Hello Chicago Citizen Scientists, Amateur Biologists, and the Generally Curious,
After two years of growing our community, conversing with members, developing our brand and giving talks, hosting demos, and participating in fairs and festivals, ChiTownBio is excited to be moving into the next phase of our growth. After generous donations for community members and grants from organizations that include the Harrison Family Foundation and Society for Science & the Public, we are finally to create our very own physical space. Here’s what that entails:
- In the coming two months, we plan to start leasing a physical location in Chicago, likely on the North side where most of our current community resides.
- Once we have secured a location, we will equip our lab with the basic set of tools necessary to do biotechnology and will open as soon as reasonably possible.
- In the interim, we have less frequent meetings at our favorite watering hole (The Empirical Taproom).
- We will be hyper-focused on getting our space in working order for the bio-curious among us to start working on projects of their choosing in an environment that provides expertise and supervision. Ensuring the safety of our patrons and our community is our chief priority.
During this change, we will still be available to provide expertise and resources into the various means of biotechnology and biological wonders of the Chicagoland area. Keep an eye on our website (https://chitownbio.org), social media channels (@ChiTownBio), and Meetup account for upcoming trips to wastewater treatment facilities, nature walks, beach cleanups, and more. We are excited to transition to a central hub where we can facilitate further exploration of ChiTown and biology. We also plan on turning our blog a more constant news feed, with updates on biology, biotechnology, and local opportunities on a more regular schedule.
If you haven’t already joined our Slack channel, send us an email and we’ll get you plugged into our active online community!
Thank you so much for your continued interest and support! We look forward to serving you in the coming months.
Andrew Scarpelli, Ph.D.
President, ChiTownBio
ChiTownBio@gmail.com