The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute gathered at the KIVA auditorium Oct. 22 for their second annual Sustainability Forum.
The theme for the event was biodesign, which is the concept of pulling inspiration from biological sciences for design purposes. Three speakers shared their scientific journeys through prepared presentations and concluded the conference with an engaging panel discussion.
One of the three speakers at the sustainability forum was entrepreneur Daniel Grushkin, a biotechnology thinker and founder of Biodesign Challenge, an international student competition and program that focuses on the future of biotechnology.
“Biodesign, at the same time as it embraces cutting edge science, it also embraces craft,” Grushkin said. “I would argue that the core of every biodesigner is asking who and what is this for. How will it be made? How will it continue to live after we stop using it? What is the life cycle of the object and the materials that go into it?”
He has an extensive background in the field, including being the co-founder of GenSpace, a nonprofit community laboratory dedicated to public access to biotechnology, as well as being the chief strategist for TomTex, a next-generation materials biotechnology company.
Elda Hegmann, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences with a focus in research pertaining to the use of liquid crystals for biological applications, also spoke at the event.
“You don’t know who you are going to find in your journey that will help you accommodate each and every one of those little skills that you learn in your journey into creating something that can be amazing,” Hegmann said.
Britta Bielak, assistant professor of interior design, was another speaker at the sustainability forum. During her presentation, Bielak outlined her path and career as a designer, educator and artist.
“It’s not just architecture design, it’s not just the arts, it is fashion,” Bielak said. “It is truly about anything that one cares to look [at].”
Some key takeaways from the biodesign conference include the creation of a space for practitioners who don’t fit into traditional disciplines, and considering the purpose, production and life cycle of biotech objects, ensuring they fit harmoniously into the natural world.
“We have three speakers and we are all from different expertise,” Hegmann said. “Though we are all different, we seem to be thinking the same exact way.”
The speakers at the event agreed undergraduate and graduate students can benefit from more sustainability forums centered around the concepts of biodesign.
“We live in a complex and beautiful world,” Grushkin said. “If we just go and explore it through all the tools that we have at our fingertips, not only will we understand it better, but we will understand ourselves better.”
Amy O’Malley is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
