Regions/Americas/Pre-Jamboree

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Revision as of 13:59, 2 August 2011

iGEM Regional Jamboree Americas

Organizing Committee

Meeting Director        Sarah Clements, Institute of Biological Engineering
Committee member    Jenna Rickus, Purdue University
Committee member    Tom Richards, Pennsylvania State University

Jamboree Registration

Registration for the iGEM 2011 Jamboree is open. A Regional Jamboree attendance fee of $225.00 USD is required for each undergraduate or high school student and $425.00 USD for all instructors, graduate students, advisors, and other attendees. Payment of Regional Jamboree attendance fees must be received by MIT Conference Services by September 2, 2011. Payments after the due date will increase $50.00 USD. Visit to the attendance fee page for more details and to register.

Americas Teams

There are 71 Americas teams registered for the iGEM.

Calendar of Events

Calendar of Events

2011 Regional Jamboree – Americas Schedule

File:Animated arrow.gif Schedule (tentative)

Team Project Description

Please see this page for more information. The submission due date was July 15, 2011.

Safety Proposal

Please see this page for more information. The submission due date was July 15, 2011.

Tracks

Track selection helps group similar projects together so that they may be judged fairly and share presentation time. It is important that you submit your track selection on time, by September 2, 2011. You can find a list of the tracks on the tracks selection page and see judging criteria for each track. Email your top 3 track selections, in order of preference, to TBD.

Project Abstract

In order to provide others with a summary of what your project is about, we will be asking each iGEM team to submit an abstract of 100-150 words along with your project title (maximum 15 words) by September 2, 2011. Your abstract will be used in the Jamboree program that will provide a guide to the different topics that iGEM teams will be presenting. Please see the project abstract page for more details.

Team Roster

In order to get a final list of team members, each team must finalize their team roster by September 2, 2011. For your roster to be finalized, each team member must have a user account and be listed on the Team Information page. Note that all members must be confirmed and NOT listed as "pending" (i.e. they should be in the Team Roster section of the Team Information page. See this example. Be sure to include all members who participated over the summer, not only those who will be attending the Jamboree, as this list will be used to create participation certificates (so check for spelling mistakes too!).

For more information on how to add members/edit your Team Information page see the iGEM team Registration Handbook.

Safety Form

To be announced soon

Visa Letters

In previous years there were several teams that were not able to attend the Jamboree due to visa problems. If you need to apply for a visa to come to the Regional Jamboree, you can use our Invitation Letter System to print out an official invitation. We asked that all teams apply for visas by June 30 at the latest.

iGEM Americas does not have any authority over consulate offices or the visa application process. The only way to have the highest chance of obtaining a visa is to apply early. If you do not yet know who will be attending the Jamboree in October, error on the side of caution and have all members apply for visas.

Detailed information about Visitor Visas for the United States can be found [http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1265.html here].

Since the World Championship Jamboree will take place at MIT in Cambridge, MA, US four weeks after the Americas Regional Jamboree, it is crucial that all participants of iGEM 2011 should apply for and obtain the necessary visas to travel to the US as soon as possible to the World Championship Jamboree.

Students should apply for B-1 visas (business visas), not B-2 (travel visas). Under a travel visa you are not allowed to present at a conference.

Invitation letter system You can get a customized invitation letter following these steps:

1. Log-in to 2011.igem.org
2. Click on My Account
3. At the bottom of your account page you will see a box for Visas - Invitation Letters
4. Click on edit and enter your information
5. Save your edits
6. Download your letter

If you need a visa invitation letter specific to the Regional Jamboree, please contact iGEM Headquarters.

Documentation

Project: According to the iGEM requirements, each iGEM team's project should be documented on the iGEM 2011 wiki site with enough detail to replicate it independently. Additional presentational information about the team - their story, the rationale for the project, failures, successes, future work, etc. - is highly encouraged. Remember that these wiki pages will be the main source of inspiration for future teams, and having good documentation on them and in the part description in the Registry increases the likelihood of more teams building on your project and your parts. What is considered proper documentation is decided by the judging committee and you can find details about proper documentation at the judging page.

Parts: iGEM requirements also state that all teams must properly document their parts on the [http://partsregistry.org/Main_Page Registry of Standard Biological Parts]. The judging committee also decides what is considered proper part documentation. See the judging page for details. Remember, the success of not just iGEM, but all of synthetic biology, depends on the development of well-characterized, reliable, standardized biological parts that have been designed to be simple to use and understand.

DNA Submissions

iGEM teams are expected to submit their parts to the [http://partsregistry.org/Main_Page Registry of Standard Biological Parts]. Please take a look at the submissions page linked below. In addition to submitting your parts, you must also declare which of your parts are "favorites". Judges will only be looking at favorite parts so make sure to promote them before September 28, 2011.

