DIY Genetics Exhibition

What it is. A multi-year Tech Interactive program (2013–2015) developing public-facing content on synthetic biology, gene editing, and biotechnology safety and access. Funded across three foundation grants for a cumulative $4.5M: Brin-Wojcicki Foundation ($2M, 2013), Moore Foundation ($1.5M, 2014), and Johnson Foundation ($1M, 2015) (figures per The Tech Interactive’s development records).

The problem behind it. CRISPR was crossing into the public consciousness, and most institutional responses were either celebratory (“look how cool gene editing is”) or fear-cycle defensive (“here is everything that could go wrong”). The Tech wanted to build content that took the discipline seriously, made the design grammar visible, and treated the public as competent participants in the conversation rather than spectators.

What I did. Served as Curator and Writer on the program as part of the Tech Interactive Health and Biotech team. The role was largely content authorship and curatorial framing across the three grant cycles — what story the exhibition would tell, who the field’s serious voices were, how to render synthetic-biology methods as something a visitor could understand and try.