The land of smiles welcomed iGEM and iGEM Community for the first time this year. When the iGEM Ambassadors to Asia & Oceania were done with their iGEM activities in Indonesia, they agreed that Thailand would make for a good candidate to spread the word about iGEM and Synthetic Biology.

Although teams from Singapore and Indonesia have been participating in the iGEM Competition for a couple of years, the Competition still had to see the first team from Thailand. While scrolling through the 2019 iGEM teams page, they were surprised (in a pleasant way) to see the first iGEM Team from the country, the RIS_BKK (Ruamrudee International School) iGEM Team.

What happened next? Our Ambassadors packed their luggages and headed over to Thailand (after fulfilling all the legal requirements to do that), Hassnain from Pakistan and Nurul from Indonesia.

Their journey started from Mahidol University where they met Dr Puey Ounjai, Dr Thitinun Sumranwanich, and students from the 2019 RIS_BKK iGEM Team. The activity provided an opportunity to the highschool team to get a better understanding of the iGEM Competition and Synthetic Biology. Moreover, the students were able to connect with the faculty of Mahidol University to discuss potential support in their iGEM journey.

The next day marked the next stop, this time they moved to Khet Thung Khru for a session at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi. The session was organized with the Freak Lab team, headed by Dr Werasak Surareungchai and Dr Nitipon Puttaraksa. During the hour-long session, students and faculty engaged in a discussion on different facets of the iGEM Competition, particularly Human Practices and Safety and Security.

The next day meant (YES) the next stop. This team moved 157 kilometers to the South to visit the Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, a new research and technology institute built within the quiet trees and hills of Pa Yup Nai. During the event, our Ambassadors and Dr Tao Uttamapinant of VISTEC were joined by the staff and students from their affiliated highschool Kamnoetvidya Science Academy (KVIS). The students at KVIS were particularly passionate about starting their own iGEM team. We will be waiting to invite them on-board.

The next iGEM Community activity in Thailand didn't take place the next day (our Ambassadors needed a much deserved break), but it did take place at a new setting. Hassnain was invited to the Opening Ceremony of HUBBA Sathorn by Amarit Charoenphan. They engaged in a conversation on promoting Synthetic Biology in the ASEAN Region and supporting more iGEM Teams.

Our iGEM Community Activities in Thailand do not stop here! Cheewin Kittikunapong, who is currently doing a PhD from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, will be representing iGEM and iGEM Community at the Techsauce Global Summit in Thailand from 19th to 20th of June, 2019.

To find more information about the iGEM Ambassadors for Asia and Oceania and regional synbio activities visit our Asia and Oceania webpage. Learn more about the Ambassador Program here.

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