Since candidate weekend, it has been stressed upon NYU Abu Dhabi students that the essence of a liberal arts education is both the breadth of interdisciplinary exposure and the depth of exploring a certain field. Similarly, prospective science students are told that what makes science at NYUAD special is the collaboration between and exposure to multiple programs within the natural sciences and engineering. Throughout their academic career, engineering and natural science students are exposed to chemistry, biology and physics. After finishing their major requirements, many of these students delve into one of the first major challenges of their college experience: iGEM.

Founded in 2004, the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, or iGEM, is a synthetic biology competition for high school, undergraduate and graduate students, for which a Giant Jamboree is held every October in Boston. The competition is centered around cooperation between the sciences, engineering and human practices. The human practices component ensures that every project contributes positively to society in addition to making advances in STEM. iGEM is thus part of a larger movement to redirect scientific and engineering achievements to where they matter the most. In 2017 iGEM hosted 310 teams from all around the world, and past projects have ranged from a rainbow of pigmented bacteria, the development of an arsenic biosensor to screen drinking water, and to banana and wintergreen scented bacteria. What iGEM means today can be better understood by a tweet from a participant:

"Forget the hoverboard. Real sign we’re living in the future is 21-year-old undergrads sequencing whole genomes for #iGEM," said Tom Ellis, Senior Lecturer in Synthetic Biology at Imperial College London.

iGEM is also a platform for discussion and debate on the impact STEM will have on the future of society. Following from this, NYUAD’s first Youth Debate held this year centered around the benefits of investment in synthetic biology relative to traditional food policy. The debate was organized in part by NYUAD’s iGEM team, and judged by leaders around the UAE.

The debate was in tune with this year’s iGEM project, which uses small microfluidic chips to quickly detect dangerous bacteria in food and water. The project also includes a device called Pathogene, which comes with a sample collector. The team focused on preserving the affordability of the device to make it available to as many regions of the world as possible. Eventually, the project hopes to contribute to improvements in overall food and water safety in vulnerable communities and to set a standard for food protection in global health.

But does iGEM have an impact on the NYUAD community?

Professors supervising the iGEM team this year describe the competition as a unique opportunity that exposes students to complex problem-solving. Mazin Magzoub, Assistant Professor of Practice in Biology, has identified one of his favorite aspects of supervising the student-led project as observing how the students learn to overcome issues on their own.

Another aspect of iGEM that is heavily stressed is the international connections formed throughout the project and the competition.

“[Such connections] can increase the visibility of NYUAD, making it more appealing that a new university is equally competing with more established universities,” pointed out Andras Gyorgy, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Ibrahim Chehade, an instructor for the project, joined NYUAD iGEM three years ago. He emphasized last year’s project and how the announcement of the gold medal — the university’s first — was one of the best moments of his career.

“Not only should scientists and engineers be involved, but there is also room for other disciplines, as social scientists and art students can easily contribute to the project,” added Magzoub.

“You start as an engineer but you end up liking the biology; next thing you know, you switched majors,” said Doovaraha Maheswarasarma, Class of 2020 and one of the co-leaders this year.

There are, however, bumps along the road. Students have to stay over the summer to work on their iGEM project, all the way until the end of October. One should not neglect the potential difficulties that arise from having multiple passionate young people working together in such high pressure situations. The pressure is intensified by the fact that last year’s team won the gold medal and both the Science and Engineering Department, as well as the team itself, expect similar results this year.

“Biology experiments do not care if you have a deadline. If the thing’s not fluorescing, [it’s not] fluorescing,” added Laura Karapuskaite, Class of 2020 and co-leader.

If you are considering iGEM as part of your college experience at NYUAD or in any school, the team has some advice for you.

“Do not take on too many other responsibilities. This is not your usual summer internship; you start in April and you finish on the day you present in Boston in October,” said Maheswarasarma.

Yet, according to current students and alumni, the process is rewarding.

“Participating in iGEM provided an opportunity to develop leadership skills and gain confidence in myself as a researcher. Our project gave me access to areas of research that I might have previously been considered unqualified for,” said Adrienne Chang, Class of 2018 and current student at Cornell University.

One of NYUAD’s main missions is the collaboration between different fields and the maturity of students to recognize the need for interdisciplinary teamwork. Within that framework, students and faculty at NYUAD have identified iGEM as an example of such a collaborative problem-solving initiative.

For those with the same passion for an interdisciplinary approach to the sciences, bring your enthusiasm and commitment to the project — just make sure you have the time in your schedule.