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From 2011.igem.org

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Europe Regional Jamboree

We flew out to Amsterdam on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of October. Even though nervous about having to deliver a great presentation and poster started to run high, we enjoyed the opportunity to meet other iGEM teams from all over Europe (and Africa!).

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Pre-Jamboree

There was still a lot of work to be done on our presentation, so we locked ourselves into our hotel room while we worked. Chris and Nikki rehearsed what they were planning to say, while the others improved the PowerPoint slides. Rebekka had been invited to take part in the Meeting of Young Minds event that evening, so she set about researching the issues that were likely to be discussed. Meanwhile, Frank was sent out to explore Amsterdam to find a set of batteries for the temperamental laser pointer.

In the late afternoon, we headed off to register at the Jamboree. This was a fantastic opportunity to show off our embroidered polo shirts, as well as meeting some of the other teams. Frank had booked us a practice room, so naturally we jumped at the chance to rehearse in an area that gave Chris and Nikki some space to stand up.

After we'd eaten, the guys who were working on the presentation retired to the lock-in at the hotel, while the rest of us went to show Rebekka our support at the Meeting of Young Minds event.

During Jamboree

After an intense night of preparing for the presentation, we arrived bright and early to set up our poster and deliver our presentation. Chris and Nikki did a great job and, relieved to have put the stress of presenting behind us, we were able to enjoy many other teams' great presentations. Our only regret was not being able to attend more talks. If only there hadn't been parallel sessions!

The poster session was intense with many a team member complaining of back pains and fatigue, but also very interesting because we got a chance to look at many cool posters of other teams and enjoy the creative projects that some had come up with.

The absolute highlight of our day had to be showing off our amazing jumpsuits, though. We had spent days running around East London to chase up these babies and had painstakingly hand-painted them with the help of our wonderful RCA advisor Charlotte and now was the time to present them to the world. We swelled with pride.

Post-Jamboree

On the morning of the last day all of the teams assembled in the main hall to find out how their fate in the results of the competition. We were anxious and excited and filled with joy when our team showed up as one of the finalists, along with South African team CSIR-WITS and French team Paris Bettencourt. Nikki and Chris delivered the presentation for the second time, much more relaxed after having the first run over with.

We were all very proud of our results and agreed that the hard work paid off, and we left the Jamboree with Best Wiki, Best Safety Practice, and the first place winners of the 2011 European Jamboree!

Lunch provided a great opportunity to mingle with other teams and get excited about going to Boston! We met a lot of really lovely people who we are looking forward to seeing again soon. Meeting so many people from so many different countries really highlighted what iGEM is all about: interchanging ideas with like-minded people from all over the world and learning from their cool ideas and awesome projects.

With less than two hours until our flight, we rushed off to the airport and quickly bid good-bye to the lucky few who were able to stay behind for a few days' holiday. It felt sad to have to leave so quickly and we wish we could have seen more of Amsterdam. All in all, it was a good experience and cannot wait to go to Boston.