Every team has a "final stretch" story: this is ours. In this episode, we sit down with two of our past Wiki and Design subteam leads plus our current lead for a casual conversation about the chaos, last-minute problem-solving, and genuine teamwork that goes into the days leading up to Wiki Freeze.Anyone who's worked on a big deadline knows that even the best-laid plans hit last-minute surprises, and how a team handles those moments says a lot about how they work together. This episode is a behind-the-scenes, humor-filled look at real stories from the trenches: the roadblocks nobody saw coming, the teamwork that saved the day, and the lessons that stuck with our leads long after Wiki Freeze passed.If you've ever been part of a team racing a deadline — in iGEM or anywhere else — you'll recognize the energy in this one.🔥 Topics covered:Behind-the-scenes stories from Wiki Freeze crunch timeHow our Wiki and Design leads handled last-minute surprisesLessons learned from tight deadlinesA casual, honest conversation between past and current team leads

Ever wonder what an iGEM team does when they're not building BioBricks? In this episode, we dive into the side projects our team has taken on over the years, and why creativity doesn't stop at the core project.We talk about the motivations behind building things beyond the required deliverables, how a team actually decides which side projects are worth the time (spoiler: endless imagination, not endless hours), and some of our favorite projects that came out of it.Whether you're part of an iGEM team, interested in synthetic biology, or just curious how student research teams balance creativity with a packed project timeline, this one's for you.🧬 Topics covered:Why iGEM teams build side projectsHow teams choose which ideas to pursueHighlights from our favorite side projectsThe role of creativity in synthetic biology and science communication#iGEM #SyntheticBiology #ScienceCommunication #STEM #SciencePodcast #BioBricks #ScienceOutreach #StudentResearch

Science communication isn't just words on a page. In this episode, we break down why art is one of the most important, and sometimes overlooked, parts of an iGEM project.We talk about why a project's visual identity matters just as much as its research, walking through the process behind designing a logo, building consistent motifs across a website, and creating a mascot people actually remember. From color palettes to sketching processes to how a team votes on final designs, we cover what actually goes into making science feel approachable instead of just technical.If you're part of an iGEM team, interested in science communication, or just curious how design and biology intersect, this episode is for you.🎨 Topics covered:Why art matters in science communicationThe process behind designing a project logoCreating visual motifs and consistency across a websiteDesigning a mascot people connect with#iGEM #ScienceCommunication #SyntheticBiology #ScienceOutreach #Design #STEM #SciencePodcast #BioBricks

Are DNA sequences just genes? How do iGEM teams get all this genetic information? How does iGEM teams around the world work together so easily? In this episode, we answer these questions and more. From GFP to promoters to Cas9, there is no escaping BioBricks with iGEM. Join us to learn how BioBricks are designed, why standardization matters, and how scientists can mix and match DNA parts to build new biological systems.

Perfect for students, wet lab teams, and anyone curious about synthetic biology, CRISPR, DNA technology, iGEM, and what you can do with genetic engineering.

This week, we take you inside the Cornell iGEM lab to explore how we students design and build synthetic biology projects for the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. Join us to learn how genetic engineering, lab workflows, and biotech innovation come together in a student research environment.

A special thank you to Stan Cho, Aaryaa Chiney, Christian Fonkalsrud, Parth Patel, and Sylvia Park for their appearance on this episode!

(00:00) Intro (00:57) Overview of Synthetic Biology (01:58) Plasmid Design (05:33) Cloning and Transformation (11:26) Testing for Success (13:04) Troubleshooting (15:02) Conclusion

DNA is what we are all about at iGEM. But... what is DNA, anyways? This week, we take you through a crash course on DNA for genetic engineering and synthetic biology. We're breaking it down into the key concepts you’ll need to follow everything that comes next in our iGEM series.

Whether you’re brand new to biology or just need a refresher, this episode is designed to give you the essential toolkit for understanding how we design and build biological systems in iGEM. We’ll keep things accessible, practical, and focused on what actually matters for engineering biology.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a solid grasp of the core pieces, (DNA, RNA, proteins, and gene regulation) that power everything we’ll explore in the rest of the series.

(00:00) Introduction

(00:35) The Central Dogma

(01:25) Breaking Down DNA

(02:30) Breaking Down RNA and Transcription

(03:37) Overview of Translation

(05:23) Why Protein Matters

(06:19) Diving Deeper with Enzymes

(07:10) Transcription Revisited

(09:00) Translation Revisited

(09:57) Chassis Organisms

(10:47) Recombinant DNA

(11:06) Codon Optimization

(11:30) Chromosome and Plasmid Crash Course

(12:56) Copy Number

(14:04) Antibiotic Resistance

(14:41) Conclusion

Welcome to the GENE-IUS Podcast. Episodes released weekly! We will be exploring genetic engineering and synthetic biology. Join us for our first series: "iGEM ABC's: A Biology (Crash) Course)", where we will take you through the biology behind iGEM with help from the Cornell iGEM Wet Lab Team.