Regions/Americas/DuringTheJamboree

From 2011.igem.org

Revision as of 12:46, 4 October 2011

Welcome

Welcome to the iGEM 2011 Americas Regional Jamboree! The next few days will be full of exciting presentations, stimulating conversations, well-deserved awards, and most of all, a lot of fun. The following information will guide you through the whole Regional Jamboree event from what to expect at the Saturday night practice all the way up to the awards ceremony on Monday. Please read through this whole guide! It contains useful instructions and information that will ensure your Jamboree experience will go as smoothly as possible. And as a special note to team leaders, you will have some extra responsibilities so please make sure you are aware of what you are expected to do.

Note: For all locations – University Place Conference Center and Hotel, IUPUI Lecture Hall and JW Marriott Indianapolis, consult the maps in your registration packet.

Jamboree Schedule

We have prepared a program for the poster and presentation sessions.

File:Animated arrow.gif Click here to download the schedule.

Questions and Information

If you have a question or need help at any point during the Americas Region Jamboree, you can visit the registration and information center (aka The Hub) located at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel in the Bistro Lobby on the second floor or look for one of the iGEM staff members on site.

Note: Monday activities including breakfast, final presentations, iGEM from above and the awards will be held at the JW Marriott. The Hub will be located in the JW Grand Ballroom VII on the third floor.

Registration/Check-In

Teams can check-in for the Americas Regional Jamboree on Saturday, October 8 beginning at 6pm. Registration will be located at University Place Conference Center and Hotel in the Bistro Lobby on the second floor.

At Registration you will pick up your team box containing team member badges, participation certificates, registration packets, lunch instructions, and other important and useful information. Each team leader will be responsible for picking up the team box. This means that each member of the team DOES NOT have to stand in line at Registration. Important: in order to pick up your team box, you will be required to turn in all general release forms for each person that is on your team roster. The release forms are absolutely necessary (see section on release forms below). Registration personnel will check off each release form for each team member. Badge(s) pertaining to each person missing a release form will be held at Registration until the form has been turned in. Badges will be necessary for entrance into presentation rooms, events, and for access to food.

Guests can check-in on Saturday, October 8 also at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel in the Bistro Lobby. If you did not register online, it will be possible to register on-site during the course of the Americas Region Jamboree. Registration at this time will cost $275 for undergraduates and high school students, and $475 for everyone else. On Monday, however, on-site registration will take place at the JW Marriott Indianapolis.

Badges

You will receive your name badge as part of your team box, as long as you have submitted your general release form. Please wear your badge at all times during the Americas Region Jamboree and make sure it is clearly visible. Badges will be necessary for entrance into presentation rooms, for access to food, and for the iGEM social event. If you do not have a badge, you must register in order to obtain one.

General Release

The 2011 iGEM Americas Region Jamboree 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 event so others can get an idea of what iGEM and the Americas Region Jamboree is like. In order to comply with the law, all participants attending the Jamboree must print, fill out, and bring a general release form with them to the Americas Region Jamboree. Note: Team leaders, you must have a filled-out general release form for each member of your team that is on the official roster before you can pick up your team member badges and team box. There will also be blank copies available at registration for you to fill out if you need another copy. If you have any questions or need further clarification, feel free to ask an iGEM staff member. Print out the general release form at 2011.igem.org/wiki/images/8/89/Jamboree_release_form-iGEM.pdf.

Team Leaders

As mentioned above, team leaders have a few responsibilities. Each team leader (or a designated representative) will be responsible for gathering all team member general release forms and handing them in at Check-in in order to obtain your team box. Team leaders are responsible for making sure individual team members receive the materials in the box. On Monday at the JW Marriott Indianapolis, team leaders will pick up their team medals after the awards ceremony in JW Grand Ballroom VII.

Team Boxes

Your team box will contain the following:

• Team member badges
• Map of iGEM events
• Team member certificates
• Americas Region Jamboree Handbook
• Program & Schedule
• Team-Specific Information
• Lunch Information
• iGEM 2011 Social Event Info
• Internet Connection Instructions
• Sponsor Information
• Other Information

Notes: Team leaders are responsible for picking up team boxes and ensuring individual team members receive the necessary materials. Badges are to be worn at all times.

Team Spirit

At the Americas Region Jamboree you will be representing your team, university, and country, so why not show off! Designing team t-shirts is always a good idea, and here at iGEM HQ we encourage you to wear them. They also make for a particularly nice iGEM from Above photograph as well. Wear your school colors, your team's name, or give a nod to your team's sponsors. We also encourage you to find new ways to showcase your team spirit.  Saturday Night Practice

Teams will be allowed to practice on Saturday night October 8 at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel beginning at 6:00pm. You can practice your presentation, and get to know fellow iGEM members. There are a limited number of rooms available, so please sign up online to reserve a room and time slot. Practice sessions will run from 6:00pm to 10:00pm, and there will also be pizza, salad and soda provided on a first come, first serve basis. We cannot match the practice room with the room that you will give your presentation in on Sunday. Note: there will not be technical staff on hand to help with audio/visual equipment. Please leave all presentation rooms in the condition that you found them.

