Participating in our iGEM team offers you the opportunity to

• work in a modern research laboratory
• design experiments 
• develop novel biological systems 
• solve exciting scientific problems

Team members learn skills in:

• synthetic biology
• state of the art lab techniques
• project design
• data analysis
• troubleshooting
• documentation using electronic lab notebooks
• scientific communication
• aspects of dual use
• bioethics

iGEM projects require:

• undergraduate & graduate research students
• organization
• experimental research (dry and wet lab)
• exchange with scientists from different research fields
• public outreach
• ethics discussions and project evaluation
• fund-raising and planning

iGEM is international. At the Giant Jamboree, students meet:

• other teams from around the world
• professors and researchers
• industry leaders
• potential project founders
• future collaborators or employers

e.g. medical diagnostics, environmental clean-up, agriculture, sustainability - students get to be innovators, not just lab assistants following instructions.

Students can see how their ideas could help people or the planet.

Participation stands out on:

• college applications
• grad school applications
• job resumes
• scholarship applications

Teams often describe iGEM as a highlight of their academic life—creative, exciting, and full of friendship and pride.