Events
PCR + Pizza
Monday, May 20, 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
Biotech 101
Saturday, May 4, 2019
3:00 pm - 7:00 pm
A 12-hour class in 3 sessions Saturdays May 4th, 11th and 18th from 3-7PM 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 . . . More details
Would ‘Lab Grown Everything’ Really Save Us? A talk by Oron Catts
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
The Tissue Culture & Art Project (Oron Catts and Ionat Zurr) is recognized as the first to grow (2000) and to eat (2003) lab grown meat as well as the first to grow tissue engineered leather (2004). It encompassed critical art projects that were geared towards highlighting the radical shifts in our understanding of, and our relationships with the concept of life. More than ten years later cellular agriculture and biofabrication are hailed as solutions to many environmental issues. But is this really the case? This talk will begin with the original projects, follow the trajectory of the fields of cellular agriculture and biofabrication, and present some of the recent works of The Tissue Culture & Art Project that are in dialogue with these recent developments, including a series of off grid incubators powered by compost. Oron Catts is the Director of SymbioticA, The Centre of Excellence in Biological Arts, School of . . . More details
Bioinformatics: Environmental Metagenomics
Sunday, April 28, 2019
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Bioinformatics for environmental metagenomics: We are increasingly aware of the invisible and ubiquitous microbial component of our lives – in and on our bodies, in our environment. But, how do you actually measure that? What if you wanted to find out what bacteria are living around you? In this workshop we will learn the methods for identifying microbial species with DNA sequencing data, and understand what their functions are and how that can inform decisions or urban design. We will use the Pathomap dataset and each participant will obtain the metagenomic sequences of their favorite subway station. We will explain the file formats used for sequencing data and how to manipulate them, and gain hands-on experience on using the computational tools to identify bacterial species and their genes with that data, and visualize the results. ____ About the instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Hénaff is a computational biologist and designer. Her academic trajectory . . . More details
Lab Skills: Cutting and Measuring DNA
Friday, April 26, 2019
6:00 pm - 10:00 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
BwoB Talk: Human Bacterial Relationships In Health and Disease
Wednesday, April 24, 2019
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Human Bacterial Relationships In Health and Disease A talk by Danny Chan In the 1800's scientists began to provide evidence supporting the idea that microscopic organisms could cause disease. Since then, we have described a great diversity of interactions between humans and the microscopic life that lives on and in our bodies. One type of microbe, the bacteria, are now commonly known to participate not only in disease processes but also in healthy functioning. Join us for a disucssion through various examples of how bacterial genes can help or harm our bodies and how our own genes participate in these processes. ______ Bio Instructor Danny Chan received his MSc in microbiology during the course of his PhD candidacy at the University of Chicago studying the interaction of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with lab-grown skin in an a department focused on infectious disease. He has been a research technician for many years . . . More details
PCR + Pizza
Wednesday, April 17, 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
Bring your own sample: Identify fungi using DNA barcoding
Sunday, April 14, 2019
6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
For this hands-on workshop, you are invited to bring your own mystery fungus to identify (but you can use one of our fungal samples if you want). We will be using DNA barcoding to identify the unknown organism, no previous lab experience required. Participants will be coached by instructors through the laboratory techniques required to extract DNA from their sample and perform polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the end of this session, participants will know some of the theory and practical aspects of DNA barcoding and working with fungi. The results of the barcode identification will be emailed to participants about a week later. DNA barcoding is the process by which organisms are identified by comparing short sequences in their genome to similar specimens that have been previously sequenced. When paired with classical morphological observations, barcoding offers an improved understanding of evolutionary lineage and the potential to discover previously unknown . . . More details
Lab Skills: Learn Spectrophotometry
Saturday, March 30, 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. Learn Spectrophotometry: Measure the Concentration of a Molecule How does a scientist know the concentration of molecule in solution? One of the methods commonly used in the molecular biology laboratory is spectrophotometry. This technique passes light through a sample and measures how much is absorbed to calculate the concentration. In this workshop, you will prepare your own standard curve in cuvettes to calibrate a spectrophotometer. Then you will measure the concentration of an unknown sample. Spectrophotometry is a workhorse laboratory technique and the basis of innumerable biological and chemical assays. Participants will get hands-on experience using . . . More details
Lab Skills: Cutting and Measuring DNA
Friday, March 22, 2019
6:00 pm - 10:00 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. Measuring DNA: Preparing & Analyzing a DNA 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 a . . . More details
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