Grow the Future:
Support Biodesign Challenge Today
WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF BIOLOGY. From the environmental crisis to the pandemic, our news is filled with stories about how biological phenomena affect our daily lives. Increasingly, non-expert individuals need to possess a sophisticated understanding of the life sciences in order to make informed political and cultural decisions. Just as the computer revolution shaped life in the twentieth century, the rapid rise of biotechnology will determine the course and outcomes of life in the twenty-first.
Biodesign Challenge exists to educate and empower diverse communities to wield biotechnology for the production of more sustainable and equitable futures. Specifically, Biodesign Challenge is a global educational nonprofit dedicated to supporting students who wish to improve their communities through innovation at the intersection of biotechnology and design. With its varied programming and events, Biodesign Challenge catalyzes positive social change by supporting STEAM educators and seeding the first generation of biodesigners.
Our community of students, educators, artists, scientists, and designers is uniquely positioned to positively impact and disrupt society’s longstanding relationship to the life sciences. Together, with your help, we can work to restore and reinvigorate our biotic community so that our shared future is one of harmony between ourselves and the natural world.
An Intellectual Ecosystem: Biotechnology, Art & Design
Biodesign Challenge supports critical thinking and professional development at the intersection of art, science, and design through three flagship programs.
Biodesign Challenge & Summit: The Biodesign Challenge is a semester-long educational program that pairs high-school and university students with scientists, artists, and designers to develop projects that engage the tools of biotechnology to imagine a better world.
Each year, participating schools present their final biodesign projects before an audience of peers, academics, and professionals from the global biotech industry at the Biodesign Summit, a two-day event at the Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art. The top teams in the competition compete for the Glass Microbe, the Biodesign Challenge’s premier prize, as well as several thematic prizes that bestow additional mentorship benefits to the teams that have distinguished themselves in a particular area.
All participants in the Biodesign Challenge and Summit receive continuing professional and academic support from our organization as members of our alumni network.
Biodesign Symposium: The Biodesign Symposium functions as a forum for the exchange of ideas among professionals in biotechnology and design. It convenes annually in the days before the Biodesign Summit, and features presentations and workshops by leading experts in STEAM education, synthetic biology, climate tech, and the arts. It provides a space for pedagogical innovation and methodological discussions that advance the social and intellectual aims of the biodesign community.
Biodesign Challenge After-School Program: The BDC After-School Program extends the traditional Biodesign Challenge curriculum and resources to student teams from qualifying Title I high schools in New York City. Participating students receive hands-on experience with laboratory techniques and develop an original biodesign project for presentation at the BDC Summit.
Alumni Success: The First Generation of Biodesigners
Alumni of the Biodesign Challenge have helped shape public discourse on biotechnology. Past participants of our program have developed their BDC projects into thriving biotech companies, groundbreaking academic research tracks, and critical artworks that have won global recognition in some of the world’s top museums and galleries.
Several alumni have also won prestigious sustainability awards and industry honors for their innovative visions of the application of biotechnology to humanity’s problems. These honors include the H&M Global Change Award, the James Dyson Award, multiple IDA Design Awards, a National Geographic Chasing Genius Award, and acknowledgement in the annual Forbes 30 under 30 list.
By supporting Biodesign Challenge, you help maintain an active alumni network, which in turn creates opportunities for emerging professionals at the intersection of design and science. You create space for collaboration, idea exchange, and a brighter future.
Build a Legacy: Planned Giving to Biodesign Challenge
Make a lasting impact on student success and the future of sustainable design with planned giving to the Biodesign Challenge. Our dedicated team will work with you to determine the most effective use of your charitable support, including targeting your gift to the causes that align best with your philanthropic commitments.
Biodesign Challenge currently accepts bequests, deferred contributions, and other forms of planned giving. For more additional information on planned giving and how to increase Biodesign Challenge’s social impact, please contact our Executive Director, Paul Rubery, at info@biodesignchallenge.org.