Sung Won Lim, Genspace NYC co-founder. Aspiring mad scientist. Biolaser coming soon to an enemy near you.

Justin Fabrikant hails from the paradise of Santa Cruz, California. He studied Biology at Brown University while playing Ultimate Frisbee, his true passion. Justin is currently pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at Columbia University, but misses the rigor of science. Thus, he joined the Cooper-Columbia iGEM team in order to explore his most intimate love for the hack, Frankenstein, bizarre, and absurd world of synthetic biology.

Peter Liu is a junior at The Cooper Union majoring in Chemical Engineering with a minor in biochemical engineering. He joined the igem team this year to further his knowledge and lab skills in the field of synthetic and microbiology. In my free time I enjoy breakdancing, freerunning, and basketball.

Alison Acevedo is a junior at Cooper Union studying Interdisciplinary Engineering. She has been working on the wetlab team at Cooper Union. Alison joined iGEM because of her interest in synthetic biology and to gain experience working in fields related to biomedical engineering.

When she’s not hard at work tasting exotic foreign cuisine (Icelandic minke whale wasn’t as good as she had hoped), Rikki Frenkel studies architecture at Columbia University and coaxes bacteria to produce quantum dots at her local community biolab. Hailing from beautiful Cedarhurst, Long Island, she has built an exciting life out of creative indecision. Frenkel has lived in three countries while pursuing women’s studies, chemistry, architecture, and atomic force microscopy. She has questionable eyesight and prefers the world blurry.

Matthew Piziak grew up in Queens and New Jersey and is now studying Computer Science and Mathematics at Columbia University. iGEM taught him that programming bacteria is just as interesting as programming computers.

Christina Eng is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering at The Cooper Union. In addition to her engineering studies, she is also interested in the biomedical sciences and public service. She has many hobbies, which include swimming, playing tennis, and traveling to places.

Chris Lin originates from Carlisle, MA where stop lights do not exist. He continued his love for small towns at Bates College before transferring to Columbia University in an attempt to become an Electrical Engineer. He has developed a keen interest in synthetic biology after experiencing the glory of iGEM.

David Isele is a recent Cooper Union graduate who is now pursuing his PhD in Robotics at the University of Pennsylvania. He has formally studied Electrical Engineering, Oil Painting, and Perception and he thoroughly enjoyed his wondrous though sadly brief excursion into the world of Biotechnology.

Hi! My name is Mingyu Kim. I'm a Jericho High School student and one of the High School students at Genspace. I love wet lab and I love Biology! Bio-engineering is COOL!

When not plugged in, Will Long attends the Bronx High School of Science. He enjoys coding in Python, Java, and DNA. Someone should tell his teachers to give him less homework, so he can actually sleep at night.

Jason Walker is a M. Arch Candidate at GSAPP - Columbia University with a BS in Engineering Physics from Lehigh University

Ellen Jorgensen is passionate about increasing science literacy in both student and adult populations, particularly in the areas of molecular and synthetic biology. She is presently an adjunct faculty member at New York Medical College, and teaches courses and workshops in molecular and synthetic biology for the general public at Genspace. She is the leading mentor of the Columbia University-Cooper Union 2011 iGEM team.

David Orbach joined Cooper Union in the summer of 2008 with a BS in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University and a MS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester. Before joining Cooper he also earned an MD, did an intern year, and developed an interest in improving efficiency and patient throughput in the Emergency Room setting. He teaches several biology and biomedical engineering courses, including cell and molecular biology, physiology, and microbiology; helps direct the Kanbar Center for Biomedical Engineering; and serves as the college’s pre-medical advisor. Outside of Cooper, David now helps create iPhone apps and workbooks for children. See www.Brain-go.com.

Dionne Lutz began her love of science at SUNY Purchase, earning a degree in biology with concentrations in biochemistry and biotechnology. After years of research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, she got antsy and picked up her masters in education. Feeling philanthropic, she taught middle and high school in NYC's Department of Education. Now at The Cooper Union, Dionne is the Technician of the Maurice Kanbar Center for Biomedical Engineering. She helps students to transform their biological theory into actual laboratory experience, focusing on tissue culture and molecular biology. Upon hearing of the iGEM competition, she had only wish the program existed while she was an undergrad.

Oliver Medvedik earned his Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School, in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences program. As part of his doctoral work he has used single-celled budding yeast as a model system to map the genetic pathways that underlie the processes of aging in more complex organisms, such as humans. Prior to arriving in Boston for his doctoral studies, he has lived most of his life in New York City. He obtained his bachelor's degree in biology from Hunter College, City University of New York. Since graduating from Harvard, he has worked as a biotechnology consultant, taught molecular biology to numerous undergraduates at Harvard University and mentored two of Harvard’s teams for iGEM

David Benjamin is Director of the Living Architecture Lab at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) and principal of the architecture firm The Living. Recent projects include Living City (a platform for buildings to talk to one another), Amphibious Architecture (a cloud of light above New York's East River that glows and blinks according to water quality and public interest in the environment), Proof (a series of design studios at Columbia that explore testing as a design methodology), and Architecture Bio-Synthesis (a collection of new software and wetware tools for design with synthetic biology). Benjamin received an M.Arch. from Columbia GSAPP, and a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University.