Danny Chan
Danny Chan received his MSc in microbiology during the course of his PhD candidacy in S.aureus infectious disease models using skin organoids. He was a research technician for many years in multiple fields including cellulostic ethanol production, protein crystallography, prefrontal cortex development, and heat shock proteins before working as a medical editor, fact checking pharmaceutical ads in an agency. He seeks to apply his skills and knowledge of science and industry with compassionate sensibilities in order to foster new institutions that empower folks with the tools of biotech. Currently, he freelances, organizes with various autonomous collectives, teaches, and pursues independent research centered around protocol development for the DIY science community.
fediverse: danwchan@scholar.social
website: danwchan.ca
Session
bioartbot.org/ is a project for encouraging curiosity in microbiology and lab automation through creative expression. It is an open source project built on a pipetting robot that draws user submitted pixel art by placing colored bacteria on agar. Using the story of the BioArtBot development as a guide, this talk will provide a basic overview of the technologies (hardware, software, and wetware) implemented in the BioArtBot. It will describe how lab automation is used in biotech companies, how it might be used by amateur/community investigators, and how the BioArtBot is an interesting framework to contribute to if you are looking to skill-up in lab automation. It will also describe how the living pigments for this project were created and sourced, how you might create/source your own, and the amazing diversity of living chemical refineries that are bacteria. So if you’re interested in robots and bacteria, come find out how we can command our tireless inorganic creations to deposit aesthetically pleasing arrangements of the ancient form-factor of all life.
