Welcome! The Biodesign Symposium: How to Grow a Biodesigner is an annual, free conference-style event where educators, researchers, and practitioners of Biodesign will discuss how they've worked across Biology, Tech, Art and Design. Presenters at the Symposium share ways of formalizing Biodesign education and aligning Biodesign learning outcomes with workplace needs. Check out the 2024 Symposium proceedings below.

 
 

Location

June 12, 9:00am – 6:00pm | The New School, Johnson Hall
66 W 12th Street, New York, NY 10011


Schedule

9:00 AM

Participant Registration + Coffee

10:00 AM

Opening Address + Introduction to the Symposium: Veena Vijayakumar, Martyn Dade-Robertson, Giovanna Danies, and Sam Edens

10:15 AM

Morning Keynote: Nancy Diniz

10:45 AM

State of the Field: Morning Presentations

12:00 PM

Break Out Session #1

1:00 PM

Lunch

2:00 PM

Exemplifying the Field: Biodesign Challenge Alumni Panel Yousif Alzayed, Noemi Florea, Eldy Lázaro, Maia Yoshida

2:30 PM

Expanding the Field: Afternoon Presentations

3:45 PM

Break Out Session #2

4:45 PM

Afternoon Keynote: Jiabao Li

5:15 PM

Closing Address


Symposium Speakers


Paper Presentations

Below are the first drafts of the papers what will be presented at this year’s Symposium.

Morning Session

Exploring the Interplay of Biological Science, Sensory Engagement, and Material Probing Thora Arnardottir

Textile Landscapes: The Material Future of Tulare Lake Anna Avdalyan

Navigating futures of Biodesign Deepa Butoliya

From observation to operation: how lab spaces influence the biodesign practice Julia Ihls, Barbara Pollini

How to grow a biodesigner?: A Case Study of Guatemala and Comparative Analysis with International Universities Alejandra Sierra, Roberto Sosa, Mariana Marroquín

Afternoon Session

Roots of Renewal: Biodesign Community Program for AAPI Youth Caroline Chou, Sally Kong, Angeli Magdaraog

BioCards Tool: Cultivating Sustainable Innovations in Biomaterial Development Derya Irkdas Dogu, Carla Paoliello, Susana Leonor, Onur Mengi, Américo Mateus, Deniz Deniz, Gulizar Caliskan, Anil Dinc Demirbilek

Indigenous Biotechnology Renaissance: A Relational Biodesign Approach Ñkwi Flores

How do we grow a Biodesigner? Karen Ingram

BurgLabs - a participatory approach towards interdisciplinary biodesign research Hannah Kannenberg, Johann Bauerfeind, Dr. Falko Matthes, Prof. Mareike Gast

The challenges faced by (bio-)designers in contributing to sustainable material development  Malu Luecking

Biodesign in the Middle: The Center is an Edge Ash Eliza Smith

Cultivating Biodesigners: Integrating Local Biology, Culture, and Place-Based Design in Education Corinne Okada Takara

Teaching Biodesign: The Biodesign Matrix, The Conversational Approach to Design and Material Grammars Devon Ward


Symposium Steering Committee

Programming

Sam Edens (Lead), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

Laura Forlano, Northeastern University

Joytrese George, New Design High School

Daniel Grushkin, Biodesign Challenge

Carolina Obregon, Parsons School of Design

Andrea Polli, University of New Mexico

Andy Scarpelli, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Sabriya Stukes, SOSV

Devon Ward, Auburn University

Jake Wintermute, Ginkgo Bioworks

Publishing

Martyn Dade-Robertson (Co-Lead), Northumbria University

Giovanna Danies (Co-Lead), Universidad de los Andes

Christina Cogdell, University of California, Davis

Isabel Correa, Columbia University Teachers College

Nathan Holbert, Columbia University Teachers College

Ryan Hoover, Maryland Institute College of Art

Heidi Jalkh, Sistemas Materiales

Alex Kisielewski

Jane Pirone, Parsons School of Design

Justice Walker, University of Texas at El Paso


BIODESIGN CHALLENGE STAFF

Veena Vijayakumar, Symposium Chair + BDC Interim Director

Michael Balangue, BDC Program Manager


Call for Submissions

THIS CALL IS NOW CLOSED. As part of the Biodesign Symposium, Biodesign Challenge collected submissions to be published in Cambridge University Press Research Directions: Biotechnology Design journal addressing the question “How do we grow a Biodesigner?”

All submissions are considered for presentation at the first annual Biodesign Symposium. We will be sharing information about the selected submissions soon!


Supporters

 
 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2419577.


If you'd like to sponsor or support BDC to provide opportunities for our students, follow the link below to learn more about ways to support us.