Team:Queens/Team

The Student Lineup

Parthiv Amin

Nickname: Parthon=Python/francium phosphide (Fr₃P) / fatal attrACTION

Program: B.Sc. BioChemical Engineering 2011

QGEM Position: Student Volunteer/Webmaster

About: I am currently entering my third year in BioChemical Engineering at Queen's University. I garnered an interest in iGEM due to my fascination of the field of biofuels, especially the use of engineered algal strains for biodiesel production. As a volunteer member of the QGEM, my focus is mostly on the technological aspects of iGEM: maintaining the Wiki, compiling data, and animations. Outside of QGEM I'll be working on the Queen's BAJA SAE car, as well as getting some of the paperwork filed for a new chemical engineering design team a few of my friends and I are developing. In my free time I'll be playing my guitar & Halo 2, surfing the net, and of course doing a metric tonne of homework.

Michael Freeman

Nickname: The Naked Sasquatch / Microbicurious

Program: B.Sc. BioChemical Engineering 2010

QGEM Position: Student Employee

About: I am in my fourth year at Queen's after transferring degree programs from chemistry to biochemical engineering. iGEM is a competition that grabbed my interest immediately because of the unbelievable possibilities synthetic biology makes available. Solving problems in general is incredibly interesting to me, and solving them in unconventional or obscure ways is even more exciting. I came into iGEM with a few project ideas like including engineered microbes in specific waste water treatment processes, creating a more conclusive indicator test for aggressive prostate cancers, and creating some microbial suspension which could be ingested and used to break down cellulose in the human stomach, a hugely abundant source of food and energy. For iGEM this year I was a 'wet labber' responsible for creating, engineering and testing our Heme/Heme-Oxygenase system which would be used as one of our plaque degrading effectors. In order to keep from going nuts from talking with bacteria all day I bar tend at night, I compete in triathlons and varsity rowing for Queen's, I am deeply in love with traveling and hosting travelers, and I have just entered the wonderful (and expensive) world of skydiving! Ever touched a cloud? This guy has.

Jonas Elliott Gerson

Nickname: Sex Pili

Program:

QGEM Position:

About: More to come later

James MacLeod

Nickname: Bond

Program: B.Sc.H. Biology

QGEM Position: Co-Founder

About: I am currently in my third year at Queen's University pursuing a Bachelor's of Science (BScH). I was born in Britain, lived in the Middle East for a period, and now reside in Canada. I love the skiing that Canada has to offer, and I'm very excited that Queen's will be participating in the 2009 Jamboree and am looking forward to meeting teams from across the world!

Bogdan Momciu

Nickname: The Count

Program: B.Sc.H. Life Sciences SSP 2010

QGEM Position: Student Employee

About: I am 4th year student in the Queen's University Life Sciences program with a focus towards research and biomedical applications. Once I heard about iGEM I was greatly enthusiastic about the idea due to the sheer number of innovations this kind of cooperative initiative could end up producing. During this past summer I worked on the design and synthesis of our SAA and Endothelial Cell Binding Constructs as well as testing and troubleshooting. In my spare time I like to play a variety of sports including hockey, soccer, and volleyball.

Chris Palmer

Nickname: FRECsecutioner

Program: B.Sc. Engineering Chemistry 2012

QGEM Position: Student Volunteer

About: I am a second year student in the Engineering Chemistry program at Queen's university, but I have always had a strong interest in microbiology and biochemistry as well. As a result, I was intrigued by the opportunities presented by the iGEM competition. As soon as I heard that Queen's was forming an iGEM team, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it and help get it off the ground in its first year. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time this summer working with everyone else on the team, and I look forward to meeting people and hearing about everyone's exciting projects at the jamboree!

Bryant Shum

Nickname: Blossom

Program: Life Science SSP 2011

QGEM Position: Student Employee

About: I am currently a third year undergraduate student at Queen's, with a concentration in Life Science. Given the nature of my studies, I have always been fascinated by the sheer variety of phenotypes that can arise from a simple genetic code; therefore, the chance to play "Lego" with these complex molecules of life was an irresistible opportunity for me. Specifically, my role on the team this year was to help construct the genetic components required for plaque binding, as well as to conduct background research on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. And, so far, this has proven to be a challenging but unforgettable project.

Kate Turner

Nickname: Chicken Joe / The Octagon

Program: B.Sc. BioChemical Engineering 2010

QGEM Position: Student Employee

About: I am in my fourth year of a chemical engineering degree at Queen’s, focusing on the biomedical stream. I spent last summer working as a field engineer in the Alberta oil patch, but this year I wanted to broaden my horizons and focus on biotechnology or biomedical research. I was especially interested in iGEM due to the wide-ranging applications of synthetic biology – from smog cleanup to combating tumours to degrading plastics – and now I hope to continue in this field after graduation. During the summer I worked in one of the labs testing the heme/HO-1 effector system and researching the amelioration of atherosclerotic plaques by CO, HO-1, and biliverdin. Outside of QGEM, I spent my summer camping, BBQing, and reading like a fiend.

Christopher Yan

Nickname: YanTASTIC

Program: B.Sc.H. Life Sciences 2012

QGEM Position: Student Employee

About: I am a second year Life Sciences student at Queen's University. This is my first time participating in an event of such grand scale and am very much looking forward to the Jamboree.

Harry Zhou

Nickname: Bubbles

Program: B.Sc.H. Biochemistry 2011

QGEM Position: Co-Founder

About: I am a third-year Biochemistry student at Queen’s University. Starting in high school, I had a strong interest in biotechnology that has the potential of benefiting health care and environment. When I was in grade 12, a professor at University of Calgary introduced me to synthetic biology and the iGEM competition and I volunteered for the UCalgary team in 2007. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was fascinated by the iGEM program, which provides a platform for students to tackle important problems concerning the environment, health care, and new technology. This was why I decided to put together a multidisciplinary team of undergraduate students at Queen’s to participate in this year’s iGEM competition. I had tons of fun this summer planning and carrying out experiments for the project and working with students from other discipline. In my spare time, I like to play sports, guitar, and read.

The Faculty Advisors

Ian D. Chin-Sang, Ph.D.

Faculty: Arts & Science

Department: Biology

Position: Associate Professor and CCS/NCIC Research Scientist

Research: Molecular Genetics of C. elegans Development

Peter A. Greer, Ph.D.

Faculty: Arts & Science

Department: BioChemistry

Position: Professor of Biochemistry and Pathology & Molecular Medicine

Research: Cancer Signal Transduction

David P. Lebrun, MD

Faculty: Medicine

Department: Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Position: Associate Professor of Pathology & Molecular Medicine

Research: Molecular Mechanisms of Leukemia & Clinicopathological Correlations in Malignant Lymphoma

Nancy Martin, Ph.D.

Faculty: Arts & Science

Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Position: Associate Professor

Research: Sensing and Adaptation to Environmental Changes in Salmonella typhimurium

Ronald J. Neufeld, Ph.D.

Faculty: Applied Science

Department: Chemical Engineering

Position: Professor

Research: Bioencapsulation & Bioactives Processing and Controlled Release

Waheed Sangrar, Ph.D.

Faculty: Medicine

Department: Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Position: Assistant Professor

Research: Breast Cancer

Virginia K. Walker, Ph.D.

Faculty: Arts & Science

Department: Biology

Position: Professor

Research: Genetics and Molecular Biology of Resistance