A real “gem” for team of Yale students
This past winter, a team of Yale College students tied for first place in the Food and Energy Project category at the world championship of the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Competition held at MIT. This highly competitive world event also saw the Yale College team advance to the “sweet 16.” At the North American championship in Indianapolis, the Yale team was a grand finalist—selected as one of the four top teams out of over 60 university teams from Canada and the United States. They also won the coveted prize of Best Natural Biobrick. Their project studied a special protein with antifreeze-like properties derived from a cold-tolerant beetle. The potential applications for such a discovery include deicing airplanes and methods to better preserve frozen foods and organs. A manuscript describing their work was recently accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed structural biology journal.
Student leaders receive training
There are over 450 registered student groups in Yale College, including groups focused on academics (for example, the Math Society), arts (Student Origami Society), and athletics (Quidditch club); cultural organizations (Black Men’s Student Union); Greek organizations (Delta Sigma Theta); and performance (Alley Cats), political (Yale Political Union), and religious groups (Hindu Students Council). Registration provides the group with the ability to receive funding from the college and access to college facilities. During spring term, all student organizations and varsity athletic teams were asked to participate in leadership training in order to maintain their registration status. Student groups and teams sent almost 1,000 officers to these new training sessions where they were greeted by a college administrator, heard about visionary leadership, and learned how to prevent sexual misconduct. These student leaders also learned how to avoid hazing and to provide a positive climate for their members.
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