Students Envision the Future of Biotech at BDC Summit 2022, June 20-24

54 finalist teams will present projects developed in collaboration with artists, designers, and biologists

New York, NY, June 1, 2022—On June 20-24, over 200 high school and university students from 17 countries will present their ideas and compete for the Glass Microbe at Biodesign Challenge Summit 2022. Their projects apply biotechnology to reshape architecture, food, fashion, health, materials, energy, and more. 

Fifty leading experts in academia, industry, and the arts will judge the projects and award prizes, including Outstanding Field Research and Outstanding Social Critique. Sponsored prizes include the Ginkgo Bioworks Prize for Biological Futures and the Science Sandbox Prize for Public Engagement.

Summit speakers include Jennifer Willet, artist, Professor in the School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor, and the Director of INCUBATOR Art Lab; Ani Liu, artist and Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania; and Sunanda Sharma, Postdoctoral Fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Speakers will give their talks on Friday, June 24th. There will also be a virtual Gallery Show on June 22 where audiences can directly engage with students, experts, and speakers.

“BDC is bringing a new generation of creators to biotech. Creators are not solely scientists but artists, designers, and people from diverse backgrounds who bring new perspectives to the technology,” says Daniel Grushkin, founder and Executive Director of Biodesign Challenge. “Our hope is that BDC generates fresh conversations about what we want from emerging technologies.”

Biodesign Challenge (BDC) is an international competition and education program that partners high school and university students with artists, designers, and scientists to imagine, create, and critique the future of biotechnology. During the academic year, students develop bold and feasible projects that use biotechnology to address pressing issues or to critique biotechnology’s impact on society.

Over the last seven years, BDC alumni have founded startups (raising $20M+ collectively), received patents, and won awards including the James Dyson Award, H&M Global Change Award, National Geographic Chasing Genius Award, LVMH Innovation Award, Prix Ars Electronica, among others. They have exhibited at museums and festivals, including the V&A, London Design Biennale, Gregg Museum, World Economic Forum, the Tech Museum, Dutch Design Week, MIT, and the United Nations.