Team:Aalto-Helsinki/Journal

24th-28th

iGEM Giant Jamboree in Boston!

18th

Wiki freeze.

16th

Talked about synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project to students and researchers in the University of Turku. Sent our BioBricks to the registry.

11th

Our team featured on the Finnish National Radio!

10th

Our team got the official patches!

9th

Talked about synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project to students and researchers in Tampere University of Technology.

8th

Team hoodies arrived.

7th

Our team was interviewed for radio!

5th

Science picnic in Helsinki city centre! We held a small talk and workshops for the whole family.

4th

First practice session for our Giant Jamboree presentation!

1st

Stora Enso agreed to sponsor us!

26th

LAL - the Finnish Union of Experts in Science agreed to sponsor us!

26th

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry joined our list of sponsors!

21st

Sent our GFP brick to team HS Slovenia for validation.

20th

First sequencing results!

19th

Ordered the team hoodies.

13th

Two more BioBricks-to-be sent for sequencing to the Institute of Molecular Medicine Finland!

11th

Met with Tarja Knuuttila's group from the University of Helsinki and discussed our human practices project.

7th

Ordered sequencing for our first construct from Institute of Molecular Medicine Finland.

6th

Talked about iGEM to Finnish Biology Olympiad candidates.

5th

Attempted Gibson Assembly method first time for the gene parts. The results are very promising!

29th

Micelle model ready!

24-26th

Nordic iGEM Conference in Uppsala organized by iGEM Uppsala! and iGEM Stockholm!

23th

Rehearsing the presentation for Uppsala.

23th

An article published about us on the University of Helsinki's website

22nd

Ordered third plasmid pCDFDuet-1 from Merck Life Science. The plasmid is needed to combine cellulase and propane pathways into the same bacteria.

20th

AYY joined our partners!

17th

Modeling team was given the challenge of modeling micelle formation.

15th

Preliminary results of bottlenecks in our pathway!

14th

Our first gBlocks have arrived from IDT!

13th

Our labteam figured our why our practice project didn't produce the protein we wanted - the promoter was inserted wrong.

10th

Met with Tarja Knuuttila and her students to discuss our human practices aspects.

9th

Skype meeting with iGEM Stockholm. Discussed our collaboration and the upcoming Nordic iGEM Conference!

8th

Skype meeting about collaboration with Slovenia HS.

7th

Started to build the model of the cellulose pathway. Had also discussion about modeling with iGEM Dundee.

6th

Modeling of propane pathway went a huge leap forward when many of the much-needed constants were finally found!

2nd

Our first PCR reaction towards Gibson Assembly has been successful!

1st

Modeling team had a meeting with Elena Czeizler from Aalto University's department of computer science. We also had a Skype meeting with Edinburgh team.

29th

Mascot is ready!

27th

Ratekoulutus joined our group of sponsors!

26th

Ordered needed sequences to begin with Gibson Assembly.

26th

Created constructs for Interlab measurement study.

25th

Discussion with Anja Martinez from Thermo Fisher Scientific. She was helping us with some sequences which were too complex to be traditionally synthesized.

24th

Took part to IDT webinar on gBlocks

22nd

Particle model about synergy ready!

17th

Registered to iGEM Interlab measurement study. The goal of the study is to obtain fluorescence data for three genetic devices with the same protocols from teams all around the world.

12th

Finished planning primers for PCR and sequences for synthesis services ordered from Genescript, who is supporting us with those! The first versions of our gene constructs are also ready.

10th

Kemianteollisuus is going to sponsor us!

9th

Started to work with our wiki.

9th

Lab safety training given by our instructor Heli Viskari.

5th

Learning how to pitch at Startup Sauna Demo Day.

4th

Learning about modelling. Merja Oja advised us about this.

1st

Presenting our research idea to the Department’s research group in their monthly meeting.

28th

The modeling of our reaction pathway has started.

27th

Meeting with yeast expert Jussi Jäntti. We discussed the possibility of using yeast as a chassis organism and other approaches to propane production with researcher Jussi Jäntti from VTT Technical Research Center of Finland.

26th

Discussion with Merja Penttilä. We talked about our ideas and different ways to approach the theme of propane production with the coordinator of the synthetic biology programme Living Factories.

25th

Webpage ready! The web page is now coded and ready to be used. Some of our members learned a bunch of new stuff of html.

22nd

Learning to build plasmid maps. Our team member Anna showed everyone how to build plasmid maps.