See the DNA submission requirements for more information about the DNA submission process.

Judging Criteria

Similar to the past iGEMs, all teams can earn medals (bronze, silver and gold) upon fulfilling a set of requirements. Apart from these, there are ten special prizes awarded to honor specific innovative and unique contributions. Please see the judging page for more details.

Judging Form

Teams will be required to submit a judging form that outlines their accomplishments according to the judging criteria. Judging forms will be available online at the beginning of TBD, and will be due on September 28, 2011.

Wiki Freeze

iGEM 2011 team wikis will be frozen on September 28, 2011 at 11:59 EDT. See the wiki freeze page for more details.

Poster Requirements

There is a poster session on Sunday. Locations will be assigned at random prior to your arrival at the Regional Jamboree. The poster booths will be ready beginning at TBD outside TBD so you can set up your poster prior to the session. You will be required to put up your poster by TBD.

Posters shall be NO LARGER than 4ft (width) x 4ft (height). Each team may only put up ONE poster.

For details on poster judging see the judging page. Keep in mind that the poster must be able to convey your team's project fully. It should be able to be judged without any external information or input from team members.

iGEM Americas will be asking for a copy of your poster in pdf format for our files. You will be required to provide the pdf version of your poster at the beginning of your scheduled presentation session.

Presentation Requirements

Each registered iGEM team is to make a 20-minute presentation, followed by 5 minutes of questions/answers session. A laptop will NOT be provided to your team - please make sure you bring your own laptop from which to display your presentation as well as any necessary accessories to connect the laptop to a projector cable.

iGEM 2011 Americas will also be asking for a copy of your presentation in pdf format for our files. You will be required to provide the pdf version of your presentation at the beginning of your scheduled presentation session.

Sign-up Practice Sessions

Saturday October 8, 2011: Presentation Practice Please email sclements@ibe.org with your team name and the # of the time slot that you would like to reserve on Saturday night October 8, 2011 to practice your talk. Be sure to indicate your Practice Presentation with your team name in the subject line. Note that there will a projector and screen in each room but there will NOT be a computer. Ten (10) meeting rooms will be unlocked during the practice session and you should use them and leave them as you found them.

There are a limited number of time slots available on a first-come first-serve basis so please only choose one slot. We cannot match the room that you will ultimately give your presentation in with the practice room. This should, however, give you a chance to practice your talk in a new environment. Please keep in mind that there will be teams waiting to use the room after you, so make sure that your practice finishes on time. Also, on Saturday, October 8, 2011, there will also be pre-registration available beginning at 5:00pm (location TBD). Conference services will be on site to pass out team registration boxes.

Software Tools Track

More details will be provided for the software tools track as the iGEM season progresses.

General Release Form

The iGEM 2011 Regional Jamboree - Americas will be a multimedia event: in addition to the team presentation videos that will be uploaded online, we will also be uploading photos and videos from the entire regional event so others can get an idea of what iGEM and the Regional Jamboree is like.

In order to comply with the law, every person attending the Jamboree must fill out this general release form. All participants attending the Regional Jamboree must print, fill out, and bring a general release form with you to the Jamboree. (link to a new page with additional information and a link to the pdf)

Go to the release form page for an online and pdf version of the form. (link to a new page with additional information and a link to the pdf)

Hotels

iGEM does not provide travel or housing for any iGEM members. Participants are required to make their own travel and lodging arrangements. However, we have arranged for iGEM Block rooms with special pricing at nearby hotels. All iGEM Block rooms are available on a first-come, first-serve basis so it is recommended that you make your reservations early.

Currency

The legal tender is the United States Dollar (USD). The exchange rates vary on a daily basis, you may get a general idea of the currency conversion here.

Weather

Temperature ranges from 43°F to 65°F in October. You may visit www.weather.com to get a useful 7 day weather forecast. Layering is the best way to dress in October and remember to bring an umbrella with you for the occasional rain.

Voltage

Electric power is standardized in all states across the USA. It is set at 110 Volts and 60 cycles. Standard electric plugs have two flat blades.. Foreign appliances may require an adapter or a transformer.

Guests, Family and Friends

Guests, family and friends are welcome to come to the Jamboree. Each must register and pay the Jamboree attendance fee. As space is limited in presentation rooms and at the opening and closing ceremony, preference will be given to iGEM team members. Extra seating will be available on a space available basis. Payment of the Regional Jamboree attendance fee does not guarantee a seat in presentation rooms or at the opening and closing ceremony.

General Enquiry

For enquiries, please contact

Sarah Clements, IBE Meetings Director sclements@ibe.org 859-977-7450