FAQ

What are the requirements for participating in the team? Would this be possible if I cannot present a '6' in all of my courses?

The major selection criteria for the team will be your motivation, interest, and possible contributions to the team. As you will see on the application form, these are the things we want to know from you. We would be happy if your marks demonstrate your abilities, but we will not specifically ask for them, in particular, because the type of interdisciplinary endeavors like the summer competition are tough in a sense that they require new thinking and perseverance.

I will not be available at [some time] for [some good reason]. Will this conflict with me participating in the training course / competition?

On purpose, we did not fix exact dates yet in order to be able to accommodate the schedules of the student participants (and the teachers as well). We will have a preparatory meeting (probably with a slightly extended set of students) for discussing this and other organizational issues. However, for preparing this, it would be most helpful if you could note the dates when you will not be available in the 'comments' section of the application form.

How does the Basel/Zurich thing work?

We will have regular project meetings in Basel. As we do not have experimental facilities in Zurich, work in Zurich will most probably limited to theoretical contributions (e.g. modelling). If you are an experimentally oriented person and you want to participate in iGEM, you will need to come to Basel on a regular and frequent basis.

Regarding travelling expenses, we have so far always found a way to get the expenses back to the participants, although we cannot guarantee it.

How much work is iGEM?

iGEM is a project that lives on the enthusiasm of the team. So far, every team has invested more than it wanted to in the beginning, and each team has done so gladly. So, yes, iGEM is a lot of work, but many participating students said it was the best spent work in their entire studies. 

Many students ask us about a weekly workload – but that is difficult to say. The iGEM project is what you make of it. In the end, you will compete against teams from the best universities across the world. Usually, this motivates the students to give it their best shot. Also, the workload varies – in the beginning, we will focus on identifying a project, then on planning it, and then on implementing it. The closer the deadline comes, the more intense the work frequently becomes.

I'll have exams over the summer – will there be conflicts?

We are aware of the exam period and of course you will be free to take the exams. But please realize that iGEM gives indeed a lot to do.

I do not know much about experimental biology and would like to change that – is iGEM the right thing for me?

We have learnt from experience that the time is too short to do extra lab-training for "theory-people". You will be intimately exposed to the deliberations of the lab-guys, but it is usually to much effort to train you separately. Nevertheless, if you spent your work on the theoretical part at the computers in the lab, you will gain valuable insights into the challenges of experimental biology and help to design the experiments you need to improve the theoretical part.

What project will I be working on?

You will be working on your project – in other words, you define your own project. The professors only help in selecting a project, but so far every team has dreamt up its own – and they were all spectacular topics. Have a look at the competitions from previous years (external page www.igem.org).

I have more questions, who do I ask?

Questions regarding the ETH Team / organization: contact the advisors. Please do not hesitate to call us, we are happy to help!