The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation awarded Florida State a 2021 'team impact grant' as part of a competitive application process involving more than 200 teams worldwide.

The annual iGEM competition gives students "the opportunity to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world."

According to iGEM: "Made up of primarily university students, multidisciplinary teams work together to design, build, test, and measure a system of their own design using interchangeable biological parts and standard molecular biology techniques. Every year nearly 6,000 people dedicate their summer to iGEM and then come together in the fall to present their work and compete at the annual Jamboree."

FSU's team is led by Dr. Cesar Rodriguez, research faculty and entrepreneur advocate at the College of Medicine.

More about the competition and the full list of award recipients can be found here.