Bio-Builders Workshop
How much can you get done in one month during the summer? Apparently, a lot! Bio-Builders has been hopping this month with two student workshops, one workshop for professionals, and a two-week teacher professional development training. That’s a lot of synbio in 30 days! Check out the details.
You may remember reading about the inaugural workshop for Ginkgo Bioworks employees that was held in December 2021. Three more workshops have been conducted since then to help Gingko’s non-bio professionals better understand the science and engineering behind their efforts, bringing to more than 100 for the total number of Ginkgo employees trained!
The fourth workshop was held in July with 22 of Ginkgo’s “Bioworkers” gathering to learn more about the fundamental biology inside the company’s synthetic biology. The participants spent four half-days at the Learning Lab and came away with hands-on experience in bioengineering. It was another Learn – Do – Aha! week as described in their own words:
“Learning about gene expression and how to design a living system really helped me understand what team members do and work on”
“I am a PM in the Digital Operations side, but having a better understanding of biology will help overall at Ginkgo.”
“I learned so much science, but memorably, centrifuges are fun to use!”
Just another confirmation of the power of Bio-Builder’s hands-on approach at the Learning Lab @ Ginkgo!
Bio-Builders also welcomed a group of 16 middle schoolers to the Learning Lab @ Ginkgo for a synbio workshop. The July workshop was the first of two being held this summer in partnership with the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (WIBR). Bio-Builders has long partnered with WIBR for their Expedition: Bio summer program for middle school students.
The students, ages 12 to 14, came together from 14 schools in the greater Boston area. They spent four half-days with Bio-Builders learning about synthetic biology and conducting hands-on lab work. Their excitement was palpable during the workshop. One student said, “It was exciting to work in a lab space with real equipment. Thank you for showing us amazing labs we couldn’t do at school or at home.”
Program coordinator for Expedition:Bio, Amy Tremblay, wrote to say, “Bio-Builders’s engaging curriculum never fails to generate enthusiasm for science among our middle school program participants.”
Next up, Bio-Builders welcomed a group of nine high schoolers for a two-week workshop in partnership with long-term partner InGenius Prep. InGenius Prep is an organization that helps students gain experiences that develop their skills in independence and leadership, creative thinking and entrepreneurialism, diversity and self-reflection, and other aspects important to optimizing their future educational opportunities and careers.
The students participated in 10 full days of learning where they dove into synthetic biology. They learned from Bio-Builders teachers as well as guest speakers, and they gained hands-on lab experience. At the end of the program, they presented their work to the class and teachers.
The students were from a number of different locations: Saskatchewan and Toronto, Canada; Worcester and Boston Massachusetts; and the states of Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Florida. These students have big goals for their futures including careers in medicine, anesthesiology, environmental science, engineering, and others areas of study. One student shared his big dream:
“If I had a magic wand and unlimited amounts of money, the first thing I would do is help tackle climate change through renewable energy. I would fund independent research to advance and improve alternative energy. I would also support research regarding the efficient recycling of different types of waste.”