather we could hardly save ourselves from children. The action was very well received. Among the experiments were Fizzy Fruits, Non-Newtonian Fluid, The Snake of Pharaoh, paper chromatography, a chemical garden and many more. The experiments can easily be carried out at home with common materials and are intended to reveal science in everyday life. We hope that we were able to get one or two young researchers interested in science.
All experiments can be found here.
27.03.2018 - Meeting with former iGEM participant Robert Braun
Today we met Robert Braun, who joined the iGEM team Bielefeld-CeBiTec in 2011 and 2012. Today he is employed at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. He gave us his professional advice on our project and was able to bring in new approaches and ideas. We are still in contact with him and look forward to further input.
22.03.2018 - Official presentation of the topic to a specialist audience
Today we officially presented our topic to about 30 interested professors, doctoral candidates, former iGEM participants, supporters and other interested people. We have presented previous research results and explained our planned procedure in more detail. We have received valuable feedback from our expert audience, we have been offered support and some experts have been named who can help us to realize the project with their experience. Afterwards there was coffee and cake for everyone. We are pleased about the lively interest of the numerous participants.
19 - 21.03.2018 - Participation in the 12th CeBiTec Symposium
Together with iGEM participants of the last years we participated in the 12th CeBiTec Symposium and learned new things about "Big Data in Biomedicine and Biotechnology". Markus and Yannic from the iGEM Team 2017 also presented a poster each.
15.03.2018 - Attendance at FameLab preliminary decision Bielefeld
Today we took part in the FameLab preliminary round in the WissensWerkStadt Bielefeld. The aim of this competition is to explain one's own complex scientific research subject to the general public in only three minutes. With the analogy of our project to the notorious "Philosopher's Stone", our team member Antonin has succeeded in making our project better known. We all got excited and gained important experiences in the field of science communication. Antonin's performance can be watched > here <.
06.03.2018 - Synthetic biology experiments at teutolab
Teutolab-biotechnologie conducts experiments with school classes and motivated high school students. Getting young people interested in science is very important to us. That is why this year we accompanied the students of a science advanced course for one day and carried out interesting experiments. Among other things, the students learned how to isolate a plasmid from bacteria, how to introduce specific genes into an organism and how to use bioinformatic methods to process the data in a meaningful way.
28.02.2018 - We have a topic!
Of the four topic suggestions from the teambuilding weekend, one clear favourite has now prevailed. Unanimously we decided to deal with the incorporation of heavy metal ions in Escherichia coli and further processing. Under the tab "iGEM 2018 Project" we explain our project in more detail. Now the work can begin.
14.02.2018 - Start of our crowdfunding campaign
In order to finance our project, we are not only looking for large companies as sponsors, but have also started a crowdfunding campaign today. Sciencestarter has already classified us as a project worthy of support. Therefore we have put together a small video which explains the renowned competition iGEM and introduces our team. You can already support us with small amounts starting from five euros and become fans of our project. We are grateful for any support and would be pleased if you shared the link diligently.
30.01.2018 - Workshop for the design of the WissensWerkStadt Bielefeld
Our first public appearance took place in the new WissensWerkStadt Bielefeld. In this house in the heart of the city, encounters between young and old with various scientific disciplines are to be implemented. However, a concept must first be drawn up for this. Today a workshop for the planning of the building took place, carried out by the Science Office of Bielefeld Marketing. Together with btS Bielefeld, we demonstrated experiments suitable for children, such as "molecular kitchen", which can all simply be recreated at home. Afterwards we took part in a business game on the room layout and use of the building.
10.01.2018 - Safety instruction
Today, during the safety briefing by Prof. Dr. Jörn Kalinowski, we learned useful things about behaviour in an emergency and about what is allowed and not allowed in the laboratory. Now that we have been informed about the safety regulations, nothing more stands in our way to the laboratory.
08.01.2018 - New iGEM-homepage
The Bielefeld iGEM websites of the last seven years have been transferred to Joomla! and are now located on a CeBiTec server. We apologize for any problems resulting from the change! The adaptation of the various subpages has not yet been completed.
05. - 07.01.2018 - Successful team building weekend
This weekend - from Friday noon to Sunday noon - we went to Sauerland for our teambuilding days to find productive topics. From spreading life in space to DNA-origami, many topics were presented. A total of four topics were researched and discussed intensively, alternately in full round and in small groups.
During the three days we had fun and got to know each other. Besides an exciting trip to Sauerland and excellent lectures, Svenja's birthday and teambuilding games provided a lot of fun. After four topics were included in the shortlist on Saturday morning, we were able to use the afternoon and evening for further elaborations. Also on this evening we were able to end the day with board games, an excellent meal and good music.
Sunday began with a breakfast together and we discussed the topics that arose during the weekend. Shortly afterwards, however, he went back home again.
19.12.2017 - iGEM Christmas Party
Interested people for the iGEM2018 Bielefeld-CeBiTec team organized a Christmas party and invited all iGEM Bielefeld alumni. The evening served for the exchange of experiences and for getting to know each other. The new team is now much better prepared for the challenges in 2018. Many thanks to all alumni who helped by sharing their experiences!
15.11.2017 - Information event on iGEM 2018
The annual presentation of iGEM is intended to inform interested persons about the requirements and contents. After the presentation of Julian Droste and Boas Pucker to over 20 interested students, there was plenty of time to discuss questions. Of course Prof. Dr. Jörn Kalinowski, who has been in charge of the iGEM team in Bielefeld for the past seven years, was also present. On the basis of this event, interested parties should decide whether they would like to apply for the next iGEM team in Bielefeld.
*Room: G2 - 104 (CeBiTec)*
*Date: Wednesday - November 15, 2017*
*Time: 6:00 p.m. (end approx. 19 - 19:30)*
