Explore every episode of the podcast Life-Changing Science: The BioBuilder Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeing How Hands-On Lab Training Can Change A Career Path | 27 Jul 2026 | 00:29:52 | |
Micro-credentials sound small until they change what you can do with your hands and what you believe you can do in a real lab. We sit down with Hannah, a Northeastern bioengineering student with a strong interest in neuroscience, to unpack how early, hands-on synthetic biology training helped her move from “no lab experience” to doing serious research work with confidence. Hannah walks us through her neuroradiology internship and the practical skills behind the title: maintaining a brain cancer cell line, using histological staining and immunofluorescence, working with microscopy, and analyzing images in Fiji/ImageJ to quantify results. We also talk about the realities of research training, including why getting certified matters, how mistakes happen (and what you learn from them), and what it looks like to step into more responsibility over time. We then rewind to her BioBuilder Apprenticeship Program experience, where wet lab skills like micropipetting, serial dilutions, PCR, and gel electrophoresis become measurable micro-credentials. Hannah explains how those certifications didn’t just help her land opportunities, they helped her feel steady in the room once she got there. The conversation ends with the bigger mission: She Does STEM, Hannah’s outreach initiative focused on mentorship, resources, and community for first-generation, low-income, and female students navigating an uneven system. If you care about STEM education, women in STEM, mentorship, or how to get research experience early, this one is for you. Subscribe, share with a student who needs a boost, and leave a review with the skill you wish you’d learned sooner. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Turning Creativity into Real-World Solutions with Biology | 26 Apr 2026 | 00:29:13 | |
In this episode, Zeeshan talks with Will about how creative world building turned into a real drive to solve problems through biology and synthetic biology. Their conversation traces how BioBuilder helped Will gain mentors, lab confidence, and a clearer path from high school projects to Stanford bioengineering and early industry exposure. This episode includes a conversation about Will's • mentorship moments that reshape what it means to be a scientist • presenting lightning talks, building communication skills, finding community • internships and research experiences that clarified industry versus academic paths • choice of Stanford for challenge and choosing bioengineering to translate research into impact Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Finding Synthetic Biology: Nicolas Rojas Taborda Transformative Journey | 26 Oct 2024 | 00:21:30 | |
In this episode of Life-Changing Science, we sit down with Nicolas Rojas Taborda, a senior at Revere High School. Nico's interests shifted dramatically thanks to his involvement in the BioBuilder Apprenticeship Challenge. Nico describes his discovery of synthetic biology and his team's project idea, the K Detective, an innovative at-home kit for cavity detection. This project not only sharpened his technical prowess with tools like PCR and gel electrophoresis but also positioned him to succeed in his Boston University STEM pathway internship building logic gates for CAR-T cells, and as a leader of his high school's iGEM team. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Unlocking Nathan Kirokwa's Path to Bioengineering | 18 Aug 2024 | 00:28:33 | |
In this episode of Life-Changing Science, we sit down with Nathan Kirokwa, a rising senior at Pioneer Charter School of Science, who guides us through his journey from a curious child captivated by the human body's healing magic to a dedicated bioengineer. Nathan recounts how his mother's insights and his own early experiments fueled his passion for science. He also shares how his interests evolved from a broad fascination with medicine to a focused pursuit of bioengineering through problem-solving, eventually leading him to the BioBuilder Summer Research Program and a transformative internship at a biotech startup, Conduit. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| From Books to Biotech: Vanessa Murati and BioTechBuilder | 30 Jun 2024 | 00:25:03 | |
Ever wondered how a love for reading can shape your career path? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Vanessa Murati, an ambitious junior at Pioneer Charter High School of Science. Vanessa's childhood obsession with character development led her to explore human behavior and neuroscience, seamlessly blending her passion for both STEM and the humanities. She shares the vital lab skills she picked up through the BioTechBuilder curriculum and how her Albanian parents' appreciation for the humanities has guided her academic journey. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Hana Shinzawa: A Journey Beyond the Textbook with a Budding Biologist | 28 Apr 2024 | 00:23:33 | |
Meet Hana Shinzawa, a beacon of inspiration from the BioBuilderClub who joins us to recount her experience as she discovered her passion to do and communicate science. Her AP Bio class captured her imagination leading her to relaunch the BioBuilderClub at her school. In this podcast she reviews her experience embarking on a project that converts scientific curiosity to a real-world application, culminating in the design of a yeast-based sensor for Salmonella detection. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Where Life Sciences Meet Tech Training in High School Curriculum | 26 Feb 2024 | 00:28:20 | |
