On his path to iGEM, Migliozzi studied human-computer interaction at Georgia Tech and was often found working with various research groups on campus to learn about biology-related work. He admits his HCI graduate thesis was a bit abnormal, being centered around bio-hobbyists growing mushrooms. 

Researchers that had some of the biggest impact on the alum were in the Digital Media program - advisor Carl DiSalvo and Andrew Quitmeyer among them - and they encouraged him to explore his research connecting biology and technology. Migliozzi managed to start a DIY bio-lab in a corner of the Technology Square Research Building - not normally a building for fauna and petri dishes - and for a short time he commandeered the Digital Media program’s refrigerator as a research compost bin.

“I was very lucky to work with and learn from several groups around campus, namely ArkFab, the Astrobiology group and within Tucker Balch's Bio-Tracking project” says Migliozzi, now a data visualization developer for Bloomberg News in NYC. “Those years were formative for me in my continued love of biology.” 

He says that the iGEM award is one of the biggest accomplishments of his life and gives credit to his experience at Georgia Tech. 

“I hope both the HCI and Digital Media programs continue to be as interdisciplinary as possible,” he says. “I encourage students to seek out research across campus and I hope other departments invite these students in with open arms.”

“Students like Blacki are wonderful — they challenge us to grow and learn. Blacki made an amazing contribution to the culture of the Public Design Workshop and I could not be more delighted by his successes,” says his former advisor Carl DiSalvo.

Among the 280 teams and 2,700 participants at iGEM 2015, Georgia Tech also had a team, which placed with a bronze medal for its project.