DIY Genetics Exhibition
Multi-year exhibition initiative at The Tech Interactive on synthetic biology and genetic engineering for the public. Backed by foundation grants to The Tech.
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: Brin-Wojcicki Foundation (2013), Moore Foundation (2014), and Johnson Foundation (2015).
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.
Funding
- Brin-Wojcicki Foundation (Curator, Writer (2013))
- Moore Foundation (Curator, Writer (2014))
- Johnson Foundation (Curator, Writer (2015))
Collaborators
- The Tech Interactive — institutional home
- Curated and authored as part of the broader Tech Interactive Health and Biotech exhibition program
Press and references
Related projects
- 2013–2017
BioDesign Studio
Permanent exhibition on synthetic biology, with a working biological design lab on the museum floor, tangible-tabletop microbe simulators, live cell-culture stations, and visitor-runnable design tools.
- 2017–2019
BioTinkering Lab
An on-floor biology lab at The Tech Interactive that earned the 2019 Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience for the institution. I served as Project Director on the Tech's Health and Biotech exhibitions team.