Events
Climate Change Truths: Earth in the Hot Seat – A KnowScience Talk
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A free talk by Dr. Angel G. Munoz The observed global temperature of our planet is increasing, and this global warming cannot be explained through orbital changes, solar changes, changes in land use, volcano activity, aerosols or other natural causes. It can only be explained via increased concentration of a man-made greenhouse gases. Furthermore, the climate that we observe can be understood as the interaction between the anthropogenic climate change —typically acting as a background signal at centennial scales— and the Earth’s natural climate variability —typically at months-to-decades timescales. Both are important, as natural climate variability can amplify or decrease the impacts of the climate change signal. Hence, it is key that both kind of signals be always considered for decision-making purposes in a wide variety of sectors of interest for society. In this talk we explore these ideas and present tools to help understand those interactions and related uncertainties. . . . More details
Who’s Reading Your Genes?
Monday, October 22, 2018
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Come on down to BwB's regular Open Night! In addition to our regular program, we are running a special public forum "Who's Reading your Genes? A Public Forum on Genomic Privacy". Pizza, beer, great conversation and lab work. You'll see just how easy it is to access genetic information by extracting DNA from yourself and amplifying it using PCR to test yourself for a CCR5 mutation. More details
Intro to the Fungal Queendom Workshop
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Talk & Workshop by Craig Trester, founder of MYC.NYC Fungi are the keystone species that interconnect every facet of life in our world. This class will highlight the supreme influence these ancient and often overlooked organisms have upon our health, society, and environment and also provide a succinct peek into the Fungal Queendom from the perspectives of ecology, anthropology, pharmacology, and bioremediation. The class also features a workshop component that teaches attendees how to perform low tech and low cost mushroom cultivation techniques that can be replicated at home with upcycled materials. Craig M. Trester is a citizen scientist whose focus lies in the field of mycology, applying biomimicry and permaculture principles to develop regenerative solutions for a future which faces many challenges. By studying Fungi, he believes novel approaches towards alternative agriculture, pharmacology, and bioremediation can be realized. Outside of the lab Craig is the sole proprietor of MYC.NYC, an applied mycology educational . . . More details
DIY Tissue Culture
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A Two-part Workshop Tuesday & Thursday evenings October 16th & 18th 6-9PM Henrietta Lacks' cells are immortal. They have been dividing in Petri dishes since the 1940s. How do we keep human cell lines growing endlessly? This workshop will introduce you to tissue culture. Working with a human lung cell line, you will learn what types of media human cells need to grow, how to propagate them and above all how to achieve good sterile technique. As a bonus, you will also use a DIY cell culture setup to isolate live cells from a chicken leg from the supermarket! Instructor Dr. Ellen Jorgensen is president of Biotech Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting science literacy and hands-on access to biotechnology. In 2009 she cofounded Genspace, named one of the World's Top 10 Innovative Companies in Education by Fast Company. Her efforts to promote low-cost bio-innovation are featured in Nature, Science, . . . More details
P235-7369.1F18 – Biotechnology Bootcamp
Saturday, October 13, 2018
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
NOTE: This is a professional development class for NYC Public School Teachers but anyone can join !2 hours in 3 sessions of 4 houtrs each for 1 P-credit October 13, November 3 and November 17 3-7PM NOTE: If you want to earn 1 P-credit you must pay the additional ASPDP fee of $45 Course Description: This course is designed to provide participants with the best practices to integrate biotechnology labs into classroom curriculum. After completion of this course, teachers will have completed the set of essential lab techniques that enabled the scientific revolution in biotechnology, and be ready to implement in their own classrooms . The four lab techniques being covered will be bacterial transformation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction enzymes, and gel electrophoresis. The class will emphasize ways to promote understanding of the molecular basis for and scientific background of each laboratory technique.Participants will work hands-on in the lab to . . . More details
Biohacking 101
Monday, October 1, 2018
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A 12-hour class in 4 sessions October 1-4th 6-9PM The original biotechnology class for the general public developed by Dr. Ellen Jorgensen who has been teaching it in biohackerspaces since 2011. No previous science experience necessary! Have you ever wanted to program a living cell? This is the class for you! We assume no prior knowledge of biology, and take you through the process of genetic engineering step-by-step. You will learn the basic techniques that enabled the biotech revolution, including gel electrophoresis, PCR and bacterial transformation. Extract DNA from your own cells and anaylyze it for markers of maternal ancestry. Learn how genes are moved from one organism into another. Cut and paste DNA using enzymes and load your DNA circuits into a bacterial cell. This is a hands-on class, so wear comfy shoes- you will be at the bench most of the time. Minimum age is 13, and anyone . . . More details
Brainwaves Without Borders
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A free talk by Dr. Sean Montgomery, founder of Connected Future Labs Electrical and chemical signals are constantly traveling throughout our brains and bodies, carrying sensations, thoughts, emotions and our reactions to the world around us. Studying these signals and how they can be altered by external stimuli and internal contexts gives us a window into ourselves and how we can enhance our health, well-being and capabilities in the 21st century. I'll talk about my work studying signals from the body in the lab as well as in the non-traditional contexts of art museums and galleries to generate new datasets and test new hypotheses. I'll also discuss the EmotiBit, a new open-source multi-biosensor platform under development at Connected Future Labs, that makes it cheap and easy to start reading signals from the body with scientifically validated sensors. Sean Montgomery is a technologist, educator and new-media artist in New York City. . . . More details
PCR + Pizza
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Come on down to BwB's regular Open Night! Pizza, beer, and Lab work. Extract DNA from yourself and amplify it using PCR to test yourself for a CCR5 mutation, or just relax and have some great conversations around democratizing science. No charge, but donations for the pizza and beer greatly appreciated! More details
CRISPR Genome Editing Workshop
Saturday, September 22, 2018
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CRISPR is the new genome editing technology that has disrupted the biotechnology industry. Is it really plug-and-play? Are we gods now? During the workshop you will do hands-on lab work to edit the genome of yeast using CRISPR-Cas9. We'll take a look at the latest CRISPR developments and the ethical questions created by them- from editing human embryos to bringing back the Woolly Mammoth- and the bitter battle over patents and the Nobel Prize. Instructor Dr. Ellen Jorgensen is president of Biotech Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting science literacy and hands-on access to biotechnology. In 2009 she cofounded Genspace, named one of the World's Top 10 Innovative Companies in Education by Fast Company. Her efforts to promote low-cost bio-innovation are featured in Nature, Science, Discover, Wired, Make, BBC News, Dan Rather, PBS News, Discovery Channel, and The NY Times. She has a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, spent many years in the biotechnology industry, and . . . More details
Pills, Bricks, and Spies: a Synthetic Biology Story of the Microbiome
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
A free talk by Dr. Harris Wang The microbiome is the collection of microbes that live all around us, from the air we breathe, to the food we eat, and the bed we sleep. These bugs are our friends when they are good and our enemies when they are bad. This talk is about an ongoing story to teach good microbes new tricks using synthetic biology. You will hear about new ways we are engineering microbes in your gut to improve health and treat diseases, how we are turning soil microbes into “living bricks” to make houses that are alive, and how we teach simple bugs to become sophisticated spies to go and listen in places that we cannot reach. Learn about synthetic biology, the microbiome, and cutting-edge biotechnologies that can change the world! Harris Wang is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University jointly appointed in the Department of . . . More details
Powered by Events Manager