Re: Panama

[Oris Sanjur]

Dear Patrick,

First of all, I would like to express our gratitude for all the support, excitement, guidance, leadership and more that you have provided to the iGEM teams and to Panama.

Thanks to your vision and enthusiasm a group started and grew to become the igemers of today.

The experience has been incredible for a group of young panamanians and you can be reassured that the seed you have planted has produced and will continue producing fruits of the best quality.

I really don't have word to tell you how grateful we are. Truly wish you the best to you and your wonderful family in your new endeavors.

And we hope that soon enough you will be back in Panama to visit.

Keep in touch.

All the best to you,

Oris

From: Patrick Nee <patri...@alum.mit.edu>
Reply-To: <igempan...@googlegroups.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 13:42:47 -0500
To: "igempan...@googlegroups.com" <igempan...@googlegroups.com>, Igem 2010 Google Group <igem-pan...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Panama

Dear iGEM Friends,

Two years ago I heard about iGEM at MIT and became very excited. This is what I would like my kids to study; in fact, synthetic biology is what I would like to do!

I had only been in Panama for three months and didn't know anybody. I wrote the only people I had met in Panama: my soccer team! Rafael Bruno introduced me to Roberto Bruno, and then to Gladys Bernett,  and then to INDICASAT, Dr Berrocal,  Dr Spadafora, Dr Sanjur, and Dr Pinzon.

I said it did not matter how well the team did in Boston. It was important that they participated, made contacts, and learned. We were all so happy when IGEM Panama 2010 won a bronze medal. But I was happiest of all that the team made contacts with other students and professors.

Even better, iGEM 2011 had TWO teams from Panama, one team is competing in the World Jamboree this weekend, and members of both teams are collaborating to grow iGEM in Panama and Latin America. And there may be even more teams from Panama next year, and hopefully the Latin American Jamboree will be in Panama!

I am particularly happy that iGEM has had this much success in Panama because I am now confident it can grow and thrive without me. I planted the seed, but it was important to me that it survive to be strong enough to continue on its own.

It is time for my family and I to move on from Panama. As many of you know, I have been traveling for most of this year and this has been hard on my family. We are moving to San Francisco,  California this month.

We will all miss Panama, and I will miss iGEM most of all. I will continue to support all of the teams as much as I can, and I hope to visit Panama. But I am confident that I am no longer the protagonist for synthetic biology in Panama. All of the students are.

I wish everyone luck with iGEM and your careers, and I hope to see you all very soon. Please keep in touch and let me know how I can help.

Patrick
patri...@alum.mit.edu

[claudio monteza]

Patrick,

Something you should be sure before leaving is that while you stay in Panamá you helped a lot to introduce Panama with Sinthetic Biology. because now that we are on this we will still working....

For me is really nice to be part of all this cause almost 4 years ago when I traveled to the capital from Chiriqui only with the wish of studying Biology, I never though before to had the opportunity to meet really good scientist and people as you, Dra. Carmenza, Dra. Oris and  all the team from both year...

You did not only planted a seed, as student I can say that by introducing iGEM and Synthetic Biology in Panama you had change our minds and helped us to get into this science, with a new focusing research interesting.

The opportunities we have now and that we will have with this are amazing...we will always be gratefully with you and with all the advirsors...

Thanks sincerelly, 

Claudio! = )

2011/11/4 Oris Sanjur <oris....@gmail.com>

--
Claudio Monteza
Biology student
        U.P.

[Ernesto Gomez]

Dear Patrick,
 I first want to express on behalf of the entire team, THANK YOU! we are very excited to be part of something bigger than us, even than iGEM and that is contribute with the science development in Panama, and specially pushing Synthetic Biology in Panama. We have had the unique opportunity to learn from you and from our advisors, working side by side. You have been such a wonderful teacher, that teached us many valuable things like being humble, passionate with science, entrepreneurial, willing to help and most important to me, be always open to hear everyone´s opinion. This experience of have met you, will be part of our life and scientific careers and help us to grow as humble professionals.
 
Now, as an example of the seed you planted, we are here, at the iGEM Jamboree 2011 and we are ready to present the Panama proposal for being host of the iGEM latin American Regional 2012. In just two years, we went from newbies to being real iGEMers and scientist, capable to run our own ideas and to organize ourself. We are also becoming to be entrepreneurial scientists. In my lovely country, things are happening because the need and urgency of science and I am proud to be part of this scientific revolution along with my collegues students guided by excellent people and responsible passionate scientists.
 
We will keep working on our iGEM project until we succeed in the rhamnosyltransferase expression :)
 
We will keep growing as scientist in order to construct the scientific enviroment that Panama deserves.
 
Thanks Patrick, you will be always our teacher and advisor, and we cannot just thank you without saying thanks to our lovely and brilliant advisors, Dra. Oris and Dra. Carmenza. Also, to the Dr. Ruben Berrocal and Dr. Rao for beleive in you, therefore in us. And now we also heve the University of Panama involved, awesome!!!
 
Now I will go to sleep tomorrow will be a long day, full of knowledge, here at MIT.
 
Best wishes to you and your family,
 
Ernesto Gómez and the iGEM Panama Team students
 

---

Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 13:34:20 -0500
Subject: Panama
From: patri...@alum.mit.edu
To: igempan...@googlegroups.com; igem-pan...@googlegroups.com; gber...@senacyt.gob.pa; volv...@gmail.com; cspad...@indicasat.org.pa; rvrb...@gmail.com; jorge.de...@automarketpan.com; phei...@copaair.com; jr...@indicasat.org.pa; FMB...@pancanal.com; peter....@yahoo.com; as...@vodkaya.com
CC: dellort...@yahoo.com