BIOS4910IGEM – International Genetically Engineered Machine
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This is a unique course in the Department of Biosciences. BIOS4910iGEM is meant for students from different disciplines who are interested in participating in iGEM ('International Genetically Engineered?Machine'). iGEM is an international competition in synthetic biology. Student teams will use innovative approaches that could solve local and global challenges. In supervised meetings and workshops, you will design and plan a project suitable for the iGEM competition. You will conduct supervised laboratory experiments using new and existing biological parts called 'BioBricks' from the iGEM repository. As part of the iGEM competition deliverables, you will also communicate your project plans and results to the public, collaborate with other iGEM teams worldwide, meet experts in the field to get feedback on your work, and last but not least, participate in the finals of the competition (unsually in Paris, France, in autumn).?
More details about the iGEM competition, the principles of synthetic biology, and the achievements of previous iGEM teams can be found here:
The iGEM home page?iGEM.org
Learning outcome
After completing the course you will be able to:
- Design and plan innovation projects
- Explain the principles of synthetic and molecular biology to a non-expert audience
- Plan and conduct your own laboratory experiments
- Use basic HTML and WiKi programming to make an informative online project presentation
- Apply time management and project management in an interdisciplinary setting
Admission to the course
Master's students from all disciplines at UiO can apply, provided they are full-time students in at least one of the two semesters that overlap with the iGEM competition. Additionally, Bachelor's students in their final year from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences are eligible to apply. If you do not meet these requirements, please contact the course responsible for further guidance (see below).
We encourage students who would like to know more about BIOS4910iGEM to contact Professor Dirk Linke (dirk.linke@ibv.uio.no), Athanasios Saragliadis (athanasios.saragliadis@ibv.uio.no) or Kirsten Borse Haraldsen (k.b.haraldsen@ub.uio.no) to express their interest and receive an invitation to the initial team meetings. These meetings provide details about the iGEM competition and offer a platform to discuss potential projects. Supervisors will assess each student's motivation during this phase. Following the approval of project outlines and the appraisal of motivations, students can officially register for the course with the study administration.
This course requires a minimum of 5 students to be part of the team. However, team sizes of 7-10 students are more optimal.
It is possible to include iGEM as part of your theoretical curriculum in your master's study plan.
Please contact Dirk Linke (dirk.linke@ibv.uio.no), Athanasios Saragliadis (athanasios.saragliadis@ibv.uio.no), or Kirsten Borse Haraldsen (k.b.haraldsen@ub.uio.no) to express your interest in BIOS4910iGEM before December 1st. In addition, a motivation letter must be submitted before February 1st.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
A?motivation letter must be submitted before February 1st.
Recommended previous knowledge
Master's students from all disciplines and Bachelor's students in their final year at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences are eligible to apply.?The team will benefit from diverse academic backgrounds.
Overlapping courses
- 10 credits overlap with MBV4910IGEM – International Genetically Engineered Machine (continued).
Teaching
The course will consist of a student-driven interdisciplinary project in synthetic biology. Supervisors will guide the student team, who are expected to find the necessary information to conduct the innovative project using biological parts called BioBricks from the iGEM repository. The team will attend regular meetings (at least every 2 weeks, starting in January). The overall work plan is very flexible and can be adjusted to the needs of the team members, but certain deliverables for the iGEM competition have hard deadlines that must not be missed. Please note that the main practical laboratory work and work with the wiki will have to be performed from April to October (including July).
Cost of taking the course
Participation in the competition comes with significant fees and travel cost that are covered by the university and by sponsors. Students will be required to cover food cost during competition-related travel.
Examination
There is no formal exam. "Successful" completion of the course exam will consist of two parts:
Part one is complete submission of the materials required for the iGEM competition, within the deadlines set by the competiton rules. Each student must demonstrate his/her individual contribution to these materials and to the general team effort. Part two is the successful participation at the iGEM Jamboree (the competition finals). Teams are expected to achieve at least "bronze" standards based on the?iGEM judging rules.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about?the grading system.
Resit an examination
Due to the special setup of the iGEM competition, there is no opportunity to resit parts of the course. If a student cannot participate in the iGEM Jamboree (e.g. for health reasons), he/she must contact the supervisors as soon as possible. Appropriate arrangements may be made.
The course is a pass/fail course, and is evaluated based on a long-term project effort. Withdrawing from the course is possible, but partial credit is not given if the course is not completed.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.