Happy 2019, everyone! We have been busy bees here at ChiTownBio (Altough not the genetically modified ones), and we’ve had quite the year. We’ve grown some mushroom sculptures with some supplies from our friends at Ecovative, enjoyed some fermented food (Ginger beer recipes for the win!), done some art with slime molds, played with some enzymes, and “painted” some amazing bacterial art. We’ve had many great discussions on books from authors like Ed Yong, Craig Venter, and Siddhartha Mukherjee. We’ve also had our first fundraiser at Hamburger Mary’s and set up a fundraising site on our page. And we’re looking forward to 2019!
We’ve also got some exciting events coming up.
On January 24th, join us at Empirical Brewery’s Taproom for a fun day of experimentation with alginate, a biopolymer that allows for the creation of interesting materials and textiles. We were inspired to play with the material by groups like AlgiKnit who are making new fabrics and fashion using ecofriendly materials.
On February 5th, we’re having another Book Club Event! Join us at TechNexus for an exciting discussion of “What’s your Bio Strategy?” by John Cumbers and Karl Schmieder. The two authors interview luminaries from the fields of biotechnology and synthetic biology, asking people to consider how biological technologies will change our society and economy, and what preparations need to be made for those changes.
We’re always looking for more ideas, more members, and more ways to get people involved in Biotechnology here in Chicago. If you have ideas, please write us at chitownbio@gmail.com. Check out our donate page and follow and share us on social media!