Team:WashU StLouis/Attributions

Washington University - Penn State iGEM

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WashU and Penn State   iGEM 2015
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2015 Team Members

  • Blake

    Blake was responsible for ensuring that our team was on track to fulfill iGEM requirements. In lab, he worked with Mike to design and build the sgRNA sequences needed for our CRISPR/dCas9 knockdowns. He also was also responsible for carrying out the inductions needed for part characterization, for both our collaboration and our individual team’s part characterization requirement.

  • David

    David was the WashU/Penn State iGEM Team’s Wiki Coordinator, designed and implemented our 2015 website. He worked with Charlotte in order to create our overexpression plasmids and our minimal nif plasmids in the lab.

  • Charlotte

    Charlotte coordinated the policy and practices portion of our iGEM team, a public discussion panel on GMOs. She worked with David on the effort to build our overexpression plasmids and our minimal nif plasmids. Additionally, she helped with BioBrick construction.

  • Mike

    Mike helped pull together the funds we needed to pay stipends and send our members to Boston. In the lab, he and Blake helped design and construct sgRNA sequences and was involved in building and testing BioBrick parts.

  • Laura

    Laura was on the part of our team that looked at genetic interventions and media supplements that might increase nitrogen-fixation in E. coli. She and Jessica worked with computer models trying to identify ways to up or downregulate reactions critical to nitrogen fixation.

  • Jessica

    Jessica worked on the genome-scale modeling and flux balance analysis that our team did in order to increase the efficiency of nitrogen fixation in E. coli. She worked with Laura, identifying ways to increase concentrations of reactants needed by nitrogenase.

Lab Mentors

  • Ryan Lee

    Ryan Lee, graduate student in the Moon Lab, provided insight on lab techniques, the design of sgRNA sequences, and overall project design.

  • Ray Henson

    Ray Henson, graduate student in the Moon Lab, helped us write funding proposals, taught us basic lab procedures, and helped us develop our project ideas.

  • Cheryl Immethun

    Cheryl Immethun, graduate student in the Moon Lab, helped us organize our project, made it possible for us to go to Boston, and helped ensure that we knew everything we needed for our project.

  • Andi Balassy

    Andi Balassy, graduate student in the Zhang Lab, helped us find funds, provided insights for our project, and helped us with troubleshooting.

  • Carlos Barba

    Carlos Barba, postdoctoral researcher in the Zhang Lab, helped us with project development, taught us basic lab techniques, and offered excellent troubleshooting advice.

  • Yi Xiao

    Yi Xiao, postdoctoral researcher in the Zhang Lab, helped us bring our ideas together.

  • Tom Mueller

    Tom Mueller, graduate student in the Maranas Lab, offered advice regarding computational modeling and helped get our team to Boston. He helped us develop problem formulations, assisted with the modeling and coding processes, and provided insight and advice when drafting our poster and presentations.

  • Maggie Simons

    Maggie Simons, graduate student in the Maranas Lab, helped guide our project ideas, answered tricky coding questions, and aided when troubleshooting technical problems.

  • Deng Liu

    Deng Liu, postdoctoral researcher in the Pakrasi Lab, gave us suggestions in order to help us obtain nitrogenase expression in E. coli.

Undergraduate Lab Mentors

  • Matthew Leong

    Matthew Leong, undergraduate researcher in the Moon Lab, assisted with the understanding of laboratory procedures and equipment.

  • Caroline Focht

    Caroline Focht, undergraduate researcher in the Moon Lab and WashU 2014 iGEM Team member, performed nitrogenase assays with last year’s plasmids, helped with social media and logo design, and provided us with insights regarding what to expect with an iGEM.

Washington University Labs

  • Moon and Zhang Lab

    The Moon and Zhang Labs gave feedback on our presentations and helped us troubleshoot.

Monsanto Researchers

  • Fred Moshiri

    Fred Moshiri, Monsanto research scientist, gave us suggestions on what conditions might be optimal for nitrogenase expression.

  • Dr. Janie Brennan

    Dr. Janie Brennan, lecturer in the Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering, helped us understand different iGEM requirements.

  • Monsanto researchers

    The Monsanto researchers who listened to our first presentation gave us advice and helped us prepare for our final Jamboree presenation.

2014 Igem Team

  • WashU 2014 iGEM

    The members of the WashU 2014 iGEM Team provided the groundwork for our project this year.

Finanical Support

  • Our Sponsors, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, the Department of Biology, the Center for Biological Systems Engineering, Monsanto, Sigma Aldrich, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the School of Arts and Sciences, I-CARES, Snapgene, the Focht Family, the Bourg Family, the Heeney/Toomey Family, NSF-MCB Award #1331194, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science helped us pay for the trip to Boston and provided us with the means to live and do our research over the summer.