Team:CityU HK/Team

Students

Hi! I am Bill, a Year 4 student studying bioengineering. Living in the moment is my life attitude. I am always looking for ways to get out of my comfort zone so that I can explore my interests and abilities. Genetic engineering is fascinating to me because DNA sequences reveal the secret of biogenesis. Throughout the project, I had the chance to perform lab work, research about biosafety concerns as well as characterize some of our constructs. iGEM provided me with a unique and fulfilling learning experience. I believe that this experience has given me the confidence to share my ideas and make them a reality.

Hello! I’m Aruna and I’m a third-year student in Applied Biology. My main role in the team is to research the biosafety aspects of our project and complete the parts registry while simultaneously performing lab work. The iGEM experience has been transformative and a great learning opportunity. I am glad to have been able to contribute to the team and to our project.

I am Ava, a Year 3 student majoring in Applied Biology. Being a researcher in the field of biology is my dream and personal goal. I enjoy the process of scientifically finding the answer to a question. The iGEM competition is an invaluable opportunity for me to acquire more research experience in the field of synthetic biology.

I am Effie, a Year 3 Applied Biology student. I am an approachable person and also a good listener. Anyone is welcome to share their thoughts with me. I contributed to the team working on the Interlab study while also constructing our biobricks. iGEM provided me with a valuable chance to learn the basics of synthetic biology and to meet great people. Turning ideas into reality is also a new learning experience for me.

Hello. I am Esther, a Year 3 student majoring in Applied Biology. Genetics is my favourite field in biology because it demonstrates how complexity can arise from the simplest entity. My responsibility in the team is to keep everyone updated with news from the iGEM headquarters so that we don’t miss any deadlines. iGEM has been a precious experience. Besides a marked improvement on pipetting skills, I have learned to troubleshoot problems when they arise.

I am Jeanie, a year 3 student from Applied Biology. Genetics is fascinating. It is amazing that complex genetic information is only recorded by 4 types of nucleotides. A single nucleotide change can make a great difference. This is enchanting to me. The iGEM competition has provided me the opportunity to apply what I have learnt from class to real life. I contributed to the team through cloning our cassettes, and maintaining the lab log. In addition to improving my laboratory skills, iGEM was an invaluable chance to work with my lovely groupmates throughout summer.

Joe
Bioengineering, Final Year
I am a final year bioengineering student. After studying engineering for 3 years and working in a neuroengineering lab for 1.5 years, I decided to join iGEM to explore the field of genetics - one of the two fields in biology I love most (the other one is neural science and engineering). Even though I don’t have much prior experience or knowledge about genetics I was able to pick up the theory and skills quickly because I am a hand’s on learner. I believe my previous research experience, mathematical sense, logical thinking, engineering mindset, and proficiency in Excel and Matlab enabled me to contribute to the team. This was the first time I worked with so many science students as a team. By doing so, I learn how powerful it is to cooperate with people from different disciplines. In addition to doing lab work, I was responsible for building the team Wiki, making computer simulations as well as characterising our lysis cassette constructs. I am also a member of the Presentation team.

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Hi, my name is Mandy! I am a Year 3 Applied Biology student. I have an interest in biology because it has lead to amazing and fascinating discoveries that help us further understand life. I am most interested in applying special animal characteristics to commercial products that will benefit society. iGEM is an attractive competition through which I was able to learn the basics synthetic biology and useful laboratory skills. I was able to put my knowledge of graphic design to create various graphics for our poster and Wiki. It is a great opportunity to compete with universities around the world. It is no doubt that iGEM will be the greatest success in my university life.

Hi, I am Ma Lee, a student studying Applied Biology. You can call me Mary as well. Manipulating genes is such an amazing ability. Who hasn’t dream about it in their childhood? When I was young, I thought this would be the power of some mutants that only appear in comic books. But now, with the power of science, everyone can manipulate genes. That's the reason I joined iGEM -- to learn this power and spread this knowledge to the general public. My responsibilities in this team are to do lab work, complete forms and remind everyone of deadlines. Such a relaxing job. :)

Hi, I am Siu Ho Ming. The opportunity to be a part of CityU iGEM team has been worthwhile and valuable. I have particular interest in discovering and learning whatever my curiosity brings upon me. I enjoy science because it has no constraints. Innovation is to creativity what sugar is to coffee -they are the major components that make science. It is definitely my honor to work with my team over the past few months. We stood by each other through thick and thin. Nothing would have been possible without everyone’s contribution. My contribution was the development of two new games for our Human Practices and construction of several lysis cassettes.

I’m Peter, a year 3 student studying Applied Biology. Nothing can fascinate me as much as life science. Countless human inventions and designs are inspired by nature. To me, the most compact natural storage system is the genome. iGEM provided me with an opportunity to create our own project and modify this product of Mother Nature. I appreciate the complexity of the genome. I have given by best to characterize the lysis cassettes and designing the team Wiki.

