Last November, 337 teams from around the world convened in Boston for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition, a premiere international student team competition in Synthetic Biology. Teams are made up of high school, undergraduate, graduate, and post doc level students. Wright State students Andrea Poole and Tina Davis competed with members of the AFRL-Carrol High School (CHS) student iGEM research team. Out of the 47 high school teams the AFRL-Carroll team, who called themselves the iGEM Lab Pats, were the only ones from Ohio to take home the gold.
They worked over the summer to develop a project plan with three goals in mind: sense, response, and package.Their winning project was designed to aid United States Air Force personnel whose routine travel increases their likelyhood of exposure to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) which is the toxic form of E. coli that causes travelers stomach. Those deployed for months at a time are susceptile to pathogens like strains of E. coli which may be found in the water supply. With the assistance of their mentors from CHS and AFRL, the team engineered benign, non-pathogenic E. coli strains to sense and immobilize harmful ETEC strains in a cellulose matrix. Using their modular system, they can detect ETEC pathogens in the water supply and the body.
Poole (pictured left) originally came to Wright State as a clinical laboratory science major. After seeing all the amazing molecular biology projects at iGEM she changed her major to biochemistry and molecular biology. "I have always known I wanted to do research because I love ‘solving the puzzle’. When my AP biology teacher, Dr. O’Malley, told us about iGEM and how Carroll was making a team mentored by AFRL I dove in head first", said Poole. "It was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about science and my future careers. I then was able to be hired back and I’m absolutely in love".
Davis (pictured right) is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology at Wright State University." I was excited to see Wright State offering this major as it opens the door to extensive research opportunities in my field of study" said Davis. Competing on an iGEM team has given her an awareness of the possibilities in the field of synthetic biology. Davis continues, "attending Wright State allows me to expand my experiences in research, while completing my degree. My biggest tip is to participate in an internship or co-op experience whenever the opportunity presents itself, as it provides invaluable insight into your chosen career field." 
Mentors from CHS were Drs. Martha Carter, Caroline Dickey and former Wright State University adjunct faculty member Dr. Christina O'Malley. Mentors from AFRL were Dr. Nancy Kelley-Loughnane with 711th Human Performance Wing, and Dr. Wendy Goodson, as well as UES, Inc. contractors Drs. Michael Goodson, Chia Hung, Vanessa Varaljay and Rachel Krabacher. They encouraged the students to manage their project while considering safety, security, and environment considerations.
The AFRL-CHS team received sponsorship from the Office of the Secretary of Defense under the Applied Research for the Advancement of Science and Technology Priorities program in Synthetic Biology for Military Environments. During the competition they met with teams from West Point, the U.S. Naval Academy, and a team sponsored by the Army. This was the first year for AFRL and CHS to participate. They plan to compete again at this year's event.
The iGEM Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization sponsored by MIT. It is dedicated to education, competition, and advancement of synthetic biology, along with the development of an open community and collaboration. iGEM teams work inside and outside the lab, creating sophisticated projects that strive to create a positive contribution to their communities and the world.
Both Davis and Poole's career plans are to attain a PhD and work in research. Poole currently works with mentor Dr. Chia-Suei Hung and the Bio Research Team at AFRL. Davis also works as a research assistant at AFRL with a team mentor. Poole said, "the biggest tip I can give to anyone looking to research is to just start somewhere. There’s so many research opportunities at Wright state, Wright Patterson Air Force Base and other research opportunities in the area... if you want to have a career in science (research) gives you a jump start on experience needed for the field". Participation in iGEM provided valuable experiential learning to these students as they prepare to become the next generation of leaders and scientists.
