Emad Ahmed
How do scientists truly open their wacky worlds to others? Sure, we as students of science try our best to write about something that may be appealing to an everyday member of the public. But science is more than that.
There are subjects you can study with your head buried inside a big, old, dusty textbook at a desk. Or you can go out in the wild and explore, collect samples, gather data, get back to the lab and analyse whatever has started growing on that petri dish or construct visual and data models on a computer.
There are subjects you can study with your head buried inside a big, old, dusty textbook at a desk. Or you can go out in the wild and explore, collect samples, gather data, get back to the lab and analyse whatever has started growing on that petri dish or construct visual and data models on a computer.
Genspace, founded by ‘Resident Journalist’ and Vice-President Daniel Grushkin and Director Oliver Medvedik have done exactly this in Brooklyn, New York. Touting itself as ‘New York City’s Community Biolab’, Genspace is a charity group determined to increase science learning and awareness by providing a small opening into the world of biotechnology. The organisation provides hands-on sessions for the public (including – most importantly – for those with no prior scientific knowledge) and hold outreach events to promote science. Daniel and Oliver gave an informative talk at the Maker Faire in Newcastle, explaining how Genspace came about and what they do.
Ellen Jorgensen, President and also a co-founder of Genspace, spoke of the positives outweighing any potential negatives of community labs in her passionate TED talk last year in Edinburgh. She spoke of the important responsibility scientists have in the public outreach and explanation of biotechnology, that public fear or hesitance can be removed once Joe Bloggs is in a safe lab and engaging with complete confidence.
Genspace isn’t by any means unique in providing lab classes for the public. These places are slowly opening up across the globe. On the other side of America in Sunnyvale, California, Eri Gentry and five other co-founders opened BioCurious, by raising $35,000 on Kickstarter. Its website lists a raft of resources available at its 2,400 square feet: PCR machines, micro-centrifuges, electrophoresis gels, CO2 incubators – the list goes on. Even larger (by a whole 210 square feet) is London Hackspace (LHS) right here in Britain. Although it’s not a biotech lab, LHS is a non-profit workshop-style hackerspace, boasting drilling equipment, soldering stations and even a 3D printer. (Don’t worry biology fans – LHS hold biohacking sessions too!)
There are many things to be happy about. The UK government having a clear STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) strategy via a policy to grab the public’s attention is great news. Biohacking spaces are cropping up around the world in community labs, and starting in September 2013, Northumbria University will be delivering an all-new MSc in Public Engagement with Science degree, in conjunction with the Centre for Life. Science is finally becoming more than just old men in white coats – it’s mainstream.
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