John Schumm, one of the students attending, was a member of Purdue's team which used lactose and tetracycline (an antiobiotic) to turn E. coli red or green on command. They eventually hope to make biological photo paper, printing multicolored photographs using E. coli.

About 380 students from 37 universities around the world shared their research in synthetic biology during the Jamboree. The teams spent the summer designing and building biological systems using standard, interchangeable biological parts such as bacterial genes, supplied by MIT. The students, mostly undergraduates, are essentially making new "tools" that scientists could use for future applications. Students explained their work in lectures, poster exhibits and in live demonstrations.

This was the first year Purdue participated in the Jamboree.