• A new GAN architecture called StackGAN was shared (arXiv 1612.03242) that synthesizes photo-realistic images directly from text descriptions, pushing the frontier of generative models for creative and design applications.

• Miami International Holdings became the lead investor in LedgerX, securing exclusive worldwide licensing rights for digital-currency derivatives and integrating Bitcoin clearing into mainstream options-exchange infrastructure.

• Multiple 2015 iGEM projects were spotlighted: BostonU’s split-protein dimerization system for conditional control of recombinases, integrases and saCas9; Michigan’s “aptapaper” freeze-dried cell-free paper platform for on-site protein detection; Penn’s cell-to-cell communication via bioluminescence and photoreceptors; Stanford-Brown’s DNA-origami structures for space applications; and Tufts’ use of an atoxic C. difficile toxin B variant as a Cas9-gRNA delivery vehicle.

• Hardware prototyping discussions included building a wristwatch with a light-guide display using laser-cut acrylic and SLA-printed cases, and evaluating the Xilinx Zybo FPGA board for HDMI output thanks to its abundant SERDES pins.

• CAD workflow comparisons covered FreeCAD (noted for frequent crashes), CadQuery scripting, and nmz787’s Python-BRL-CAD wrapper as a stable, crash-free alternative for programmatic solid modeling.