Learn.Design.Compute

with Biology
2020

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ABOUT

In its third year—Learn.Design.Compute with Biology— brings together scientists, designers and educators to discuss novel learning platforms and activities to advance biological design, synthetic biology and computation education at K12 and beyond.

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Attendees

Yasmin B. Kafai

Yasmin B. Kafai is a learning scientist and designer of online tools and communities to promote coding, crafting, and creativity across grades K–16. Her work empowers students to use computer programming to design games, sew electronic textiles, and grow applications in biology with the goal of supporting creative expression, building social connections, and broadening participation in computing. She helped develop with MIT colleagues the popular programming tool Scratch—known as the YouTube of interactive media—where millions of kids create and share their programs. With her pioneering research on children’s learning when programming digital games, she was an early contributor to the field of serious gaming. Currently, she is developing a high school curriculum with electronic textiles that introduces students to computer science. She is also creating new fabrication tools and activities that bring biomaking into classrooms. She has written and edited books for MIT Press in addition to several national policy reports. Her award-winning work has received generous funding from the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the MacArthur Foundation.

Karen Hogan is the Teaching Laboratory Coordinator in the Department of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania where she develops curriculum and teaches undergraduate laboratory courses in introductory biology, microbiology, and biological design. Most recently she worked on introducing a inquiry-based multi-week metagenomics laboratory module to over 500 students. Before joining Penn, she worked as a researcher in wetland restoration at the University of Dayton, a staff scientist in stream ecology for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and a research consultant for the Philadelphia Water Department and American Water Works Association. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Biology at the University of Dayton and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Orkan Telhan, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary designer whose investigations focus on the design of interrogative objects, interfaces, and media, engaging with critical issues in social, cultural, and environmental responsibility. Telhan is Assistant Professor of Fine Arts - Emerging Design Practices at University of Pennsylvania, School of Design. He holds a PhD in Design and Computation from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a focus on Synthetic Biology and Biological Design. He was part of the Sociable Media Group at the MIT Media Laboratory and the Mobile Experience Lab at the MIT Design Laboratory.

Leah Buechley is an associate professor in the computer science department at the University of New Mexico, where she directs the Hand and Machine research group. Her work explores integrations of electronics, computing, art, craft, and design. She is a pioneer in paper and fabric-based electronics and her inventions include the LilyPad Arduino, a construction kit for sew-able electronics. Previously, she was a professor at the MIT Media Lab, where she founded and directed the High-Low Tech group. Leah received a PhD in computer science from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BA in physics from Skidmore College.

Suzanne Anker is a Bio Art pioneer, visual artist and theorist working at the intersection of art and the biological sciences. Her practice investigates the ways in which nature is being altered in the 21st century. Concerned with genetics, climate change, species extinction and toxic degradation, she calls attention to the beauty of life and the “necessity for enlightened thinking about nature’s ‘tangled bank’.” Her work has been shown at the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; Daejeon Biennale, Korea; Chronus Art Center, Shanghai, China; Parrish Art Museum, Southampton, NY; ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany; Today Art Museum, Beijing, China; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.; the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC; P.S.1 Museum, New York, NY; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA; the Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charité, Berlin, Germany; the Center for Cultural Inquiry, Berlin, Germany; the Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey; the Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan; and the International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. Her books include The Molecular Gaze: Art in the Genetic Age, co-authored with the late sociologist Dorothy Nelkin, published in 2004 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Visual Culture and Bioscience, co-published by University of Maryland and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. Chairing SVA’s Fine Arts Department in NYC since 2005, Ms. Anker continues to interweave traditional and experimental media in her department’s new digital initiative and the SVA Bio Art Laboratory.