21st

IBC Finland announced that they will sponsor us.

19th

First day in lab.

18th

High school presentation at “Magpie Island”. Telling about iGEM to students from Mäkelänrinne Sports High School.

14th

Propane production in bacteria has been decided as our research topic.

11th

Meeting with our Instructor Heli and a quick tour in the lab.

5th

Professor meeting with Olli Ikkala. What does learning mean? How do machines and bacteria learn? How could we approach learning through synthetic biology?

29th

Meeting with the Aalto University School of Chemical Technology. Meeting Janne Laine, the Dean of Aalto School of Chemical Technology was at least as encouraging as the meeting with School of Science we had had a week ago.

23th

Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) is our first sponsor!

21st

Meeting with the Aalto University School of Science. We met with Risto Nieminen, the Dean of Aalto School of Science. He was really excited about our project and seemed happy to help us. This made us even more excited and happy about our project!

16th

iGEM 2015 distribution arrived! The package including BioBricks, linearized backbones, kits, stickers and pins arrived from iGEM headquarters.

16th

Meeting at the University of Helsinki. We met with rector Jukka Kola, the head of the University of Helsinki and Keijo Hämäläinen, vice-rector in charge of research and education. It was really exciting and encouraging to hear that the University is supporting us.

1st

First skype meeting with iGEM Pasteur. Collaboration with Pasteur iGEM team from Paris started with a Skype meeting.

25th

Brainstorming. We met for this purpose for several times during the spring. Outside the meetings, we researched the various ideas we had come up with and browsed through what the teams from previous years had done and what had been done outside iGEM.

22nd

First skype with the Stockholm iGEM team. Last year's team was also present to discuss the practical issues with starting an iGEM team from scratch.

19th

The first meeting of the 2015 team. Some had already met before, some of us met each other for the first time ever. A couple of team members from the 2014 team and our Advisor Markus were also present.

14th

First anniversary of iGEM Aalto-Helsinki! On March 14th 2014 the first ever Finnish iGEM team met for the first time.

11th

The new team members were chosen by the 2014 team.

3-6th

Interviews held. More than 30 candidates were interviewed for the Aalto-Helsinki 2015 team by 2014 team members.

28th

Application period for the 2015 team closed.

24th-28th

Giant iGEM jamboree!

16th

Talked about synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project to students and researchers in the University of Turku.

11th

Our team featured on the Finnish National Radio!

10th

Our team got the official patches!

9th

Talked about synthetic biology, iGEM, and our project to students and researchers in Tampere University of Technology.

8th

Team hoodies arrived.

7th

Our team was interviewed for radio!

5th

Science picnic in Helsinki city centre! We held a small talk and workshops for the whole family.

4th

First practice session for our Giant Jamboree presentation!

1st

StoraEnso agreed on sponsoring us!

26th

LAL - the Finnish Union of Experts in Science agreed to sponsor us!

26th

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry joined our sponsors!

21st

Sent our GFP brick to Slovenia for validation

20th

First sequencing results!

19th

Ordered the team hoodies.

13th

Two more BioBricks-to-be sent for sequencing to the Institute of Molecular Medicine Finland!

11th

Met with Tarja Knuuttila's group from the University and discussed our human practices project.

7th

Ordered sequencing for our first construct from Institute of Molecular Medicine Finland.

6th

Talked about iGEM to Finnish Biology Olympiad candidates.

5th

Attempted Gibson Assembly method first time for the gene parts. The results are very promising!

29th

Micelle model ready!

24-26th

Nordic iGEM Conference in Uppsala organized by iGEM Uppsala! and iGEM Stockholm!

23th

Rehearsing the presentation for Uppsala.

23th

An article published about us on the University of Helsinki's website

22nd

Ordered third plasmid pCDFDuet-1 from Merck Life Science. The plasmid is needed to combine cellulase and propane pathways into the same bacteria.

22nd

Stora Enso became a sponsor!

20th

AYY joined our partners!

17th

Modeling team was given the challenge of modeling micelle formation.

15th

Preliminary results of bottlenecks in our pathway!

14th

Our first gBlocks have arrived from IDT!

13th

Our labteam figured our why our practice project didn't produce the protein we wanted - the promoter was inserted wrong.

10th

Met with Tarja Knuuttila and her students to discuss our human practices aspects.

9th

Skype meeting with iGEM Stockholm. Discussed our collaboration and the upcoming Nordic iGEM Conference!