Saturday Opening Ceremony

The Sunday Opening Ceremony will officially kick off the 2011 Americas Region Jamboree! The opening ceremony will be held at the Auditorium and room 118 at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel at 9:00am on Sunday, October 9, with breakfast starting at 8:00am. Be sure to attend as we will also update you with any new changes to the Americas Region Jamboree and the events planned for the next few days.

iGEM Message Boards

Trying to find someone at the Americas Region Jamboree? Want to leave some words of praise for your fellow iGEMers? The Hub space will have message boards so that you can leave a note for a team or one of their members. All teams should check their hub’s message board throughout the Jamboree. There may be a funny, interesting, or important message waiting for you!

Food

Food will be provided throughout the Americas Region Jamboree. There will be two lunch stations at the hub: Bistro Lobby and the 2nd Floor Slate Hallway. Your name badge includes a dot in bottom right corner. The dot indicates your assigned station, which will be used to pick up your lunch. Badges must be (visibly) worn in order to have access to all food.

Teams have been randomly assigned to lunch stations in order to spread out the crowd and cut down on the time you have to wait on line. We ask that you please pick up your lunch in your assigned station, although you are free to eat it where you wish.

See the flyer in your registration folder for the menu and your assigned lunch pick up location.

Specially requested meals: vegan and gluten-free lunches will be reserved for pick-up at the Registration Desk in the Bistro Lobby.

Posters

Each team is required to present a poster at the Americas Region Jamboree. The poster session is on Sunday, October 9 at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel in the Bistro Lobby and 2nd Floor Slate Hallway. Your team has been randomly assigned poster a location according to track. Please see your poster information sheet, in your team box, for your team’s specific location.

The poster must be no larger than 4 ft (48 in, 121.92 cm) by 4 ft (48 in, 121.92cm). Each team may only put up ONE poster. The poster should be hung up on one of the poster stands provided.

Push pins will be provided at the poster stands and are to be affixed to each poster board. Please only use the push pins. Do not use tape. Teams can setup their posters beginning at 6pm on Saturday .

Poster judges will be roaming throughout the evening on Saturday and all day Sunday. A green sticker affixed to your poster will indicate that it has been judged. The poster receptions will be held Sunday, October 7 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the University Place Conference Center & Hotel in the Bistro Lobby and 2nd Floor Slate Hallway.

Posters must be removed immediately following the poster reception on Sunday. Please be sure to remove your poster at the end of the reception because any remaining posters will not be saved.

Presentations

This year there are a total of five presentation rooms located in the Lecture Hall on the IUPUI Campus (consult the maps in your registration packet for walking directions) . Your team’s scheduled presentation time, slot, session, and room have all been randomly assigned within your track. Please see your team box for information on when and where your team will be presenting.

In each room, the presentations will be divided into sessions with each session comprised of three separate presentations. Each of the three presentations given during a session will be of the same ‘track’. If you are attending the presentations, please stay for the whole session and only leave the room during the scheduled breaks.

Each team has 20 minutes of presentation time, 5 minutes for questions and answers, and 5 minute to switch with the next presenters. Please be sure to bring the necessary equipment for your presentation, such as your laptop, cables/adaptors, and power supply, as iGEM HQ will not provide these.

We need your posters and presentations

In an effort to capture all of the hard work that teams have put into their iGEM projects and to provide the judges an opportunity to view your work prior to the sessions, we ask that each team give us a copy of your presentation and a poster.

In the past, presentations and posters have been submitted 10 minutes prior to the start of the session but this year teams are asked to submit their presentations and posters as soon as possible. To submit your files follow the instructions below.

• Save your presentation and poster as a pdf file.
• Files may be submitted one of two ways:
  • Registration Desk Submissions: Team leaders may submit presentations and posters at the registration desk as early as 6:00pm on Saturday, October 8 until 1 hour prior to the start of their session.
  • Session Submissions: Teams may also submit presentations and posters 10 minutes prior to the start of the sessions. Bring your laptop with the files on it to the front of the presentation room and an iGEM staff member will transfer your presentation and poster to a USB key that they will have with them.

Note: Teams are encouraged to submit files as soon as possible so that the judges may prepare for the session.