Are you ready to have your mind expanded by the ingenuity of STEM education? Prepare to be inspired as Zeeshan talks with the dynamic Billy Carrier from Volunteer High School, a public school located in Church Hill, TN serving about 1000 students in grades 9-12. There Billy is trailblazing the "BioSTEM" program. This isn't your average biology class; it's a revolutionary approach that combines the intricacies of freshman biology with career exploration through hands-on technical training. His class gives students a chance to both enhance their understanding of the living world and also get equipped with the skills that can jumpstart their careers in laboratory sciences. Billy's BioSTEM curriculum is evolving to meet educational standards without sacrificing the depth of scientific understanding and is expanding to more schools in East Tennessee. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| From High School Fascination to Cutting-Edge Biotech: Susana Donkor's Journey in Science | 30 Dec 2023 | 00:28:13 | |
Ever wondered how a high school fascination can ignite a lifelong passion for science and medicine? Zeeshan's conversation with Susana Donkor explores her early days, marked by influential encounters and pivotal experiences, to her current cutting-edge work at Aurion Biotech. Susana shares her journey with heartfelt candor, reflecting on the profound early influence of educational shows and the empowering story of Ben Carson's "Gifted Hands," which sowed the seeds for her aspirations in neuroscience. The dialogue uncovers the power of mentorship and educational programs like BioBuilder and H-Prep, illustrating how they shape the futures of students from diverse backgrounds, and highlighting Susana's transformative experience with BioBuilder that helped chart her course into the world of science. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Tara Peterson: One High Schooler's Journey from BioBuilder into a Biotech Career | 29 Oct 2023 | 00:27:02 | |
Ever wondered how high school curiosity can evolve into a successful career in biotechnology? In this podcast, our guest Tara Peterson shares her unique story of how her high school apprenticeship program at BioBuilder shaped her career. Listen as she reveals the differences between her high school classroom and the BioBuilder program, and the program played a crucial role in kick-starting her journey into a college STEM major and now a career in science. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Inside the Lab: Yesenia Collins' Adventures in Synthetic Biology | 01 Aug 2023 | 00:26:40 | |
Get ready to be inspired by our extraordinary guest, Yesenia Collins. A pivotal figure in her school's BioBuilderClub, Yesenia takes us along on her captivating journey, from her initial introduction to synthetic biology to her innovative projects at Tyngsborough High School. Can you imagine the thrill of manipulating organisms to produce novel scents or even creating a world of vibrant microbial colors? Yesenia did just that in the Smell Lab and What a Colorful World Lab. Yet, it wasn't all smooth sailing - grappling with complex concepts like PCR and understanding plasmids posed significant challenges. But with unrelenting determination, she not only persevered with her first project but also embraced an additional venture. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 3 Episode 3: Igniting Passion for Biology with Amanda Blackburn and Evie Lafollette | 11 Jun 2023 | 00:28:54 | |
Imagine transforming high school biology education by integrating synthetic biology into the curriculum, igniting students' passion for learning and preparing them for future success. How do you make this possible? This BioBuilder podcast focuses on two extraordinary biology teachers, Amanda Blackburn and Evie Lafollette, who share their inspiring journey of bringing synthetic biology to Dobbins Bennett High School in Tennessee. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 3 Episode 2: Meet BioBuilder Rachael Smyers | 22 Apr 2023 | 00:23:32 | |
Rachael Smyers was part of the 2019 BioBuilder High School Apprenticeship Challenge that was held at LabCentral. The program’s “learning by doing” approach attracted her to it, especially since she got what she felt was a late start in the Vocational Technical Program at Medford High School. Starting there in her junior year, she spent mornings taking 3 or 4 traditional high school classes (English, History…) and the afternoons in Biotech Shop, learning lab skills like pipetting, prepping buffers, running gels, and culturing mouse cells. In this interview Rachael talks about how the BioBuilder Apprenticeship program let her connect with students she would not have otherwise met, helped her practice technical skills, and taught her more about the science behind laboratory techniques. The program let her, “see the science world outside of the classroom while still inside the classroom.” The Apprenticeship program led directly to a summer internship with one of BioBuilder’s industry partners, Indigo Ag, and thanks to a successful summer there, Rachael continued as year 'round employee, working on agricultural biotechnology through her two years at Bunker Hill Community College and her Junior year at University of Massachusetts – Lowell. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| From Student To SynBio Teacher | 15 Mar 2026 | 00:29:48 | |
