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Engineering Biology in Cambridge

 

Science Makers and SynBio Fund projects were showcased at Science Hackday PDX, 7-8 Oct, an interdisciplinary event in Portland to create engagement with open tools and software.

Science Hack Day Portland was a two day event organised by Open Insight PDX, an Oregon Health Sciences University Library and National Library of Medicine sponsored project. Open Insight PDX heard about the work of the SRI in promoting open tools for science and invited SRI Coordinator Jenny Molloy to Portland to facilitate a hackathon and create engagement with these efforts in the Portland area. Open source community organizer Max Ogden also joined and together the event not only provided a start for some excellent projects but catalyzed a community that the PDX organisers plan to nurture with more events and collaborations, inspired by the work of the SRI in Cambridge.

Projects included an orca sound ocean simulator, numerous artistic projects such as a DNA helix light and programmed light installation displaying the p53 sequence, sensors, drones and more. The 3D-printed microscope developed by Dr Richard Bowman (Department of Physics) and supported by the SynBio Fund was a big hit and progress on a micromanipulator for neuroscience research led one OHSU faculty member to declare that his group should make all of their instruments.

Most of all, the event was fun and stimulating for all involved and allowed interactions both professional and social between a wide variety of researchers, makers and technologists - and their children who enjoyed taking part at the mini-hacker table.

A Storify of the event is below!  

Science Hack Day Portland 2016 (with images, tweets) · rchampieux