Sophomores Tess Robertson and Jina Di participated in the prestigious iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in Paris from Oct. 23 to 25.

Their team, NYC Empire State, won top five in best entrepreneurship, and a silver medal overall.

The event, which brings together over 400 teams from more than 45 countries, showcases innovative solutions in synthetic biology aimed at addressing some of humanity’s most pressing problems in healthcare, the environment, and other fields.

The iGEM competition requires participants to develop and present a synthetic biology project, often resembling the launch of a startup business. However, unlike adult competitions, which offer a $10,000 prize to the winning team, the student competition focuses primarily on recognition and exposure.

Robertson, who focused on the biology aspect of the project, and Di, who took on the entrepreneurship role, were selected to represent the New York team, the only team in the U.S. that allows students from different schools to compete.

“We set meetings with real biotech companies, interviewed them and asked how to label our product. We also had to go through FDA licensing and complete a lot of steps to make this product an actual product,” said Di.

Robertson and Di’s team competed in the infectious diseases category. 

“Our project is a hydrogel wound wrapping. The goal of it is to detect and treat the MRSA infection in chronic wounds. To do this we have engineered the bacteria L.Reuteri and inserted it into the hydrogel in order to detect AIP and release bacteriocins to kill the infection,” said Robertson.

The project began in February, with participants meeting almost daily in the months leading up to the event. 

“This project is definitely something I would recommend to people heavily involved in STEM-based activities, however, it is very time-consuming,” said Robertson.

Though iGEM doesn’t offer monetary rewards for students, it provides valuable experience in teamwork, innovation, and global collaboration, making it a highly regarded opportunity for young STEM enthusiasts.

Next year’s competition is scheduled for October 2025, with the team continuing to work on their projects in preparation.