In this episode, our host talks with Vivien Marmerstein about her path from BioBuilderClub student to educator and how synthetic biology helped her build confidence in her teaching. She traces the moments that pushed her toward microbiology, research, and ultimately a return to Western Reserve Academy to lead the next wave of student teams. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 3 Episode 1: Meet BioBuilder Lyle Musesengwa | 26 Feb 2023 | 00:22:24 | |
Lyle Musesengwa is a high school sophomore at Dobyns-Bennet HS, a rural school in Kingsport, TN, near the Appalachian Mountains. His school has strong STEM offerings, including the MATE Underwater Robotics competition, as well as nationally recognized Marching Band program. Lyle was born in Cape Town, South Africa and came to the US as a 4 year old. In this podcast Lyle notes that he can’t remember a time he wasn’t asking questions. His interest in synthetic biology began in 5th grade – even though he didn’t know that’s what it was called, when he learned about how animals adapt to their environment and wondered how to increase the efficiency of that process. His teacher pointed that techniques exist to change the biology of systems, and he know it was something he wanted to pursue. Introduced to BioBuilder when it was added to biology curriculum in 9th grade, Lyle was especially taken with the BioBuilder Idea Accelerator. The program has an impact for at least two reasons. First is because it was the first time he got to choose an issue to study based on what mattered to him – in his case he chose climate change and tried to design an organism that can reduce greenhouse gases. He and his team are still working on this project a year later, presenting their project idea at Bioeconomy Symposium at ETSU in October 2022 to local business and entrepreneurs and got feedback. The second impact he sees from BioBuilder is how the program made him realize that when he is working inside in a laboratory, it is to solve a problem that exists outside the lab in the world. To further this interest of his, he has sent a “strongly worded email” to his school principals, lobbying them to bring a BioBuilderClub to Dobyns-Bennett High School. They are working on starting for next year. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 12: Meet BioBuilder Jacob Lei | 25 Dec 2022 | 00:24:08 | |
Jacob Lei was a rising Junior in High School when he participated in one of BioBuilder's online programs in the summer of 2020, waking up at 5AM Pacific time to participate synchronously three times a week for a month. BioBuilder’s online program introduced Jacob to the idea that biology and engineering could be combined to help people, using genetic parts that could be reconnected to address global issues. His biodesign team focused on medical treatments with a design that addressed insulin regulation in Type I diabetes, incorporating a model for insulin fluctuations in R. Jacob furthered his interest in synthetic biology through a program at UCSD the following summer -- taught by Carlos Vera (an amazing BioBuilder teacher himself!). And now Jacob attends Rice University in Texas where he is studying bioengineering, and will be joining Jeff Tabor's lab to carry out an undergraduate research project, working on novel two component signaling pathways. He is also sharing his excitement for science through a local outreach program called Kids Are Scientists Too, in which Jacob spends time doing fun science demonstrations with young students near Rice University. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 11: Meet BioBuilder Presley Simelus | 30 Nov 2022 | 00:21:46 | |
In this interview, Presley notes how they haven’t seen a single program or organization that is similar to BioBuilder. Presley would know, given the range of programs that they have engaged in. Presley is currently an 11th grade student at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School in Cambridge, MA. The first BioBuilder experience for Presley came as an 8th grader through an exploratory program BioBuilder ran in the Learning Lab @ LabCentral. After a 9th grade “zoom only” year that included a virtual biology class, Presley joined BioBuilder’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge as a 10th grader. This was the program that gave them lots of hands-on lab training and reinforced their interest in molecular biology. Their Apprenticeship biodesign project was an at-home HIV test. Though Presley came into the Apprenticeship thinking they would pursue a political science in college, the BioBuilder experience shifted their ambitions to study biochemistry in college. Their experience as an Apprentice has led to additional professional experiences during high school, notably a three week summer internship at Tufts Medical Center in a research lab studying cholera. This year, Presley kicked off the all-new BioBuilder Student Ambassador program, presenting BioBuilder’s opportunities to other students at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School and recording a lab training video for this year’s BioBuilderClub teams. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 10: Meet BioBuilder Jo-Anne Purdy | 31 Oct 2022 | 00:30:48 | |
