If you've been considering getting involved at Biomakespace, it's a great time as the OpenPlant Biomaker Challenge offers the opportunity to obtain up to £3000 funding for your idea!
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We also have an upcoming CRISPR course in the works (volunteer with the planning team in our chat or email us), a NanoPore DNA sequencing workshop is coming soon and we're teaching practical molecular biology to the Cambridge U3A, a group where retired and semi-retired people come together to continue their educational, social and creative development during their "Third Age".
OpenPlant Biomaker is offering up to £3000 support for open science projects. The 5-month programme provides opportunities to work with an interdisciplinary team to identify and solve lab or field challenges, learn to use code-free programming for hardware and user interface development, develop biological applications, scientific instruments and real-world tools, or develop new ideas.
Join us at Biomakespace for a brainstorming session on Mon 6 May!
Base4 is a Cambridge-based biotech company developing a microdroplet based sequencing method that generates long reads from a single molecule of DNA, without the need for initial amplification. Hear more about their cutting edge technology and its application in this talk by Dr Richard Ingham. RSVP on Meetup Now!
Alex van der Wateren interviewed Khadija Ouadi, a molecular microbiologist, about her interests and how Biomakespace is a great place to meeting like-minded people and get involved with training and projects.
Confocal microscopy: this is not new kit but the quest to get our Leica SP2 confocal microscope fully functional has stepped up a gear - if you love microscopes and could help out please email info@biomake.space!
Carbon dioxide: we are now able to use carbon dioxide in the Biomakespace. if you have aspirations to work with Drosophila or cell culture, get in touch and enquire about project possibilities!
Volunteering Opportunities
Lab It Monday Curator!
We organise three sessions per month of talks, hands-on experiments and training on a Monday evening! We're currently building a team to curate and coordinate these meetings. If you want an excuse to organise some great sessions of interest to yourself and other members, get involved! Email the committee now!
Seeking Workshop Instructors!
Help plan and deliver training workshops to members of Biomakespace & the public on biology & maker skills. Current specific courses in planning stage:
CRISPR/Cas9 workshop
Nanopore sequencing workshop on environmental microbiomes
U3A Introduction to Practical Molecular Biology (course for retired and semi-retired members of the U3A).
We're planning a CRISPR gene editing workshop for members of Biomakespace and the public. If you have experience in molecular biology and/or practical teaching and you're interested in bringing this cutting edge biotechnology to more people and learning along the way, we are seeking more volunteer course developers and instructors! Say hello on the workshop chat channel or email the committee now!
Sequencing Sourdough
A project is starting up aiming to use Nanopore sequencing to understand the microbial communities that enable sourdough bread baking. Known as SCOBYs, the current question is how much these cultures of bacteria and yeast change if moved into different areas but all ideas are welcome in the planning stages. There are also moves afoot to obtain "ancient" SCOBYs. Watch this space for a Meetup in June! If you're keen to be kept in the loop, email the committee now!
Open Source Bioreactor
During Biomaker Challenge 2019 an open source bioreactor was constructed at Biomakespace. Work will continue this summer to add additional modules. Check out the docs on Hackster including the parametric peristaltic pump and flow-through photometer for measuring bacterial density. If you'd be interested to join the project team, say hello on our chat channel or email Jenny.
Would you like to start a project in the Biomakespace? Brainstorm some ideas and start forming teams and making applications for the OpenPlant Biomaker Challenge with up to £3000 available to support projects at the interface of biology and engineering.
If you'd like to find out more about the Biomakespace and how to join, come along for a tour with one of our committee members and find out more about what is possible in the space and our plans for the future - plus volunteering opportunities!
Tue 14 May: SynBio Forum with Professor Michael Jewett & Professor Andrew Ellington
Time: 17:30-19:00
Old Divinity School, Saint Johns Street, Cambridge
This term's SynBio Forum from the SynBio SRI features talks on "Repurposing ribosomes for synthetic biology" by Michael Jewett, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University and "Directed Evolution of Translation" by Prof Andrew Ellington, Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Systems and Synthetic Biology, University of Texas at Austin. As usual, the talks will be followed by a dinner buffet and drinks reception. Be sure to reserve your spot!
We are now open for memberships! Check out the membership page and for a minimum contribution of £15 per month you can join the community and benefit from:
Access to three lab spaces following induction and safety training.
A great social community with a passion for biology and enthusiasm for collaborating on interesting projects.
Opportunity to propose projects to run in the space and help to develop them, with excellent links to other networks in Cambridge and potential sources of funding.
Free or reduced-cost training courses in biology, engineering, bioinformatics and more.
