What is BIOMOD UBC?
BIOMOD, short for Biomolecular Design, is an annual undergraduate competition founded in 2011 sponsored by Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Undergraduates from all around the world explore new technologies as they build projects ranging from molecular robotics to nanoscale therapeutics using biological macromolecules. The competition motivates students to become involved with entrepreneurial skills as they build their project form the ground up and secure work spaces, funding, and materials.
The UBC BIOMOD team consists of talented engineering and science students who have interest in developing a research career in the natural sciences and engineering. The team plans, designs, and creates a new research project every year under the field of biomolecular nanotechnology to compete against other universities worldwide. Students have the opportunity to contribute their own ideas to the research topic, tackling a real life issue that they are interested in. For example, previous projects have ranged from developing a more efficient drug delivery mechanism for targeting acute myeloid leukemia, to creating an early diagnostic for lung cancer. By doing so, students learn useful research development skills, gain method optimization experience, and develop valuable laboratory techniques. Also, students are able to design a project website and create animations for the required YouTube video.
UBC BIOMOD is unique in the sense that it is not only a career-oriented design team, but it also allows you to develop connections and life-long friendships.
As both a research team and a tight-knit family, UBC BIOMOD then travel to San Francisco in late October to present their work at an annual conference known as the BIOMOD Jamboree. Teams are judged according to the following criteria: