iGEM alumni spotlight
“Putting some people without much experience into roles that were maybe a little uncomfortable and seeing them grow was satisfying.”
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.
Double Baskin Engineering alumnus Stephen Hwang (B.S., Biomolecular Engineering, ‘21; M.S., Biomolecular Engineering, ‘22) was co-captain of the 2021 UC Santa Cruz Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team, called Progenie.
iGEM experience: Hwang’s team won gold at the 2021 iGEM Jamboree after developing an innovative approach to preventing outbreaks of infection caused by the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria, which is a local health and agricultural issue. Without the need for antibiotics, the team neutralized the pathogenic bacteria by using sequence-specific gene elimination.
Reflecting on his experience with iGEM, Hwang emphasized how the mentorship of iGEM advisor and Associate Teaching Professor of Biomolecular Engineering David Bernick, gave him confidence as a scientist and personally.
“David said, ‘Oh yeah, I believe in you.’ And he said that so casually, and with so much confidence that I started believing it myself,” Hwang said. “I think that was the first time I felt that someone wholeheartedly believed in me and my ability to do science. Having him there and having his support was instrumental to where I am now.”
“Putting some people without much experience into roles that were maybe a little uncomfortable and seeing them grow was satisfying,” Hwang said.
Where is he now? Hwang is pursuing a Ph.D. in Computational Genomics at Johns Hopkins University, working on algorithms to study DNA.
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