Grand Jamboree

Our Grand Jamboree Experience

———— GoutBuster's Journey at iGEM Paris

The Award We Earned -- A Gold That Means Everything

The a moment we got the fabulous result, we just stared at each other, then erupted into hugs and happy tears.The 🏅 wasn't just a piece of metal; it was the result of months of sweat, doubt, and unyielding hope. There were no other awards for us – but this gold? It held every late night in the lab, every failed experiment we rebuilt from, and every “we can do this” we whispered to each other. It was proof that our work mattered, and that's The Greatest Recognition we could have asked for.

Our Team - SKLBE-China: More Than Colleagues, Family

SKLBE-China isn’t just a team name – it’s a group of people who showed up for each other, even when it was hard. We’re a mix of undergrads from different majors: biology students who stayed up calibrating lab equipment, computer science classmate developed software day and night, art & design majors turned complex data into stories and beautiful pictures. What bound us together was our shared goal: to make gout management more accessible for patients and win the glory for our team and our college.

We didn’t always agree – there were debates over experiment designs that lasted hours, and days when exhaustion made us short-tempered – but we always chose to listen. When one of us felt like giving up, the rest would pull out a list of small wins we’d had and remind us why we started. This team isn’t just who we worked with; they’re who we celebrated with, who we cried with, and who made this journey feel worth it.

Connecting with Teams – Learning, Laughing, and Growing Together

The Grand Jamboree was a global gathering of curious, passionate minds – and getting to meet other iGEM teams was one of the best parts of the trip. We also talked to a team from our university about their community outreach work, which gave us new ideas for how to take our project beyond the competition.There were no “rivals” here – just people who loved science and wanted to make a difference. We exchanged emails, took group photos, and even promised to stay in touch to cheer each other on. These conversations didn’t just inspire our work; they reminded us that we’re part of something bigger than just our own project.

We also talked to a team from our university about their community outreach work, which gave us new ideas for how to take our project beyond the competition.

Presenting Our Project – Pouring Our Hearts Into Every Word

Long before we boarded the plane to Paris, our evenings and weekends were filled with practice sessions: we’d book empty classrooms on campus, set up a mock stage with a projector, and run through the presentation again and again, each time with a timer in hand. We’d point out when someone spoke too fast and even when a nervous fidget distracted from the message. We also brought in our mentors and even fellow students who knew nothing about gout research to listen – their feedback was invaluable.

By the time we arrived in Paris and ready to showcase ourselves, we’d run through the presentation over 50 times – but we still practiced once more in the waiting room, huddled around a laptop, our voices hoarse but our resolve sharp.We also had a heated discussion just before our turn, trying our best to make sure that everything is OK - as what we had done already thousands times

On the momment itself, our hands were shaking as we walked to the stage, but when we started talking – about that patient’s story, about the late nights in the lab, about every small win that led us here – the nerves melted away. We spoke with passion because this project wasn’t just a school assignment; it was something we’d poured our hearts into. ​

Even our own team members, who’d been backstage watching, pulled us into a tight group hug, tears of relief in their eyes. In that moment, it wasn’t just about the presentation being over – it was about feeling seen, about knowing that the passion we’d put into our work had resonated with people who understood just how hard it takes to get here. It was a small, chaotic, wonderful scene that we’ll never forget.

Paris – Moments of Joy Amid the Busy Jamboree

Between the rush of presentations and late-night debriefs, Paris unfolded for us like a soft, sunlit poem – and each corner we explored wove our team closer together.

After having a wonderful dinner at the local restraunt,we wandered to the Arc de Triomphe one evening, as the sun dipped below the rooftops and painted the sky in hues of peach and lavender. The stone arches glowed warm in the dusk light, and the bustling Champs-Élysées below hummed with the energy of evening crowds. The city had started to light up – street lamps flickered on, and the distant Seine shimmered like a ribbon of silver. Our faces lit by the growing twilight, laughter mixing with the soft breeze that carried the scent of nearby cafés. We pointed out the twinkling lights of landmarks we’d yet to visit, made silly bets about how many croissants we’d eat before the trip ended, and promised to hold onto this quiet, golden moment forever.

Later that same day, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower, its iron lattice standing tall against a sky of clear, bright blue. We walked along the Seine to get there, pausing now and then to take photos of the tower peeking through the trees. The sun was warm on our backs, and the sound of tourists chatting and children laughing filled the air – in that moment, there was no competition stress, no deadlines, just us, together, soaking up the magic of Paris.

These weren’t just “trips to landmarks” – they were moments where we stopped being “the GoutBuster team” and just got to be friends. We teased each other for taking too many photos, helped each other navigate the metro, and split every snack so no one missed out. By the end of the trip, walking through Paris together didn’t just feel like exploring a city – it felt like coming home, with the people who’d become family along the way.

The Hard Work – And What We Learned Along the Way

Looking back, the road to the Grand Jamboree was filled with hard days. There were weeks where we spent 12 hours a day in the lab, only to have an experiment fail. There were nights when we sat in the library, staring at our project notes, wondering if we’d ever be ready. We missed birthdays, family dinners, and weekend plans – and there were times when we asked ourselves, “Is this worth it?”

But then we’d remember why we started: because we wanted to make a difference, even a small one. And through it all, we learned so much – not just about science, but about resilience, teamwork, and believing in ourselves. We learned that failure isn’t a stop sign; it’s a chance to learn and try again. We learned that asking for help isn’t a weakness; it’s how we grow. And we learned that the hard days are always worth it when you’re working toward something you care about.

Thank You – To Everyone Who Supported Us

This gold medal isn’t just ours – it’s yours, too. To our mentors: thank you for staying late with us to troubleshoot experiments, for listening to our crazy ideas, and for never giving up on us, even when we gave up on ourselves. To our professors: thank you for your guidance, your feedback, and for pushing us to be better. To our friends and family: thank you for understanding when we canceled plans, for listening to us ramble about gout research at 2 a.m., and for telling us “you’ve got this” when we needed it most. To the lab technicians: thank you for fixing our broken equipment, for sharing your expertise, and for making the lab feel like a second home. To the other iGEM teams: thank you for inspiring us, for being kind, and for reminding us that science is about community. And to each other – to GoutBuster: thank you for showing up, for being patient, and for making this journey one we’ll never forget. We couldn’t have done this without any of you.

This gold medal is a start, not an end. We’ll keep working on our project, keep learning, and keep chasing our goal. And we’ll always remember this journey – the hard days, the happy moments, and the people who made it all possible. Here’s to the next chapter – together.