Author: Andy Scarpelli

For the last 4 years, we’ve had the fun challenge of trying to continue our commitment to outreach while adjusting to the pandemic and post pandemic world. One of our favorite partners since the beginning of the pandemic has been the North Park Village Nature Center. The North Park Village Nature Center (NPVNC) is a…

In my last post, I talked about how I found my way to setting up a community biolab in Chicago . But the story of ChiTownBio about me, it’s about assembling the right team. It’s about finding people who are excited to build something, and rolling up our sleeves. ChiTownBio really got its start when…

Reflecting on the history of ChiTownBio. Hello Chicagoan! My name is Dr. Andy Scarpelli, and I’m the president and co-founder of ChiTownBio. Things are really starting to move here at ChiTownBio, and even though we’ve said it before, we’re incredibly optimistic that we’re going to be able to open our doors by the end of…

We’re living in difficult times, but throwing in the towel is not an option. Climate change continues to complicate the lives of all Chicagoans, with mosquitoes becoming more resilient while our environment becomes more and more unstable. We’ve dealt with smoke and smog throughout the summer, and when we can get outside, the weather has…

Hello, ChiTownBio community! We have some exciting news to share! Back in September, a number of community members all signed on to form a team to compete in this year’s Biodesign Challenge Sprint. The Sprint is an accelerated version of the Biodesign Challenge that typically runs in the spring of each year. Both offerings challenge…

Hi all, As the fall is quickly approaching (It’s after Labor Day already!), I feel the need to update you on the progress we’ve been making on all fronts. We have a few events to keep an eye on, I’ll be speaking about ChiTownBio at an AIGA event you should attend next week, and will…

Hello everyone. It’s been a while since we last talked, and I feel like I owe you an update. My name is Andy Scarpelli, and I’m the president of ChiTownBio. In the time since the last time I updated this site, we’ve been experiencing the tumult of the pandemic and some financial woes, but we…

It’s been a while since we updated this site, and I want to make sure I connect with you, Chicago, and fill you in on the workings of our organization in 2021. The last time I wrote on this blog, it was the beginning of the year, and society started to have some signs that…

Welcome to the new year, everyone! We’re excited about the possibilities this year has in store. And there’s so much more to be excited about. One thing that’s coming in the coming months is the vaccine for COVID19, and we cannot wait to get vaccinated! Why are we so confident? Because we believe in science,…

ChiTownBio is dedicated to putting the knowledge, skills, and tools of biotechnology into the hands of all Chicagoans who want to explore the living world and use it to benefit our community. It’s been a long time since I wrote anything for our blog, and it’s time that I reintroduce our mission. We’ve been struggling…