The GIY (grow it yourself) Bio Buddies team and the 2019 Biodesign Challenge
The 2019 Nest Makerspace Biodesign Challenge team consisted of three high school girl designers who meet in the garage to explore the use of bio materials for sustainable maker projects. Here is their GIY Bio Buddies project site: https://giybiobuddies.weebly.com/
2019 was the first year that the Biodesign Challenge, an international design challenge, opened up to teens. There is a need for biodesign journeys at the high school level since solutions to our pressing environmental issues will depend upon deep innovation through blended explorations across disciplines, and a teen group exploring these issues from an art/design angle can create a point of entry for biodesign conversations with a larger public.
The GIY Bio Buddies won Runner Up (Second Place) and Outstanding Field Research at the 2019 Biodesign Challenge.
2019 was the first year that the Biodesign Challenge, an international design challenge, opened up to teens. There is a need for biodesign journeys at the high school level since solutions to our pressing environmental issues will depend upon deep innovation through blended explorations across disciplines, and a teen group exploring these issues from an art/design angle can create a point of entry for biodesign conversations with a larger public.
The GIY Bio Buddies won Runner Up (Second Place) and Outstanding Field Research at the 2019 Biodesign Challenge.
DONATIONS for continued outreach and kit product development:
The team is continuing to develop community biomaterial workshops, share their work at conferences, and are designing science instructional videos to accompany their biomaking activities. They are also pursuing ways to bring their toy biomaterial kit to life. Donations to the GIY Bio Buddies can be made through the Alliance for Youth Achievement (formerly the Alum Rock Educational Foundation). Donations can be made at their Network for Good page with "GIY Bio Buddies" written in the Designation box.
Team profiles from the 2018-2019 academic year.
Anne Hu
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Anne Hu is a sophomore at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, California. She plays basketball and is a captain for her school’s varsity softball team. She loves to create art through drawing, photography and crafting. Her photography was selected by National Geographic for display in the Vice President’s house in 2015. Her interest in the Biodesign Challenge stems from her passions for science and learning. She has been designing and 3D printing since 2014. She was selected to represent her school at a Google IO conference.
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Trisha Sathish
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Trisha Sathish is a freshman at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California and has been making for as long as she can remember. In her free time, she loves to read, paint, and dance.
She has been 3D print designing since 2014. She has worked at a Makerfaire booth and has also been a national Finalist in the Future Engineer Design Challenge in the Junior Strand and a National Semifinalist in the Teen Strand of the Future Engineers Design Challenge. She is a recipient of a Kurt Gieseler Foundation Ambition Grant. |
Emily Takara
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Emily Takara is a freshman at Pinewood Upper Campus in Los Altos, California. She likes to draw, run, and craft. Her interest in the Biodesign Challenge comes from her love of exploring science and design. Emily enjoys making with others and has worked at Mini Makerfaire booths and community pop-up maker events for the past five years. She has been a finalist and a two time Junior National Winner in the NASA sponsored Future Engineers Design Challenge. In 2018, she was a National Teen Finalist in the Future Engineer Design Challenge. She is a recipient of a Kurt Gieseler Foundation Ambition Grant. https://emilytakaraportfolio.weebly.com/
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Instructor: Corinne Okada Takara
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Having led girls as National Semifinalist, Finalists and Winners in the NASA sponsored Future Engineers 3D print challenges since 2014, I have seen how girls can gain confidence, skills and passion for tackling “How might we?” questions through self driven, long term design/engineering projects. Students often feel overwhelmed by large scale environmental systems issues and the Biodesign Challenge is an opportunity to both empower students to tackle sustainability challenges and explore ways to bring biology into youth makerspaces. The girls will be introduced to cutting edge research at the intersection of design, art and biology. Their Biodesign Challenge project will not only result in a culminating design submission but also in introductory lesson plans they will share online and in free public workshops. A sampling of their initial explorations are shared in lesson links below.
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Kombucha Light Ornament
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Starter Kombucha Culture
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Microfluidic Gradient Tool
(lesson link coming soon)
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Bacterial Cellulose Wings, a blend of 3D printing & a biomaterial
(lesson link coming soon)
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SPONSORS
A huge thank you to the following sponsors:
Lisa Whitsitt for both monetary donation and brainstorming training session.
Kenneth Hawthorn for workshop on sensors and microprocessors.
Tech Museum of Innovation Biodesign Studio for personalized team workshop in growing biomaterials.
SE3D for a custom introduction to 3D printing microfluidics workshop.
Ecovative for donation of mycelium incubated bark for team to experiment with.
RedWorks3D for a google hangout chat with the team about sustainability design and 3D printing with locally sourced building materials.
The Alliance for Youth Achievement (AYA) for serving as our team's fiscal sponsor.
The Simon Science Sandbox for a travel grant to the 2019 Biodesign Challenge.
Lisa Whitsitt for both monetary donation and brainstorming training session.
Kenneth Hawthorn for workshop on sensors and microprocessors.
Tech Museum of Innovation Biodesign Studio for personalized team workshop in growing biomaterials.
SE3D for a custom introduction to 3D printing microfluidics workshop.
Ecovative for donation of mycelium incubated bark for team to experiment with.
RedWorks3D for a google hangout chat with the team about sustainability design and 3D printing with locally sourced building materials.
The Alliance for Youth Achievement (AYA) for serving as our team's fiscal sponsor.
The Simon Science Sandbox for a travel grant to the 2019 Biodesign Challenge.
