Berkeley Engineering Blogs

Every year, the iGEM barbecue is great opportunity to mingle with folks from other schools. This year’s was close to home, a picnic area up in Tilden Park. We met the teams from Stanford, UCSF, and JBEI’s high school biotech group, for an afternoon of food and fun. During lunch, we casually inquired the other teams about their projects, trying not to seem like spies. Afterwords, there was a large soccer match. Berkeley wet lab and dry lab split up on opposite teams. When the wet lab scored, Patrick cheered, “We just instantiated a new scoring object!” Doug resigned to being player-coach goalkeeper after his back injuries resurfaced. Eventually, our lack of coordination became too much to stomach, and he went out and single-handedly scored for us. In addition to soccer, there were kites being flown, volleyball being played, and frisbees being thrown. The Stanford folks got restless, and started climbing trees. Overall, the barbecue was enjoyable, despite the overcast day. I still somehow managed to get sunburned.

My name is Lesia Bilitchenko and I am one of the members of the 2009 Cal iGEM Computational Tools Team. It is my first summer research experience at Berkeley through the SUPERB program. Sadly next week the program is coming “officially”  to an end. Unbelievable how quick 8 weeks of hard work but also great fun can pass. I can definitely say my summer was not boring at all. From field trips to Stanford, Berkeley labs (the tour of the Advanced Light Source facility was very fascinating), the iGEM bowling experience to the research on developing a language for the Synthetic Biology community and not to forget our weekly group meetings, my summer was well divided.  Though this does not mean the end of the project which I am working on. There are so many capabilities that can be added to the language and after all November (the month of the iGEM jamboree!!) is still relatively far away.Â

Instead of the normal grind and tedious pipetting that normally fills our days, the comp team and the wet team got together on Monday for a little bowling action. The outing was an unambiguous success!

Around noon we all met at the mining circle to discuss how we were going to fit 18 people into 3 cars… Somehow we all managed to end up at the Ranch 99 plaza at about the same time. There was a period of intense indecision about where we would eat, but finally Bing made an executive decision: Korean Food!

The poor waitress looked a little horrified when 18 hungry iGemmers walked through the doors. Someone mumbled “Table for 18 please,” and the waitress hurried away to play tetris with several tables in the corner. A short time later, we were all seated in relatively close proximity, laughing and discussing non-biological subjects.

I thought the food was outstanding. But then again, I’m not really picky and you would be hard pressed to find food I don’t like.

Bing led the caravan to Albany Bowl and we all stood in line to be outfitted in our super stylish bowling shoes. I had a particularly fly pair of neon kicks. The management dusted off the old disco vinyls and turned on the laser lights and smoke machines.

Patrick and I were desperately pursuing a turkey (three strikes in a row). After a single strike we would cry “33% turkey!! 33% turkey!!” Even though we got dangerously close to a whole turkey, with a whopping “66% turkey,” several times, neither of us were able to catch the elusive gobbler.

Reluctantly, we exchanged our chic footwear at the counter and began the journey back to campus to continue the grueling pipetting regiments.

Finally all of us would like to thank iGEM for sponsoring this social event. It was a blast and a welcome break from the lab =]