Michael Horn is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Learning Sciences at Northwestern University where he directs the Tangible Interaction Design and Learning (TIDAL) Lab. Michael serves as the Program Coordinator for the Learning Sciences PhD Program at Northwestern and is co-Founder of the new Joint PhD Program in Computer Science and Learning Sciences. Michael's research explores the use of interactive technology in the design of innovative learning experiences. He takes a cautious but optimistic stance towards technology in a process that tightly couples research and design. His work has been exhibited at museums around the world including the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco), the Museum of Science (Boston), the Field Museum (Chicago), and the Computer History Museum (Silicon Valley). Michael's research on tangible programming has contributed to the commercial products: Osmo Coding (https://www.playosmo.com/en/coding/) and Kibo Robotics (http://kinderlabrobotics.com/kibo/).

Justice Toshiba Walker

Justice Walker is a University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) post doctoral researcher who earned a M.S. from the UPenn School of Engineering and Applied Science and a Ph.D. from UPenn Graduate School of Education. He has more than a decade of high school and university science teaching experience. His published research on learning in emerging biological and computer science fields examines innovative teaching and learning. His dissertation titled, “When Biology Learning Paradigms Shift: What Middle School Students Know, Think, and Learn about Synthetic Biology” points to novel future directions for bioengineering learning experiences that increasingly require complex reasoning, creativity, and intellectually diverse participation. To learn more about Justice and his work, visit: www.justicewalker.com.

Christina Agapakis

Christina Agapakis is a synthetic biologist, writer, and artist and is the creative director of Ginkgo Bioworks, a biological design company based in Boston. Her work brings together biologists, engineers, designers, artists, and social scientists to explore the future of biotechnology, from perfume made from extinct flowers to engineered probiotics and GMO beer. She holds a PhD in synthetic biology from Harvard University and once made cheese using bacteria from the human body.

Helene Steiner is a designer and engineer who works at the interface between technology and science. She co-founded Open Cell with the mission to provide affordable lab space to early-stage startups innovating at the intersection of design and biology. She leads the biomaterial platform at the fashion department at the Royal College of Art. Was previously a postdoc research fellow in Microsoft Research Cambridge and a visiting research fellow in the Tangible Research group of the MIT Media Lab. She holds a MDes from the Bauhaus University, MA from the Royal College of Art and an MSc from Imperial College London. And has been awarded a Frontier of Science, Kavli Fellowship by the National Academy of Sciences.

Mia S. Shaw is a doctoral student in the Teaching, Learning, and Leadership department at Penn’s Graduate School of Education. Before her program, she was a middle school science teacher and maker educator. Within STEAM education, Mia is interested in examining and designing inclusive maker activities for Black and Brown youth, particularly in the spheres of identity development, student voice, and counter-storytelling. Her current research involves designing and facilitating learning activities within computer science and design biology. Outside of her research, Mia is a cartoonist and illustrator.

Lisa Scheifele is the Executive Director of Baltimore Underground Science Space (BUGSS), a community laboratory dedicated to bridging the divide between scientists and the general public. BUGSS provides educational programming for elementary age students through adults as well as serving as a nexus for community-engaged research. She is an Associate Professor of Biology at Loyola University Maryland where she teaches and conducts research in synthetic biology and genomics. As principal investigator of the Build-a-Genome Network, an NSF-funded Research Coordination Network for Undergraduate Biology Education, she develops, coordinates, and disseminates innovative pedagogy related to the design and synthesis of genes, networks, and genomes. The network facilitates the inclusion of synthetic genomics into the curricula at diverse undergraduate institutions while also promoting broader discussions surrounding the ethical challenges and implications of new biological technologies.

Mike Tissenbaum

Mike Tissenbaum studies how digital games, simulations, and augmented and mobile technologies can transform physical spaces into immersive, engaging, and embodied learning environments. In this work, Mike combines qualitative research with real-time data to develop new approaches for understanding how people collaborate and learn. Mike also leverages this data to develop new forms of real-time support for both teachers and learners. Mike also investigates how to support students underrepresented in computing and engineering to develop their computational identities and digital empowerment through their creation of computing solutions that directly impact their lives and communities. Currently, Mike is an assistant professor of Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Previously, Mike was a researcher with MIT’s App Inventor, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Complex Play Lab. Mike received his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction and Masters in Information Sciences from the University of Toronto.

