About Us

We are the 2024 iGEM Team representing Bergen County Academies, a public magnet high school that offers students across Bergen County, New Jersey career-focused educational opportunities. The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition is a global synthetic biology competition. This year, the Bergen County Academies iGEM team is genetically modifying bacteria to fight cancer! Our team at BCA consists of students of diverse backgrounds and different focuses.

Founders: Muhammad El Sherbiny & Nicholas Ye

Muhammad E
Nick Y

The Engineering Team

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Hemang Mittal

Engineering Lead & Web Developer

Hey, I’m Hemang and I’m a sophomore in the Engineering Academy (AEDT) at Bergen County Academies. I joined iGEM because I thought it would be a fun and interesting experience that applies engineering concepts to a project that reaches natural sciences. Outside of iGEM, I do debate and play the bass clarinet.

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Raunak Singh

Engineering Lead & Web Developer

Hello, I am Raunak Singh, a junior in the Engineering Academy. My passion for research, programming, and science drives me to advance synthetic biology as part of our iGEM team. Beyond iGEM, I enjoy playing the violin, reading, and swimming.

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Xinyang He

Engineering Lead & Web Developer

Hello, I’m Xinyang and I’m a sophomore in the Engineering Academy (AEDT) in the Class of 2026. I joined iGEM because I’m interested in collaborative research and applying engineering to synthetic biology. Outside of iGEM, I run cross country, participate in competitive programming, and play the piano.

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Logan Yoon

Hey everybody! I’m Logan Yoon, and I’m a sophomore in the engineering academy (AEDT) here at BCA. I joined iGEM in order to learn more about other topics like synthetic biology and collaborate with my peers. Outside of iGEM, I love to play volleyball and listen to music.

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Danielle Kim

Promotions Director

Hey! I'm Elle and I am in the Academy of Engineering and Design Technology at BCA. I’m always looking for ways to utilize my engineering background in different ways, which is why I joined iGEM to explore synthetic biology. I also have a lot of other interest including designing, programming, and singing!

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Stephen Yoon

Web Master

Hey guys, I'm Stephen and I'm a CS major in the class of 2025! I joined iGEM to be part of a fun and social community that creates amazing projects that can help people and I fell in love with the genetic aspect of the team! Other than iGEM, I'm also on the volleyball team. I also love to play basketball and listen to music in my free time!

The Biology Team

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Arnav Adepu

Biology Lead

Hi! I’m Arnav and I’m a sophomore in the Medical Academy at BCA. Having a background in biology, I was drawn to iGEM in order to get a positive experience with research that was done collaboratively, as I would need this for my future career. Outside of iGEM, I enjoy working on my own mathematical projects and hanging out with friends.

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Victor Hsu

Biology Lead & Web Developer

Hi! I’m Victor and I’m a sophomore in the Medical Academy at BCA. With my background in biology and engineering, I was drawn to iGEM to further my experiences in a collaborative research environment. Outside of iGEM, I enjoy playing the violin and playing volleyball.

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Soo Young Yoon

Biology Lead

Hi, I’m Soo Young, a junior in the science academy. I joined the BCA iGEM because I have a great passion in research and working together as a team. I am in the track team and I like to run in my free time (800 meters is my favorite event) and play frisbee.

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Claire Sim

Outreach Director

Hi! I’m Claire, a sophomore in the medical academy at BCA. I joined iGEM because I thought it was an interesting take on biology and its crossovers with engineering. In my free time, I go on runs, write, and listen to music.

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Claire Jiang

Communications Director

Hi everyone! I’m Claire Jiang and I am a part of the class of 2026 in the Academy of Medical Science Technology. I joined iGEM so that I could further pursue my interests in biology, and more specifically, research with a team. As communications directors, we coordinate events to build team unity and further drive our vision in iGEM. Outside of iGEM, I play piano and participate in Model UN conferences.

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Josephine Serrano

Communications Director

Hi! I’m Josephine Serrano and I am a sophomore at BCA, in the Science Academy. I joined iGEM to introduce myself to the world of synthetic biology and expand my research knowledge. In the communications team, we work towards making connections with our school and further connections within the iGEM group. In my free time, I play pottery, read, and run the spectrum club at my school!

The Logistics Team

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John Rachko

Treasurer

Hi, I’m John and I’m a junior in the medical academy at BCA. I joined iGEM because of my passion for biology and to further my research experience. In my free time, I enjoy watching and playing basketball, and spending time with my friends and family.

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Anjali Daftary

Secretary

Hi – I’m Anjali and I’m a sophomore in the science academy at BCA. I joined iGEM because it gives us the unique ability to be able to work collaboratively on a research project.

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Anna Montalti

Logistics Lead

Hi I’m Anna and I’m in the class of 2026 medical academy here at BCA. I joined iGEM to improve my biology knowledge and give me more research experience, specifically in a team setting. In my free time, I enjoy stage managing and being part of my school’s tech crew.

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Dana Chung

Outreach Director

Hi! I’m Dana and I’m a current sophomore in the music academy at BCA. I joined iGEM because I have always been interested in biology and the application of it in a real-world setting. In my free time, I enjoy baking and playing golf.

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Emily Park

Hey, I’m Emily Park and I am currently a sophomore in the academy of culinary and hospitality administration at BCA! I joined iGEM because I thought it would be a good experience to explore the field of synthetic biology. Outside of iGEM, I am involved in other clubs at our school including Compassionate Paws Society Club, Key Club, and SkillsUSA. In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, shopping, and hanging out with friends!

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Ethan Cha

Web Developer

Hey guys, I'm Ethan and I'm a computer science major in the class of 2026! I joined iGEM to be part of a cool team that experiments about synthetic biology. Other than iGEM, I’m also in a climbing team, tennis team, and play the drums!

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Melanie Shim

Hi! I’m Melanie and I’m a sophomore in the visual arts academy. I joined iGEM to collaborate with people from other academies on an innovative research project. Outside of iGEM, I like watching movies and spending time with my friends and family.

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Tate Kim

Hi. I’m Tate and I’m a sophomore in the Culinary Academy at BCA. I joined iGEM because I thought synthetic biology was an interesting field, and I thought doing a research project with a team would be a fulfilling and fun experience. Some of my hobbies include playing tennis, baking treats, playing video games, and listening to music.

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Elizabeth Ki

Promotions Director

Hi! I’m Elizabeth and I’m a sophomore in science at BCA. I joined iGEM to further my interests in biology and be part of a meaningful research project. Outside of iGEM, I enjoy playing sports and baking!