Hi! My name is Rocky. I am currently a high school senior studying at the International Christian School of Hong Kong. Over the summer, I had the privilege of working alongside the CityU iGEM team. Throughout my time with the team, I learnt many useful things about working in a lab and how to work towards a goal as a team. I sincerely hope my experience will take me to new heights in the future.

I am Tina. I have had a meaningful summer with the other team members. Putting what I have learnt to good use gives me contentment as an engineer in the making. Joining CityU iGEM team was a groundbreaking experience for me. It was exciting to put our innovative ideas into practical use. I have gained a whole new level of understanding about the world of biology, while gaining a lot of valuable knowledge and hands-on experience. These are things that will benefit my whole life.

Hello! I am Tommy. This is a very precious opportunity to gather people who share similar interests to work together as a team - a team which cares for each other while exploring and learning. The iGEM competition means a lot to me. I was able to apply my knowledge from school to real life. The experience of working as a team and communicating with each other is priceless. I am very glad that I have been given the opportunity to be one of the team members of the CityU iGEM team this year.

Hello. I am Oscar Chan, a third-year Applied Biology student. iGEM is actually the first serious scientific project I have been involved in. In the past, my perception of science was only limited to theories in books, but with iGEM, I can finally get my hands dirty. My main responsibilities were to characterize the genes and to create graphics, both of which were more challenging than I expected. However, this is also why I love science. Despite limitations and difficulties, scientists strive to dig out the truth and utilize their discoveries to make the world a better place. The satisfaction it brings is incomparable.

Instructors

Dr. Richard Kong is the Associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Chemistry at City University of Hong Kong. His research interest is on the application of DNA-based technologies to develop novel risk assessment and bioremediation tools to address problems related to diverse aspects of pollution in the marine environment. He plays a major role in coordinating the iGEM Team, providing the necessary guidance, training and support to all the iGEMers.

Dr. Chiu is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at City University of Hong Kong. He is interesting in teaching students especially on technical skills in biomedical research. Therefore, I enjoy very much in participating in the iGEM competition by sharing my research experience and skills. His research focuses on the roles of transcription factor AP-4 during development and in metastasis of cancers.

Dr. Lau is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at City University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on the RNA biogenesis in infectious diseases, in particular those pathogens found in Hong Kong. He enjoys talking and asking questions about science. His role in iGEM team is to coordinate and provide support to the students.

Advisors

Oscar Ying

Hi!I am a fresh graduate from City University of Hong Kong Applied Biology program. Currently as a research assistant in Dr Richard Kong’s lab. My duty is to ensure the iGEMers can get all the necessities for their experiments and to give technical support when they encounter difficulty. It is awesome to work with all the iGEMers and I really enjoy every minute with the team. I hope my limited experience in biology research can help the team and make things a little bit easier.

Marco So

Molecular biologists are gift takers. Nature, through millions of years of evolution, has given us the best gift --- countless combinations and varieties of genes. We, the ambitious scientists, are trying to make even more out of it - putting together ingenious pieces to help our species live better, if not the whole world’s ecosystem. Last year, I was one of the innocent teens that stepped into this playground. Today, I am a mentor of the Breaking Lac team. Position changed, passion stays.

Maria Li

Ciao a tutti! I’m Maria. Last year, I was a student member of the 2014 CityU_HK iGEM team. iGEM offers me a lot of chances to open my eyes. This year I’m glad to keep living in the iGEM spirit as a mentor of the Breaking Lac team. I love to explore innovative stuff and to apply science concepts to improve human lives. Since building the wiki for my iGEM team last year, I have fallen in love with programming. I believe integrating programming and biology can create fascinating innovations.

Venus Wong

I am the assistant of the CityU iGEM this year. I am glad that I can become part of the team. While helping them, I was surprised by their insistence and creativity, despite having no prior knowledge of synthetic biology. Even though there were many difficulties, they tried their best to solve the problems they encountered. I believe CityU iGEM would be an unforgettable lesson and memory for them this year.

Ivan Yau

I am a graduate student from City University. I am glad to take part in the iGEM competition to share my experience and scientific knowledge. I really appreciated the iGEMers. They are very passionate and demonstrated excellent team spirit. Wish CityU iGEMers all the best!

Vivian Lin

Natural history aficionado, freelance artist/writer, fresh graduate from the City University Applied Biology program and currently working as a research assistant. I help conduct the longitudinal study on the Discovery-enriched Curriculum currently being implemented in the university. I took part in proofreading and editing of the CityU iGEM Wiki.

ABOUT US

We are a diverse team of CityU undergraduates, working hard to create a better world.

LOCATION

Department of Biology and Chemistry,
City University of Hong Kong
Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon,
Hong Kong SAR

CONTACT US

Email: cityu.igem2015@gmail.com
Tel: +852 34427654