Foad Hamidi is an Assistant Professor in the Information Systems Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His research interests include Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Participatory Design, Living Media Interfaces and DIY Assistive Technology. He conducts interdisciplinary community-engaged research and collaborates regularly with diverse community partners and stakeholders. He has a PhD in Computer Science from York University, Toronto.

Alison Dell, PhD is a scientist and artist -- combining research training in Cell and Molecular Biology, and Environmental Science and Policy with a visual arts practice, which is largely based in print and works on paper. Alison is an Associate Professor of Biological Science at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY and Associate in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research examines the cell signaling events in developing neurons as their axons navigate towards synaptic partners, and the impact of common environmental toxins on these processes. She is co-founder of Art in the Lab, an ongoing project bringing scientists and artists together for events that mix drawing and laboratory work. Find out more. www.artinthelab.com

Orit Shaer is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and co-director of the Media Arts and Sciences Program at Wellesley College. She directs the Wellesley College Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab. Her research focuses on next generation user interfaces including virtual and augmented reality, tangible, gestural, and multi touch interaction. Her current projects include the development of novel interactive visualizations for personal -omics, and the conceptualization and prototyping of computational tools for enhancing learning and innovation in bio-design.
Dr Shaer is a Senior Member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), and a recipient of multiple National Science Foundation (NSF) and industry awards including the prestigious NSF CAREER Award, Agilent Technologies Research Award, and Google App Engine Education Award. Dr Shaer has served on dozens of program committees, editorial boards, and review panels, most recently, as co-Program Chair of ACM Tangible Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI 2020).

Daniel Grushkin

Daniel Grushkin is founder and executive director of the Biodesign Challenge, a program that partners university students with scientists, artists, and designers to envision the future of biotech. He is co-founder and former ED of Genspace, a nonprofit community laboratory dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Daniel has been a Fellow at Data & Society, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and an Emerging Leader in Biosecurity at the UPMC Center of Health Security. As a journalist, he has reported on the intersection of biotech, culture, and business for publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Scientific American and Popular Science.

Anja Scholze - Program Director, Biology + Design
Anja Scholze, Ph.D. is the Program Director for Biology + Design at The Tech Interactive, a hands-on science and technology center in California. She leads a team that imagines and develops new types of experiences to empower visitors to explore biology as a creative and problem solving medium. Anja was co-creator of the award-winning BioDesign Studio permanent exhibition and is the Principal Investigator for a 5 year National Institutes of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) to create and test an experimental museum space at the intersection of technology, design, biology, and making. In 2019, The Biotinkering Lab was recognized by the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) for its pioneering work and impact with the Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience. Prior to transitioning into informal education, Anja earned a B.A in Neuroscience from Pomona College and a Ph.D. in Developmental Biology from Stanford University.

Eric Forman is a Brooklyn-based artist working for over 20 years at the intersections between fine art, design, architecture, and new technology. His practice mines the uncertain present of human and technological co-evolution – the overlappings of natural vs artificial, real vs simulated, person and machine. Forman wrote a pioneering academic investigation of virtual reality in 1995, was an early member of the groundbreaking online media entity Pseudo Programs from 1995-1997, formed Eric Forman Studio in 2003, and in 2012 was invited to be a founding member of New Lab, a next generation innovation space in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Eric is also the co-founder of BioArt New York, a collective pairing artists and biologists for unusual collaborations. His studio’s work shows at galleries around the world, and his design practice specializes in the latest interactive experiences and fabrication techniques for diverse clients. Forman is currently faculty and Head of Innovation at the Interaction Design MFA program at SVA (School of Visual Arts). He also likes to ride a bike.
For more info: visit www.ericforman.com and follow @ericjforman on Instagram.

