Team:Consort Alberta/team
The Team
About Us
Our team originates from Consort – a rural Albertan village with a population of about 750 people. Despite being from a small town, we have taken on the challenge of creating an iGEM Team and the challenges of developing our very own biochemistry lab. Inside our high school science classroom we have designed BioBricks, taught ourselves lab protocols with the help of mentors, and most importantly we have taught our community about synthetic biology. As a team, we also believe that coming from a small rural community means the community involvement is amazingly close-knit, and we've brought new ideas and perspectives to iGEM that other city teams may not have brought before.
Please click on one of the following pictures to read a team member's or an advisor's bio.
Team Members
Alex Coulton
I'm a Grade 12 student at Consort School. My interest in science and the future of technology has always been an entertaining hobby because of its diversity, experimentation, and possibility to change society. My hobbies include carpentry, metalwork, gaming, experimenting and creating anything I can make a blueprint for. Although I don't know for sure what I want to do after high school I want to stay involved in the world of technology and science, hopefully continuing on with my crazy creating. After secondary school I hope to travel to New Zealand, Australia, and Europe for work so I can get to know the culture of another country and become a part of its community.
Austin Wiltse
Hi! My name is Austin, and I'm a Grade 12 student at Consort School. iGEM has opened my eyes to so many new horizons in the field of science, and allowed me to meet some amazing people I never would have otherwise. I play several different sports in my free time, such as curling and basketball. When I'm not playing sports or doing iGEM, you can find me playing video games or programming one I've made. After graduating, I plan on attending a computer programming course in college and eventually become a video game developer.
Catie Rossing
I am going into the Grade 11 here at Consort school. I joined iGEM because I enjoy science - mostly chemistry. I ended up really loving the lab work! The iGEM experience has helped me realize what I want to do after high school. After graduation I plan to attend college to become a medical laboratory technologist. Outside of iGEM I like to play basketball, badminton and I work for the local newspaper - The Consort Enterprise. I also love hanging out with friends and being outside. I like both listening to and playing music. I learned how to play guitar when I was around 10 years old and then taught myself how to play piano when I was 14. I like challenging myself to learn new songs.
Cole Sansregret
My name is Cole Sansregret. I am 16 years old and attend Consort School. I love to read and participate in archery, golf, gaming, curling, and basketball. I love making jokes and hanging out with my friends (and Austin. Sometimes.). This is my second year in iGEM, and I can't imagine doing a better activity!I originally joined iGEM because I wanted to learn more about the process of synthetic biology, and determine whether or not it is a viable option for my future career after high school. Now I continue because it is fun, and I can't imagine not doing it.
Nikayla Goddard
As a Grade 12 student, this is my second year involved with the iGEM Team. I joined iGEM not only to participate more in synthetic biology, but also to enhance my prospects after graduating high school – to be a journalist who is a conduit between scientist’s wordy reports and the common person’s ability to interpret scientific jargon. I’ve worked for the local newspaper - The Consort Enterprise - as a reporter and photographer for 4 years. Some of my hobbies include doing all manners of art (drawing, painting, etc.) alongside listening to music, watching Doctor Who, reading tons of books, and taking photos of lightning during thunderstorms.
Sam Davies
I am a Grade 12 student and have been a part of iGEM for the last two years. I love all forms of science and math so it is an amazing opportunity to be involved in such a great program. Next year I plan on taking engineering at either the University of Alberta or the University of Calgary. In addition to iGEM, my interests include reading, playing tenor sax, teaching piano and dancing.
Mr. Gerry Bourassa
Science has always been a passion of mine and I love learning about it and sharing that information with others. I learned about the iGEM competition and synthetic biology at our science teachers' conference and couldn’t wait to tell my students about it. The potential of this field of study is amazing! It is also a lot more difficult in practice than it is in theory. When I’m not in school I enjoy traveling, skiing and restoring my old motorcycle and sports car.