iGEM alumni spotlight
“I still think about how I can use my scientific knowledge for good and how I can help a lot of people with it.”
iGEM is an annual, international competition where 350+ university teams present synthetic biology projects aimed at addressing 21st century challenges. Each year, UCSC assembles an interdisciplinary team of undergraduates with the common goal of creating a better world through science and engineering. Read more about iGEM.
Baskin Engineering alumnus Alonzo Lee (B.S., Bioengineering, ‘16) was co-captain of the 2015 UC Santa Cruz Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team, called Cellulose to Butanol.
iGEM experience: Lee’s team addressed the issue of increased pollution caused by the prolonged carbon chain used in petroleum-based fuels. As a solution, the team engineered a micro-organism to improve biofuel production.
“There was a lot to learn and I admit that I made quite a few mistakes, like playing bad music in the lab,” Lee said, reflecting on his leadership experience.
“The most rewarding part of iGEM isn’t getting the gold or silver medals at the end of it — it’s really the entire experience.”
Guided by iGEM advisor and Associate Teaching Professor of Biomolecular Engineering David Bernick, Lee emphasized how iGEM reinforced his dedication to socially responsible engineering.
“I still think about how I can use my scientific knowledge for good and how I can help a lot of people with it. It’s something David told us one day, about our level of social responsibility with our knowledge and education — that we have an obligation not just to one another but to the entire world to really use what we’ve been given and blessed with to make the world as much of a better place as possible. That’s something that resonates with me to this day.”
Where is he now? After graduating, Lee interned at the NASA Ames Research Center and went on to work for Cepheid, Roche, and Twist Bioscience. Currently, he is a product manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
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