Brian Gravel, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of education in the School of Arts and
Sciences at Tufts University. He studies how people of all ages use representations to
work and learn in STEM. As a former engineer and teacher, he has always loved
building things and exploring how materials behave and interact. His scholarship
focuses on learning through inquiry with multiple representations, materials, and
processes in making spaces and with expressive computational technologies. Through
strong partnerships with various communities, Brian grounds his design research in
authentic contexts where, together, communities can build toward equity in STEM
learning and participation.

Melissa channels her passions for ecology and STEM outreach towards inspiring future scientists as a Program Facilitator with University City Science Center’s FirstHand program. Prior to joining FirstHand, she taught introductory biology labs in the California State University system for two years, while also participating in extensive STEM outreach. Melissa co-founded the Girls in Science & Technology (GIST) club for middle-school girls in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which continues to flourish since she moved back to Philadelphia. Melissa has a strong background in research ecology and has studied the mechanisms through which marine foundation species (deep-sea corals and marine algae) can adapt to survive a changing climate, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Temple University, and her Master of Science in Biology from California State University, Northridge.

Amanda Strawhacker

Amanda Strawhacker is a Ph.D. candidate of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University’s DevTech Research Group, where she works to design, implement, and evaluate novel technologies and curricula to engage young children in topics of the 21st century. She has contributed to the research and development of several technologies including the ScratchJr programming app, the KIBO robotics kit, the Early Childhood Makerspace at Tufts, and most recently the CRISPEE bioengineering kit. CRISPEE is part of a collaboration between DevTech and the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at Wellesley College. This spring, Amanda will defend her dissertation research on engaging children in playful learning about bioengineering and bioethics. Learn more about Amanda: www.amandastrawhacker.com Learn more about CRISPEE Bioengineering Kit: http://sites.tufts.edu/devtech/research/bioengineering/

Chrissy Dilley is the science department chair and a veteran high school science teacher at Grace Church School in Manhattan. While she has taught biology, chemistry and environmental science throughout her career her most recent exploration has been in the field of Biodesign. After being included in the 2019 BioDesign Challenge she decided to take a deep dive into the ways design thinking can be used as an approach to curricular design and as a tool in the classroom. Her Advanced Topics in Biology course explores the ways empathy and ethics are entwined within the field of biology as she explores the microbiome, cancer and CRISPR. In preparation for this years BDC, Chrissy has been exploring Biosynthetics and Biomaterials and thinking about how to excite students to think beyond as we design for our inevitable climate future.
Now leading the charge at her school, Chrissy has cultivated a group of teachers from junior kindergarten to 12th grade to join professional learning groups that serve as think tanks and support networks for those teachers interested in exploring the use of design thinking in their practice.

Sheri HANNA is the head of the Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) Majors department at Philadelphia Performing Arts - A String Theory Charter School. There, she leads initiatives in the high school’s project based curriculum development and instruction intended for students with a specific interest in STEM. Before joining the String Theory School, Sheri held posts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a fellow. She earned a Doctorate in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania where she focused on the identifying host factors involved in modulating arthropod-borne virus pathogenesis using high throughput screening technologies and Drosophila melanogaster models.

Jimmy Lin recently graduated from University of Pennsylvania with MSEd Learning Science and Technology. He also holds BS Mathematics and BSEd Mathematics Education from the University of Georgia. His research interest includes computer science programming education, physical computing, maker education and block-based programming. Having learned how to program in third grade in an after school program, Jimmy always wants to improve programming education experience for K12 students.

Luis Morales-Navarro

Luis Morales-Navarro is a graduate student in the Learning Sciences and Technologies masters program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is interested in issues of access and inclusion within STEM, and the role communities play in the development of computational fluency and creative learning. Before coming to Penn, he was a k-9 Computer Science teacher and curriculum developer. Luis was a 2018 Processing Foundation Fellow and from May 2016 to May 2018 a Resident Fellow in Interactive Media Arts at NYU in Shanghai. To learn more visit: lm-n.com.

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