Amidst the highs and lows of our journey, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our exceptional advisors, with a special mention to René. René, you have been our unwavering pillar of support, available day and night, offering invaluable assistance to our project. The dedication of all our advisors transcended scientific inquiries; you stood by us through every conventional challenge that emerged during our efforts. We wholeheartedly recognize that our accomplishments would not have been possible without you. You inspired us not only because of your previous successes in iGEM, but your profound scientific knowledge and infectious humor continually encouraged us throughout our project. Our interactions with you, while occasionally draining, were mostly filled with laughter and joy. Thank you for illuminating our team during moments of frustration and uncertainty.
We reserve a special appreciation for Cedric, whose contributions to Wiki design and implementation, which played a pivotal role in facilitating the complex process of project visualization. We extend our gratitude to René and Burgy for their immeasurable guidance in wetlab tasks and experiment planning and to Vinca and Chris, who not only supported our engineering endeavors but also infused us with the optimism we needed from time to time. Another special thanks to Julia for all the great help on our plant work, you tried to solve every problem, no matter how small with a smile on your face. We felt very supportive by all of you and are sure this text cannot acknowledge the work and time you put in our project.
When working with Agrobacterium rhizogenes, we found ourselves navigating a for us unknown territory of science. The guidance and support we received played a pivotal role in streamlining our workflow. We wish to express our gratitude to Dr. Anke Becker, not only for being the point of contact for our inquiries but also for generously providing the Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain, without which our project would not have been possible.
Having someone who not only shared their invaluable knowledge of plants, adeptly handled various scientific challenges, and drew from prior iGEM competitions but also offered unwavering support during the most intense phases of this competition, ensuring our well-being, significantly enriched our journey. The presence of Prof. Dr. Lars Voll, with his ever-present sense of humor, was the keystone that maintained our sanity throughout.
One of the most remarkable aspects of iGEM is the freedom it offers in selecting a research topic. It's a rare opportunity for young scientists to be able to choose and develop their own projects. However, this privilege would not have been attainable without access to the necessary laboratory facilities.
In our project, the cultivation of plants required substantial lab space, and we are deeply grateful to the various university workgroups that generously provided us with the essential lab space to pursue our project. We extend our sincere appreciation to Prof. Dr. Helge Bode, Prof. Dr. Peter Graumann, Prof. Dr. Anke Becker, and Prof. Dr. Lars Voll for granting us access to their lab space and equipment. Additionally, we wish to express our special thanks to the members, especially Antje Schäfer and Christiane Rohrbach of your research groups who provided invaluable support and guidance whenever we needed assistance.
During stressful times it happened again and again, that part of our team needed to work day and night for multiple days. We were so thankful that we had people in our lives that got our back and checked in with us from time to time. They not only made sure that we did not overwork, but also took care of our nutrition. Thank you to Karlotta, Lisa and Tim for always making sure, we at least were provided with one vitamin filled meal a day, we couldn’t have asked for more. And here it is to emphasize the grateful support of Tim, who is not an official team member, but deserves the honorary membership on our team. Tim, not only was one of our vitamin couriers, but also our night taxi. Thank you for making sure that we stay nutriated and come home safely at night after a long day in the lab.
We are profoundly thankful for the provision of the K599 strain by Prof. Dr. Martin Thanbichler. This critical contribution has opened new ways of research and innovation for us. It is with immense appreciation that we acknowledge the generosity and support that made this possible.
We want to pronounce another special thanks to Prof. Dr. Lars Opgenoorth for supporting our transformation work on the oaks. They kindly provided us with numerous oak seedlings and therefore significantly contributed to our project.
During our project we were guests in multiple labs to perform our experiments. In many instances, the researchers around us had no say in accommodating a sizable team working in close proximity. Therefore, we are very grateful that they always came across our team with lots of patience and understanding. We especially want to thank the members of the workgroup of Prof. Dr. Lars Voll and Dr. Georg Hochberg who accepted our sometimes chaotic team discussions in the lab and supported us, especially in the beginning of our lab phase.
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