University of Technology Sydney
PROJECTS | 2020
DigeStation
Amy Farnsworth, Arri Roumeliotis, Cecilia Gan, Harry Vasey
The team designed an anaerobic digester for PLA waste that is generated at the team’s new food court. The Digested plastic is then turned into fertilizer and biogas energy.
Finalist Team
Enviromask
A washable, reusable, and 100% biodegradable pollution mask made of bamboo yarn and replaceable algae-cellulose filters.
Homes not Houses
This is a design for temporary housing that is structurally insulated and made of consisting of reclaimed wood, mycelium and chitosan
Textile Tank
Textile Tank explores the potential of using genetically modified algae to break down common textile dyes and fibres.
MycelMute
MycelMute is a mycelium-plastic insulation panel used to alleviate PET plastic waste accumulation by upcycling and decreasing the degradation time of PET plastic.
Delta Tile
A lightweight tile cladding system composed of bacterial cellulose harvested from Komagataeibacter xylinus which can be super-critically dried to form a fire-resistant aerogel.
Instructors
Jestin George
Dr Jestin George is a molecular biologist and freelance artist who recently completed her PhD at UTS, Australia exploring synthetic biology approaches in model microalgal species. Jestin’s research has spanned plant, mammalian cell, and microalgal biotech systems across universities in South Africa, the UK, and Australia. Her passion for speculative and communication design and work as a freelance artist bring a unique viewpoint to her collaborations with artists and designers. Jestin has worked as a consultant and collaborator on numerous interdisciplinary projects, has won awards for scientific communication and has written various online blog articles. She has worked towards advancing communication and development of synthetic biology in Australia, through her role as both a member of the executive committee of Synthetic Biology Australasia (2018) and the Australian SynBio Challenge (2020).
Nahum McLean
Nahum McLean is a design PhD student at UTS, Australia and a freelance designer and maker. Nahum's research is practice-based and focuses on using readily available ingredients and processes. Nahum seeks to answer the question: how can sustainable materials be developed in preparation for a range of possible futures? Nahum has worked for some of the leading Australian fashion houses as a drape based designer and patternmaker. His knowledge of materiality, fabric handle, and drape has equipped him to evaluate sustainable materials and imagine potential uses for these materials.