Events
How the Manifestations of Medical Diagnoses Have Shaped the Art World
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Disease changes lives…and art. For centuries, art and music have reflected not only contemporary cultural and political themes but also the lives of the artists themselves. For example, medical diagnoses have shaped the way artists perceive and interact with the world, and are expressed in their art. This talk explores how a pituitary tumor, REM sleep disturbances, prosopagnosia and syphilis have ultimately had profound impacts on art and music, while explaining the science behind these diagnoses along the way. Speaker Bio: Dr Megan McGill, MD, PhD recently joined REGENXBIO, a gene therapy company. She most recently worked for McKinsey & Co. in the firm’s healthcare practice. Prior to McKinsey, she was a resident physician in the Radiology Department at New York University Langone Medical Center. Megan received a BA, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in neuroscience, chemistry and music. She completed her MD and PhD degrees at . . . More details
Lab Skills: Cutting and Measuring DNA
Saturday, October 26, 2019
2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
About lab skills workshops: In this ongoing series of 1-2 day courses at Biotech without Borders, we’re inviting people of all skill levels together to complete a small teaching exercise in order to learn about laboratory work. We will cover the proper use of equipment and the real world application of the techniques being practiced. Prepare & Analyze a DNA molecular weight ladder How does a scientist know the length of a fragment of DNA? A routine approach is by comparing the fragment to other fragments of known sizes using a technique called gel electrophoresis. In this workshop, you will prepare your own DNA “ruler” by cutting a circular piece of DNA with enzymes called restriction endonucleases that act as tiny molecular scissors. The discovery of these enzymes in the 1970s was key to establishing the field of genetic engineering. Visualizing the resulting fragments of DNA on a gel is . . . More details
Using 3D “Mini-Brains” to Unlock the Origins of Mental Disorders
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mental illnesses are common disorders of the brain – 50% of us are likely to experience them in our lifetimes, and 20% of the worldwide population is likely to be experiencing mental health issues at any given moment. Despite the fact that mental health disorders appear to be rising, big pharma has severely divested away from drug discovery for mental disorders – meaning new drugs are not on the horizon as they used to be. This is for numerous reasons, but a root problem has been that science hasn’t definitively pinpointed the causes for any mental disorder yet. Thus, if we don’t understand the brain origins of mental disorders, we may never see the development of safe and efficacious treatments that lack the side effects of existing drugs. This talks advocates for a new way forward: because we can’t ethically study brain mechanisms of mental disorders in humans, can we . . . More details
Deep Dive: The science journal club for everyone
Thursday, October 10, 2019
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Join us for this off-site event! This is the first in an ongoing series of journal club meetings in public places. This week we take a deep dive into what determines human lifespan. Journal article link: https://www.g3journal.org/content/9/9/2863Format: We'll briefly overview the article, then open it up for discussion. We hope for engagement from everyone! The discussion leader will bring up points of interest after that as needed. This is a journal club for everyone, so theformat includes elements designed for maximum participation. Please NOTE, this event takes place in the second floor seating area of Whole Foods, NOT at BwoB! More details
PCR + Pizza
Monday, October 7, 2019
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
EmotiBit, Internal Context and the Future of Augmented Cognition
Thursday, September 26, 2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Future Brain Hacking! 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 are 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. Come hear Sean Montgomery talk about his lab's latest creation: EmotiBit (https://www.EmotiBit.com/), a wearable open-source sensor for capturing emotional, physiological, and movement data. He'll discuss how sensing these signals from the body can be used in research, art, DIY projects, education and, perhaps, helping to alter the future of human cognition. Sean Montgomery is a technologist, educator and new-media artist in New York City. Sean's work uses research methodologies combined with emerging technologies to take a trans-disciplinary look at the human condition and examine the changing relationship between the physical and . . . More details
Genomics in the Human Body: Host Genetics and the Gut Microbiome
Saturday, September 21, 2019
2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Human genomics – analyzing whole-genome or whole-exome data to find potentially pathogenic variants – and (meta)genomics of the gut microbiome are rapidly evolving fields in biomedical and translational research. These vastly different approaches to “personalized” or “precision” medicine can both require immense computational power and bioinformatics background when implemented on a large scale. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn the basics of human genomics, interpreting variant calling data to identify clinically relevant variants using sample genomic data. We will also cover analysis of real gut microbiome samples sequenced using metagenomics, including identifying key players in the microbiome community and potentially relevant functional pathways. Dr. Medini Annavajhala is an engineer and microbiologist who loves all things related to bioinformatics and genomics. She has a background in pathogen genomics and multidrug resistance, human and environmental microbiomes, and engineering of biological processes. She received her doctorate in 2017 from the Department of Earth . . . More details
P235-7864.1M19 – Biotech Boot Camp Professional Development for Teachers
Saturday, July 13, 2019 - Saturday, July 20, 2019
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Class consist of three sessions, four hours each: Saturday July 13th 3-7PM Wednesday July 17th, 6-10PM Saturday July 20th, 3-7PM 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 experience how the techniques could be applied to student learning and brought into their curriculum. Participants will have the opportunity to create a lesson plan that integrates the . . . More details
How To Run Mycelium: A Fungi Tissue Culture Workshop
Saturday, June 15, 2019
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Laboratory Workshop by Craig Trester, founder of MYC:Most people usually encounter mushrooms only on the menu of their favorite restaurant or in the produce section of the supermarket, never having to search for and identify these fungal fruiting bodies in their natural habitats. That leaves the question, what techniques allowed humans to go beyond foraging for mushrooms in the woods and cultivate them on demand? This workshop will provide an answer through instruction of the theory and practice of laboratory techniques utilized in mushroom cultivation. Used to isolate pure cultures of fungal species, these methods are also fundamental to propagate mycelium for use in creation of biological based materials, textiles, and artwork. Working with mushrooms from the grocery and wild, you'll learn to: Formulate solid (petri dish) agar media that mycelium will grow out on Use sterile technique to handle fungal specimens and culture mycelium from their tissue Create a personal still air . . . More details
The Future Is Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Save Our World
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Lecture & Workshop by Craig Trester, founder of MYC: 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 will also feature a brief workshop component that teaches attendees how to perform low tech and low cost mushroom cultivation techniques that can be replicated at home with up-cycled materials. About the Instructor: Craig M. Trester is a citizen scientist that applies biomimicry and permaculture principles through mycology to develop regenerative solutions. By studying Fungi, he believes novel approaches towards alternative agriculture, pharmacology, and bioremediation can be realized. Craig runs MYC, an applied mycology educational resource that teaches the benefits Fungi provide to our health, environment, . . . More details
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