Universidad de los Andes
PROJECTS | 2020
Vivifica, The Holdfast Glue
Natalia Castrillón Barrera, Louis Amadeus, Arteaga Benavides, Claudia Hernández Rivera, Valentina Cerquera Camacho
A biobased environmentally friendly glue designed to replace toxic organic solvents such as heptane and hexane in the footwear industry, Vivifica was inspired by the remarkable adhesive qualities of Caulobacter crescentus bacteria.
https://sogoonline.wixsite.com/vivifica
Finalist Team
Linneo, Nourishing Beauty
Karen Nathaly Blanco, Ana María Rodríguez, Laura Espitia, Camila Correa, Laura Méndez, Sara Garcia
Linneo sources cosmetic pigments from fungi with the goal of replacing toxic ingredients such as heavy metals, parabens, and phthalates, with biological alternatives that can nourish and protect skin.
https://ana199872.wixsite.com/linneo
MANA Prize for the Future of Beauty Winner
Glowing Care
Glowing Care is an elastic biopolymer wound dressing that releases a bioengineered non-opiod analgesic and antimicrobial peptide, which not only lowers pain but also disinfects the open wound.
Hydro
Susana Hernández, Maria Alejandra Mariño, Juana Sofía Sastoque, Natalia Escobar, Valentina Gómez
Hydro is a futuristic mass transport system that runs off hydrogen fuel obtained from microalgae and rainwater through electrolysis. This process does not generate CO2 or other polluting gases.
Private Face
Sonia Patiño Martin Garces Angélica Vidal Nicolás Lozada María Paula González
Private Face serves as a facial mask, blocking all facial recognition technology. by using a iridescent colored layers and fractal compositions.
instructors
Giovanna Danies
Giovanna Danies is a Biologist and Microbiologist from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She pursued her Master’s degree in Biological Sciences also at Universidad de los Andes. In 2015, Giovanna received a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, USA. She was selected by the directors of graduate studies in the plant sciences graduate fields to receive the Barbara McClintock Award. She currently works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at Universidad de los Andes, where she is creating a minor in Biodesign.
Luz Alba Gallo Herran
Luz Alba Gallo Herran is a Colombian designer who is interested in exploring the intersection of design and other disciplines in order to create a positive impact. Her areas of interest are service, experience, and UX design. Currently, she is working in the private sector. She has been part of ‘Biología sintética Uniandes’, a multidisciplinary team of biologists, designers, physicists, and doctors that explore different applications of synthetic biology to solve current problems.
Advisors
Nicolás Fernández
Christopher Ridgely
Harris Wang
Carolina Obregón
Carolina Obregón is a designer from Parsons School of Design in New York. She holds a Master’s degree in Fashion and Sustainability from Aalto University, in Helsinki, Finland. She worked for more than 15 years in the fashion industry in New York, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, and Bogotá. She is currently Design Assistant Professor at Universidad de los Andes focusing on sustainable fashion and textiles, with a circular economy and disruptive thinking approach. Her research is focused on developing sustainable textile dyes with microalgae and synthetic biology.