Welcome to BioCuriouswww.biocurious.org

biocurious@googlegroups.com@biocuriouslab

biocuriousmembers.pbworks.com

You Are Here

And we’re really glad!

What brings you here?

What is BioCurious?A hackerspace for biotech

Largest Citizen Science organization in the worldnon-profit organization (soon to be 501(c)3)

Committed to making biology accessible, affordable, and open to everyone

A community lab built for and supported by membersA place to “experiment with friends”

We Care AboutDIYbio

Democratization of technologyEducation and (re)training

Community outreachCreating a community of early adopters

Exploring opportunities created by access to biotech tools & training

What we do• Provide lab space and shared equipment• Host classes, meetings, community events and projects• Provide education – lecture & hands-on lab courses• Membership = $100 per month

– OR Pay $1000 for a year (2 months free!)• Operating Hours – 12pm – 10pm weekdays– 10am – 10pm weekends

BioCurious demands no IP or equity from lab space users

What BioCurious is not• We’re not TechShop– No paid staff; we’re all volunteering our time! You have

the same rights and obligations as the rest of us.– Nobody here is supposed to clean up after you!– Your membership fees pay for rent & basic supplies, not

for the right to be educated or entertained• We’re not a school, we’re a makerspace– (Almost) nobody here is a trained educator– Peer education: everybody has something to learn, and

something to teach– You’re here to do stuff, not just sit back and absorb

Members make things happen!

Mission:

We believe that innovations in biology should be accessible, affordable, and open to everyone.

We’re building a community biology lab for amateurs, inventors, entrepreneurs, and anyone

who wants to experiment with friends.

Timeline

• 2009 – Garage Lab• 2010 – Kickstarter Campaign• Summer 2011 – Leased Building in

Sunnyvale• Fall 2011 – Open to The Public• Today – reach thousands of people• Tomorrow …

What we offer?• Access to shared lab space & equipment– Reagent Store– Mailing Address– Use of facilities and meeting rooms– Space to use and store equipment

• Community– With Other Members– With Local Companies– On-Line Wiki for Members

• Education– Some Discounted Workshops– Safety & Equipment Training

Guiding Principles:

We do not exercise editorial control over projects.

We follow safety guidelines and legal restrictions

Who can do it?

Guiding Principles:

Open Access to Everyone

“I’d like my 12 year old to be in your next class!”

“I’d like my 12 year old to conduct experiments!”

Yes: Open access to everyone

But minors must be accompanied by parent

Class attendance subject to discretion of organizers

Guiding Principles:

We want members to have a quality experience.Need something, ask.

Have a suggestion, tell us.Staffers are here to help.

Guiding Principles:

We give people access and tools to find their own answers.

Community is important.We connect people.

BioCurious PoliciesGuests – Currently, we allow free co-working (guests must sign release)Space usage/events – requests submitted to events@biocurious.orgMedia – requests submitted to media@biocurious.orgSafety – covered separatelysafety@Biocurious.orgNon-Cash and Equipment Donations –Email equipment@biocurious.org

Equipment Donation ProceduresFor equipment questions, concerns, donations,

problemsemail equipment@biocurious.org

Never drop anything off at BioCurious and leave unattended

used lab equipment and biohazard issues make our neighbors nervous, and earn us visits from SWAT teams in bunny suits.

Never drop anything off at BioCurious that hasn’t been accepted/approved

Equipment Donation Procedures

What we accept

• We have wishlists -- https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0ByIgvp7w4IABYjg2ZDdlNDUtZjRlNS00NzMyLThlODgtZDdmYjhlYmU5ZTRi&hl=en_US– lab equipment & supplies – general office stuff– chores

Classes

• http://www.meetup.com/BioCurious/• We offer lecture and lab classes• Schedule is on-line, and updated often • Check regularly for updates

• Got an idea for a class? Let us know: classes@biocurious.org

In the first BioCurious classes:

Students built PCR machines,

extracted and sequenced their own DNA,

and analyzed SNP variants bioinformatically.

Students of all ages collaborate in the BioCurious labspace

Selected Projects at BioCurious

• Community Projects:– BioPrinter, Bioluminescence, Lab Robotics, Bioinformatics

• Lab Equipment Projects:– BioPrinter, Gel Doc, cheap and fast gel electrophoresis

system using web cams to capture images• Reagent Store, member-run purchasing club for

sharing expensive enzymes and plasmids

What’s happening around the lab?

• Tue 7pm: Molecular Biology of the Cell Study Group

• Every other Wed, 5:30pm: Coast-to-Coast Journal Club

• Thu 7:30pm: BioPrinter (talk to Patrik!)• Sun 10am: Biolab Automation group

Community meeting : Saturday, February 22, 10am – 12pm

BioCurious Partners

Corporate Sponsors

Contact Info

• Main Phone (may not be answered): 408-475-2BIO (2246)

• Emergency Number: 831-740-6774• biocurious-helpers@googlegroups.com• safety@biocurious.org• board@biocurious.org

What we expect from you

• Use the lab safely and legally at all times• Notify staff if you are expecting a delivery• Keep the lab clean (clean up after yourself)• Share ideas, feedback, knowledge• Have fun• Remember this is your space!

Make things happen!

Your questions and feedback

• We need them, today and in the future

• There’s never been anything like BioCurious before

• We’ll incorporate your best ideas into resources, future training

How can YOU get more involved?

So glad you asked!

Attend a classTeach a class

Start a projectLead a project

Start a companyChange the world

Building YOUR community

• What do you want to do?– Project/People Matching

• Social Media– biocurious@googlegroups.com– Some community project sub groups– Twitter– Facebook– LinkedIn

Be part of the Next Big Thing to come out of a Silicon Valley garage

Thank You!