Jo has been a biology teacher for 26 years and a BioBuilder from the very start, having attended the very first Professional Development workshop at MIT in 2011. Since then, she has integrated BioBuilder into her classroom (Newton North and Westborough High Schools in MA), supporting a BioBuilderClub that was led by Viggy (Season 1 Episode 6), and leading teacher professional development workshops. In this conversation she digs into what it takes to run BioBuilder labs and programs, as well as how evolution of the field has made the content easier to teach and more relevant to everyone. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 9: Meet BioBuilder Veni Dole | 26 Sep 2022 | 00:27:20 | |
Veni Dole is currently studying Chemical Engineering at Columbia University, but as a high school student she participated in BioBuilder's BioBuilderClub at Andover High School. The team project she worked on addressed plastic bottles that pollute the ocean. Their design used salt as a trigger for bacterial production of pETase, allowing microbes under the bottle's label to dissolve the plastic. The work not led her to research what has become a hot topic in biotechnology but also to speak with many leaders in the field, who offered ideas and reagents in support of the project. The BioBuilderClub idea was entered in the CleanTech competition, where it made the list of finalists, and was published in BioTreks, a peer-reviewed journal for high school synthetic biologists. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 8: Meet BioBuilder Geneva Fischer | 05 Sep 2022 | 00:17:53 | |
Geneva Fischer, a rising sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, has been part of the BioBuilder community since high school. As part of her work in the biotechnology program at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, she saw her classmates participate in the BioBuilderClub, joined an intensive workshop at the BioBuilder Learning Lab @LabCentral, and participated in the online Idea Accelerator during the COVID shut-down of in person classes. Most recently she has worked as an intern in the BioBuilder Learning Lab @Ginkgo where she researched the strain instability of a biomanufacturing strain, improved the teaching protocols, and supported the wide array of students who came to the lab as workshop participants. She credits BioBuilder for advancing her skills and interests, putting her at ease in many advanced settings like college labs and lab-based teaching of others. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 7: Meet BioBuilder Dave Westenberg | 31 Jul 2022 | 00:34:03 | |
Dave Westenberg, a Professor of Biological Sciences at Missouri University of Science & Technology, is widely known as a wonderful microbiologist, a great communicator and an exceptionally dedicated teacher. His students, be they undergraduates, high school teachers or public audiences, invariably feel empowered as scientists because Dave makes room for student curiosity, collaboration, and learning from mistakes. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 6: Meet Rebekah Ravgiala | 29 Jun 2022 | 00:34:15 | |
Rebekah Ravgiala is an award-winning biotechnology teacher at Tyngsborough High School in Massachusetts. She attended the first BioBuilder teacher professional workshop at MIT in 2011 and was hooked. Her excitement about synthetic biology motivated her to lead her school's iGEM/BioBuilderClub teams year after year. In 2012, Rebekah registered and trained as an advanced BioBuilder instructor, learning how to teach other teachers the BioBuilder curriculum. Since then she has co-taught summer workshops for teachers in Cambridge, Mexico, and online. She serves on the BioBuilder Board of Directors, leading the pivot to online programs during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic shutdown and supporting new BioBuilder teachers after their professional development experiences. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 5: Meet Oscar Jimenez | 31 May 2022 | 00:14:38 | |
Oscar is a rising junior at University of Massachusetts at Lowell, studying biology. His interest in biotechnology was sparked by a high school class and teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. He applied and was accepted to BioBuilder's High School Apprenticeship Challenge in 2019, held that year at LabCentral in Cambridge. His biodesign project addressed high concentrations of lead in drinking water. At the poster session presentation of his project, Oscar met a researcher at Indigo Ag, a biotech company that uses microbiology and machine learning to improve crop yield and health. Oscar was hired at Indigo Ag as a summer intern. Oscar remarked on how his BioBuilder lab skills helped him in the Indigo Ag lab as an intern and at college as a biology major. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 4: Meet Nancy Otaluka | 30 Apr 2022 | 00:19:19 | |
Nancy is currently a Clinical Research Assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She was one of the first BioBuilder Apprentices, a workforce readiness program for Boston-area students in under-resourced local high schools. In 2021 she graduated from the University of Massachusetts -Dartmouth, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Biochemistry. In 2022, she has returned to the BioBuilder Apprenticeship program as a teaching assistant, helping today's high schoolers with professional and laboratory skills. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Don't Panic - This Is the Hitchhiker's Guide to BioBuilder | 30 Dec 2025 | 01:10:54 | |
A year-end reunion with artists, educators, and students shows how curiosity becomes practice, projects, and careers across bioart, education technology, diagnostics, and materials science. We share real tools, honest challenges, and clear next steps for learning and building. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 3: Meet Chris Kuffner | 27 Mar 2022 | 00:21:43 | |