8th

Skype meeting about collaboration with Slovenia HS.

7th

Started to build the model of the cellulose pathway. Had also discussion about modeling with iGEM Dundee.

6th

Modeling of propane pathway went a huge leap forward when many of the much-needed constants were finally found!

2nd

Our first PCR reaction towards Gibson Assembly has been successful!

1st

Modeling team had a meeting with Elena Czeizler from Aalto University's department of computer science. We also had a Skype meeting with Edinburgh team.

29th

Mascot is ready!

27th

Ratekoulutus joined our group of sponsors!

26th

Ordered needed sequences to begin with Gibson Assembly

26th

Created constructs for Interlab measurement study

25th

Discussion with Anja Martinez from Thermo Fisher Scientific. She was helping us with some sequences which were too complex to be traditionally synthesized.

24th

Took part to IDT webinar on gBlocks

22nd

Particle model about synergy ready!

17th

Registered to iGEM Interlab measurement study. The goal of the study is to obtain fluorescence data for three genetic devices with the same protocols from teams all around the world.

12th

Finished planning primers for PCR and sequences for synthesis services ordered from Genescript, who is supporting us with those! The first versions of our gene constructs are also ready.

10th

Kemianteollisuus is going to sponsor us!

9th

Started to work with our wiki.

9th

Lab safety training given by our instructor Heli Viskari

5th

Learning how to pitch at Startup Sauna Demo Day

4th

Learning about modelling. Merja Oja advised us about this.

1st

Presenting our research idea to the Department’s research group in their monthly meeting.

28th

The modeling of our reaction pathway has started.

27th

Meeting with yeast expert Jussi Jäntti. We discussed the possibility of using yeast as a chassis organism and other approaches to propane production with researcher Jussi Jäntti from VTT Technical Research Center of Finland.

26th

Discussion with Merja Penttilä. We talked about our ideas and different ways to approach the theme of propane production with the coordinator of the synthetic biology programme Living Factories.

25th

Webpage ready! The web page is now coded and ready to be used. Some of our members learned a bunch of new stuff of html.

22nd

Learning to build plasmid maps. Our team member Anna showed everyone how to build plasmid maps.

21st

IBC Finland announced that they will sponsor us.

19th

First day in lab

18th

High school presentation at “Magpie Island”. Telling about iGEM to students from Mäkelänrinne Sports High School.

14th

Propane production in bacteria has been decided as our research topic.

11th

Meeting with our Instructor Heli and a quick tour in the lab.

5th

Professor meeting with Olli Ikkala. What does learning mean? How do machines and bacteria learn? How could we approach learning through synthetic biology?

29th

Meeting with the Aalto University School of Chemical Technology. Meeting Janne Laine, the Dean of Aalto School of Chemical Technology was at least as encouraging as the meeting with School of Science we had had a week ago.

23th

Student Union of the University of Helsinki (HYY) is our first sponsor!

21st

Meeting with the Aalto University School of Science. We met with Risto Nieminen, the Dean of Aalto School of Science. He was really excited about our project and seemed happy to help us. This made us even more excited and happy about our project!

16th

iGEM 2015 distribution arrived! The package including BioBricks, linearized backbones, kits, stickers and pins arrived from iGEM headquarters.

16th

Meeting at the University of Helsinki. We met with rector Jukka Kola, the head of the University of Helsinki and Keijo Hämäläinen, vice-rector in charge of research and education. It was really exciting and encouraging to hear that the University is supporting us.

1st

First skype meeting with iGEM Pasteur. Collaboration with Pasteur iGEM team from Paris started with a Skype meeting.

25th

Brainstorming. We met for this purpose for several times during the spring. Outside the meetings, we researched the various ideas we had come up with and browsed through what the teams from previous years had done and what had been done outside iGEM.

22nd

First skype with the Stockholm iGEM team. Last year's team was also present to discuss the practical issues with starting an iGEM team from scratch.

19th

The first meeting of the 2015 team. Some had already met before, some of us met each other for the first time ever. A couple of team members from the 2014 team and our Advisor Markus were also present.

14th

First anniversary of iGEM Aalto-Helsinki! On March 14th 2014 the first ever Finnish iGEM team met for the first time.

11th

The new team members were chosen by the 2014 team.

3-6th

Interviews held. More than 30 candidates were interviewed for the Aalto-Helsinki 2015 team by 2014 team members.

28th

Application period for the 2015 team closed.