So Karen Hogan, a biologist and instructor in Penn's Biology department, and I thought we'd play a synthetic biology joke on others in the research team (including Deb Lui, Yasmin Kafai, Mia Shaw and Orkan Telhan).  Because Karen actively devises ways we can introduce this type of biohacking to K-12 learners, we had to come up with something related to how we already use microbes and study learning.  And so, all week Karen and I were playing up these "new" pigment producing E

Well I'm glad you asked. It's a nutrient enriched baked good. Karen Hogan and others on a research team I'm a part of are thinking about how we can introduce topics around synthetic biology, genetics and bioethics to high school students. This field is exploding in commercial and university settings and so we want to consider how we can ensure diverse learners can participate. The biocake helps us study this. Basically, students get to genetically modify a yeast cell so t

As the weather changes, I find myself wondering what the new year will bring in terms of my professional trajectory. In fact, the future occupies so much of my thoughts that I sometimes struggle to live in the moment. Perhaps it's the angst of the unknown that makes me think constantly about the next project, my dreaded prelim, and my future all around. Stopping to take in the present feels incredibly uncomfortable and foreign. I liken this feeling I have about living in