Social Event: Sunday night

On Sunday night after the poster reception, we will be hosting the iGEM 2011 Americas Region Jamboree Social Event at the University Place Conference Center & Hotel.

After a long day of presentations, the Jamboree Social Event will be a welcome change, so we highly encourage all iGEM participants to attend. Relax and have fun!

For those who are 21 and over there will be a cash bar. The drinking age in the US is 21 so please keep this in mind. Hotel staff will be checking IDs so please have your US ID or passport with you as identification. Underage drinking activity will get you kicked out by hotel staff from the social event, so please don't have a friend buy you alcohol.

Note: Consult your team box for a flyer with additional information and highlights about the Jamboree Social Event.

Awards Ceremony

The awards ceremony will be held on Monday at the JW Marriott Indianapolis in the JW Grand Ballroom VII-X on the third floor and will start at with breakfast at 8:30am and the presentations starting at 9:30am. The judges will announce the four finalists, who will then be asked to give their presentations again. All teams should be prepared to present at the JW Marriott Indianapolis so be sure to bring the necessary materials with you.

After the finalists have given their presentations, the judges will deliberate and the iGEM from Above picture will be taken! Finally, the award winners will be announced and the 2011 Americas Region Jamboree will officially end.

Note: For guest attendees, entrance to the awards ceremony is not guaranteed, and is dependent on the capacity of the JW Grand Ballroom VII-X.

iGEM Americas from Above

After the finalists have given their presentations on Monday, we will be taking the 2011 iGEM Americas Region from Above picture! The picture will be taken at the JW Marriot Indianapolis, weather permitting. Make sure to wear your iGEM team t-shirt!

Medals

This year we are once again designating achievements for documentation of your project and contributions to the synthetic biology community. These achievements are signified by a bronze, silver, or gold medal seal, which each team member can adhere to their participatory certificate. These designations will be based on their performance in the online judging round (online judging occurs in the week directly before the Jamboree).

Criteria for each medal level are listed on 2011.igem.org/Judging#Poster_judging.

Team Leaders can pick up their team medals (one for each member on the official roster) on Monday afternoon after the awards ceremony in the JW Grand Ballroom VII. It is intended that your medal seal be placed on your participation certificate (for each team member). Frames for participation certificates can also be picked up in JW Grand Ballroom VII after the awards ceremony.

Awards/Frames

Awards will be presented at the awards ceremony on Monday, October 10. Each team that wins an award will receive an award certificate for each team member. These award certificates are separate from the participation certificates that all iGEM teams receive from their team box. Both the award certificates and the participation certificates look great when framed. Certificate frames will be provided by iGEM HQ and will be available in the JW Grand Ballroom VII after the awards ceremony finishes.

Family and Friends

Family and friends are welcome to register for all iGEM Jamboree events. If non-iGEM team members (e.g. family, friends, guests) want to attend the presentation sessions, poster sessions, social on Sunday, and the awards ceremony, they have to officially register and get a badge (onsite registration is available and can be paid for with all major credit cards, US$475). Entrance to the awards ceremony is not guaranteed, and is dependent on the capacity of the JW Grand Ballroom VII-X. Priority for access to the awards ceremony is given to the iGEM team members.

Luggage

If you need to check out of your hotel on Monday morning and need to stow your luggage somewhere, please check with the hotel bell stand for their processes.

Transportation

The city of Indianapolis offers public bus transportation via IndyGo. There are 30 Fixed Routes. Including:

• The Green Line Downtown/Airport Express - $7 per ride, 7 days per week, 5 a.m.-9 p.m.

Providing non-stop service from Indianapolis International Airport to Downtown Indianapolis. IndyGo's Route 8 also serves the Indianapolis International Airport. Buses run every 20 minutes daily 5 a.m.-9 p.m. The Green Line times are approximate and may vary due to road and traffic conditions. Passengers may pay with credit card (Visa or Mastercard) on the bus or purchase fare passes in advance by calling IndyGo, visiting them online or in person at the kiosk in Ground Transportation, Indianapolis International Airport. Bus Fare: $7 per trip. Including eight convenient stops near 16 downtown hotels.

• The Red Line Downtown/IUPUI Circulator - $1.75 per ride, Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Use the convenience of the Red Line to connect to the IUPUI Campus from downtown Indianapolis.

• Other Fixed Routes throughout Indianapolis - $4 Day Pass

Learn more and buy passes at [http://www.indygo.net www.indygo.net].

Yellow cab also operates in Indianapolis and can be reached by calling 317-487-7777.

Contact Information

If you need to get in touch with an iGEM representative for an urgent matter, please stop by the registration desk or contact Sarah Clements at 859-619-3948.

Emergency Information

If there is an emergency (medical emergency, fire, police, etc.) please dial 911.