Usually Friday the 13th would be considered the creepiest day of the year, but this go around iGEM team made it all about collaboration! The meetup was attended by the teams: Virginia, William & Mary, Georgia State, Richard Montgomery, Maryland, US Naval Academy, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore BioCrew. The event also had two speakers, Tom Burkett and Elliot RothRoth. Holly was able to attend and share more about the new programs that will be showcased throughout the year for the iGEM Community platform.

During the event, the guest speakers were able to give the teams some helpful insight on how to develop their projects and offered some helpful entrepreneurial insight. It truly was a great time! At the end of the event, groups agreed on taking into account not just the technical aspects of their projects, but the social implications and promises as well.

Throughout the event, each team had the opportunity to present their projects and talk about what they are planning for this year's Giant Jamboree. Their respective advisors and guests provided the team's feedback, and with this valuable feedback, the students were each able to help each other improve their projects.

To find more information about the iGEM Ambassadors & Promoters for North America and regional synbio activities visit our North America webpage. Learn more about the Ambassador Program here.

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