Chris Kuffner has been a longtime BioBuilder -- starting in high school at Acton-Boxborough High School in Massachusetts almost a decade ago, and now he serves as a BioBuilderClub mentor and workshop instructor. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 2: Meet Jenny Nemlekar | 27 Feb 2022 | 00:22:13 | |
Jenny is a creative whose work designing the first BioBuilder website influenced her career path from biomedical engineer to successful luxury handbag maker, marketer, and woman-led business owner. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Season 2 Episode 1: Meet Tian Shi | 30 Jan 2022 | 00:24:32 | |
Tian Shi is a senior at Georgetown University who came to BioBuilder's Learning Lab as a high school student and designed a biotechnology that she is now commercializing. She has also written a book on entrepreneurship and credits her work with BioBuilder for helping her see herself as an agent of change. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 12: Meet Angela Girodier | 28 Dec 2021 | 00:32:10 | |
Angela Girodier is a senior undergraduate student at Emmanuel College, majoring in biology and secondary education. She is an alumna of the BioBuilder Apprenticeship Program. In this podcast, she describes how a science scavenger hunt in 8th grade and a grant proposal she wrote for her high school biotech program put her a path to a science career. These experiences revealed the fun, creative, and useful parts of science, and led her to find a way in. Her high school teacher encouraged her to apply to BioBuilder's Apprenticeship Program, which she did in 2017. The BioBuilder Apprenticeship taught her lab math and techniques which she describes as vital to her success in college -- especially when she needed to take her lab remotely. She also recalls how the Apprenticeship's emphasis on teamwork and networking helped her build her resume and make the most of her summer internships at MassBiologics and at Merck. Looking ahead, Angela wants to work with kids of diverse backgrounds in low income communities, helping to bring more diversity into the STEM industry. In November 2021, Angela spoke at BioBuilder's 10th anniversary celebration and the opening of BioBuilder's new Learning Lab in Boston's Seaport. A video of her inspirational talk is linked here Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 11: Meet Rebecca Millman | 28 Nov 2021 | 00:18:42 | |
Zeeshan Siddiqui, BioBuilder's podcast host, notes: Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 10: Meet Karen Katz | 31 Oct 2021 | 00:27:33 | |
Karen is a legal and healthcare executive, entrepreneur, and business development leader. She is currently the Deputy Director at the Office of Behavioral Health at MassHealth. Karen was one of the very first members on the BioBuilder Board of Directors. She helped shepherd the nonprofit from its earliest days, oversaw significant expansion of the Board, and helped BioBuilder keep its content freely accessible while establishing new partnerships and collaborations. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 9: Meet Amin Hajimorad | 26 Sep 2021 | 00:27:04 | |
Amin Hajimorad earned his B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Iowa State University, Ames, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Amin is currently an associate professor at California State University, Chico. He first got involved with BioBuilder back in 2010, where he worked on developing lab content and synthetic biology workshops for undergraduate students to get exposed to the general aspects of synthetic biology. In today’s episode, we discuss the influence of BioBuilder on his teaching now, and how the BioBuilder curriculum works with the various students he's taught. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 8: Meet Kevin Fuentes | 27 Aug 2021 | 00:19:55 | |
Kevin Fuentes is a first generation Salvadoran-American now studying chemical engineering and biochemistry at Tufts University. He discovered BioBuilder when Dr. Kuldell gave a presentation to one of his science classes. He completed the Apprenticeship Challenge in the spring of 2019 and did his internship at BioBuilder during the summer, testing the synthetic biology lab kits that BioBuilder provides to schools. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 7: Meet Lindsey L'Ecuyer | 23 Jul 2021 | 00:23:26 | |
Lindsey L'Ecuyer is an award-winning biotechnology teacher at Andover High School in Massachusetts. She has been empowering students to become independent learners for over 13 years. She is also a BioBuilder Ambassador and as part of her BioBuilderClub, Lindsey’s students have appeared on local news stations, published in the journal BioTreks, and were finalists in the international Spellman High Voltage CleanTech competition in New York City for their work using engineered cells to break down plastic in the ocean. Lindsey recently began a Doctorate program in education where she plans to develop research-based pedagogy that provides special education students with more opportunities for mastery, creativity, and self-identity in biotechnology. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 6: Meet Viggy Vanchinathan | 30 May 2021 | 00:29:26 | |
