Team:METU Turkey/hp-with-other-universities.html
From 2013.igem.org
Although METU has been participating in iGEM for 6 years now, iGEM never caught the attention it deserved, mainly because of the technical roots of our school and the fascinating engineering clubs and their projects.
It was time for this trend to change.
Click on topics and pictures to see detailed information.
National Jamboree of turkish iGEM Teams in METU
We are the first turkish team to participate in iGEM. From 2007, every year we set up a team for iGEM, so we felt obliged to share our experiences with other teams from Turkey. We arranged a meeting and called all the turkish iGEM teams together ;Baskent_Meds,ITU_MOBGAM_Turkey and ATOMS Turkiye. We discussed our projects not only with the other teams but also instructors with different backgrounds to increase our horizons. In our meeting, our instructor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mesut MUYAN evaluated all projects wetlab perspectives while Assist. Prof. Dr. Yeşim AYDIN SON evaluated the modelling aspects. With their precious contributions, we had the opportunity to improve our projects. In this meeting we also decided to repeat this event and to meet again in Istanbul as guests of ITU after our revisions were done.
ITU_MOBGAM_TURKEY stayed a day extra in Ankara and we decided to make that day count. We prepared a crash-course for the wet-lab sessions and made the less experienced members of their team do the work. I hope it was fun and educational for them for it was pretty fun for us.
National Jamboree of turkish iGEM Teams in ITU.
After nearly 2 months passed, we gathered up in İstanbul to present our projects. First we met the instructor of ITU, also an alumni of METU. After a heavy question bombardement and lots of suggestions to improve ourselves, we, METU, ITU and Başkent (sadly the ATOMS team couldn’t join us) had a day of, talking about the problems we face, playing table football, eating the third most delicious food I have ever eaten and enjoying the time together.
Meeting with Başkent Team
Being located in the same city has its advantages for iGEM teams. Last year we met with the Başkent team for a barbeque and have been friends from there on. Apart from all the part exchanges and protocol updates from both sides, we decided to take a night out and have fun together. Working hard during the day gives one the privilege to drink a beer or two right? What better way to discuss synthetic biology, classes, the problems in the lab and the general funding problems then drinking at a rock bar after a long day right?
Meeting with ITU MOBGAM team
After we heard a team from İstanbul is participating, we gathered up to visit them. Not because we love the beautiful city of İstanbul and needed an excuse to get there! The hospitality of the İstanbul team outshined the rainy cold weather and friendships were established while having a breakfast with an epic view over the bosphorous. We visited the laboratory of the ITU team, discussed our projects, talked about potential problems in the lab or modelling part and enjoyed our new formed friendship.