Phenomenological model building in M-theory has always been limited by a
lack of concrete examples of compact G2 manifolds. Nevertheless, the local
geometric structures giving rise to massless charged matter and gauge
symmetries in M-theory are extremely well known, and have even been
classified (arXiv:0804.1132). Perhaps surprisingly, there exists one
particular local geometry (essentially unique) which by itself gives rise to
three full families of the standard model---all living at a single point in
the compactification manifold. This particular starting point is extremely
constrained, and has many features that could lead to the first concrete,
phenomenologically viable model in M-theory. In this talk, we will review
all the essential tools required for model building in M-theory, leading up
to the construction and exploration of this particularly interesting model.
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