The start of the 10th (!) annual Bio-Builders Club season is just around the corner, and this year’s program is set to be better than ever! The 2022-2023 season kicks off on October 3rd – that’s when the high school teams begin six months of designing, building, and testing synthetic biology solutions to real-life challenges. The projects are wholly student-selected and student-driven, and teams get the support of mentors from the bioengineering industry and Bio-Builders.

And because Bio-Builders is committed to making our life-changing curriculum accessible for all students, the Bio-Builders Club is offered at no cost to those schools where 50% or more of the student population is eligible for free or reduced lunch.

For all others, the cost is less than $50 per person for a team of 10 students.

Bio-Builders Club team registration opened on August 15th, so if you are a teacher or other adult team leader, head over to the registration site to get your team set up.

This year, the Bio-Builders Club program has exciting new opportunities thanks to a generous new grant. The grant was awarded to Bio-Builders-led team with supporting partners Ars Biotechnica, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), and Daicel Arbor Biosciences. The ultimate goal of the grant is to build momentum for biomanufacturing careers nationwide, including in hard-to-reach rural and inner city schools, by increasing awareness of, and participation in, the Bio-Builders Club program.

Each year of the two-year grant, 30 to 40 high school teams from across the U.S. will make their synthetic biology dreams a reality through Bio-Builders Club, including the new BioManufacturing curriculum. In addition, up to three teams per year will be from rural and inner city high schools in the ETSU region.

That’s a lot of teams, students, teachers, and mentors! 

You may be wondering how the grant team will achieve this lofty goal. Answer: by increasing the awareness and interest of schools, families, students, and communities using a collaborative strategy:

As with all Bio-Builders Club seasons, the student teams will have the opportunity to submit their project manuscript for publication in the peer-reviewed BioTreks journal for high school synthetic biology research. They will also present their work at an online Final Assembly on March 16, 2023, and celebrate their new biotechnology skills and syn-thusiasm!

Whew! That’s a lot to take in, but remember, it’s all geared toward student success and supporting the bioeconomy. By simultaneously training students and celebrating their achievements, Bio-Builders Club increases awareness of biotechnology and biomanufacturing among community stakeholders, including parents of participating students, high school teachers, college admissions officers, and relevant local businesses.