Cambridge, Massachusetts - Professional Development Workshop at BioBuilder Learning Lab at LabCentral

BioBuilder Summer 3-day workshops prepare educators to bring biological engineering and synthetic biology into their classrooms and laboratories, including:

• Lectures that connect the science, technology, engineering, and math aspects of these fields.

• Labs and classroom activities taught from the online BioBuilder.org resource and the BioBuilder textbook published by O’Reilly.

• Discussion with members of the university research community.

• Activities that address human practice questions such as the safety, security, economics and wisdom of engineering novel biological systems.

• Activities that address the nuts and bolts of running a BioBuilderClub or iGEM team.

• Attendees receive a copy of the BioBuilder textbook, all workshop classroom materials in ready to use formats, lunch each day, and a certificate of completion.

Who should apply?  This workshop is intended for:

• High school and middle school Biology and STEM teachers, including those looking for new ways to teach the AP content or for compelling material to teach college-bound students.

• College-level instructors looking for classroom and lab curricula to include in a biotechnology-style class.

• Science Club leaders, in particular anyone looking for ways to bring cutting-edge content to students with a variety interests from math to biology to electronics.

Register online here.

• Tuition is $400 when registered by April 1 (early-bird); $500 after April 1st.

• A non-refundable registration/deposit fee of $50 is due upon application, reserving your place in the workshop. For those paying only the deposit at the time of registration, the remaining balance is due 30 days in advance of the workshop.

• Scholarships are available by request.  To request an application, email biobuilder.carla@gmail.com with the subject line: “Request for Summer Workshop Scholarship Form.” 

BioBuilder is offering an advanced 1-day workshop on August 3rd, immediately following this 3-day workshop.  This add-on workshop is for BioBuilder teachers who'd like to bring DNA Assembly and research techniques into their advanced capstone classes or afterschool programs.  To learn more and register (separate registration) for the advanced workshop on August 3rd, please click here.

Lead Instructors:

Dr. Natalie Kuldell is the Founder and Executive Director of BioBuilder. Dr. Kuldell develops discovery-based curricula drawn from current literature to engage undergraduate students in structured, reasonably authentic laboratory and project-based experiences. She completed her doctoral and post-doctoral work at Harvard Medical School, and taught at Wellesley College before joining the Department of Biological Engineering faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Aaron Mathieu is a biology teacher at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Acton MA.  Aaron has been a high school science teacher for 22 years and was named the NABT Outstanding Biology Teacher for the state of Massachusetts in 2015.   He has been working with the BioBuilder program since 2011. 

Minimum of 15 participants required.  Details will be emailed to participants 1 month prior to the workshop, including directions, parking, lodging recommendations.