Viggy just completed his senior year at Westborough High School, in Westborough, a small town in central Massachusetts. He was first truly exposed to synthetic biology through BioBuilder's bacterial transformation lab, "What a Colorful World." From there, he partnered with his high school biology teacher to bring the BioBuilderClub to Westborough High School. Since then, Viggy has also served as a near-peer TA for BioBuilder’s summer programs, and this summer will work with them as a junior instructor, as he prepares to start his undergrad program in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Maria Bennes: A Veteran Educator Changing Lives with Hands-On Science | 25 Oct 2025 | 00:30:00 | |
What happens when a pharma trainer, academic workshop lead, and high school teacher are all the same person? You get a blueprint for science education that actually prepares students for real biotech work. We sit down with Maria Bennes, a biotech instructor at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational High School, to unpack how tailored communication, hands-on practice, and community support turn nervous ninth graders into lab-ready talent. Maria traces the throughline of her career—education as audience-aware communication—from teaching doctors and patients about new therapies to running stem cell workshops for researchers, and now guiding teens through tissue culture, ELISAs, and bioreactors. She explains why BioBuilder stands out: a soup-to-nuts ecosystem of curriculum, purchasing pathways, troubleshooting support, and an active community that helps teachers deliver impactful labs under real-world constraints. The result is a PD model that’s flexible, accessible, and grounded in biomanufacturing fundamentals like aseptic technique, upstream processes, and quality mindset. We also dive into the vocational program design that mirrors a workday: safety briefings, lab coats on, then hours of wet lab practice. Students earn OSHA 10, ACS safety, and Six Sigma micro-credentials while mastering pipetting, chromatography, Western blots, gel electrophoresis, transformations, and transfections. With equipment like biosafety cabinets, CO2 incubators, spectrophotometers, and small bioreactors, learners build muscle memory and judgment—not just vocabulary. The culture reframes “failure” as iteration, so confidence grows alongside competence. If you care about STEM pipelines, workforce readiness, or simply making science feel possible, this conversation offers practical takeaways for teachers, students, and industry partners. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with the one lab skill you think every student should learn first. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 5: Michael Sheets | 23 Apr 2021 | 00:18:30 | |
Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 4: Meet Jude Clapper | 15 Mar 2021 | 00:26:03 | |
Jude Clapper started teaching synthetic bio at Taipei American School (TAS) in 2013 after attending one of Natalie Kuldell's Biobuilder workshops at MIT. He is now the chair of Scientific Research at the school, as well as an advisor for their iGEM team - which has won three high school grand prizes and countless nominations, as well as inspiring hundreds of kids to pursue scientific research. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 3: Meet Katie Hart | 19 Feb 2021 | 00:20:50 | |
Katie Hart is an assistant professor at Williams College and a member of the BioBuilder educational foundation board. Katie has spent several years running BioBuilder professional development workshops at UC Berkeley for teachers interested in incorporating the BB curriculum into their classrooms. She is also one of the authors of the amazing BB “Synthetic Bio in the lab” textbook. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 2: Meet Karen Ingram | 21 Jan 2021 | 00:14:19 | |
Karen Ingram is a creative director, designer, and artist who uses her skill set to promote scientific awareness. With an origin in painting and textile design, Ingram's professional experience has traversed the arenas of digital design and art direction, creative strategy, event curation, and synthetic biology. She is also one of the authors and illustrators for the BioBuilder “Synthetic Biology in the Lab” textbook. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Meet our Host, Zeeshan Siddiqui | 29 Dec 2020 | 00:00:41 | |
About the host Zeeshan Siddiqui is a Synthetic Biologist from Sydney, Australia. He completed his undergrad in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics from UNSW, Sydney. In 2020, he joined the iGEM team as an ambassador, with the goal of promoting science communication and education. He intends to pursue a PhD in protein engineering, as well as launch an online science journalism platform about sustainable synthetic biology. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Episode 1: Meet Julie Legault | 28 Dec 2020 | 00:19:28 | |
Julie Legault is designer-entrepreneur from the city of Montreal. She is also the co-founder of Amino Labs, an MIT spinout that builds hardware and synthetic biology products making genetic engineering accessible to children and non-scientists. Join us for this very exciting episode as Julie walks us through her transition from designer to synthetic biologist, the key role BioBuilder played in this new career path, the birth of Amino Labs, as well as reflections on the journey so far. Design-entrepreneur, Maker movement, Synthetic biology, Amino Labs, MIT media lab, DNA playground, Education, Open source Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| From Classroom to Career: Edwin Gonzalez and his Biotech Journey | 31 Aug 2025 | 00:27:27 | |
Edwin Gonzalez shares his journey from a BioBuilder apprentice to becoming a lead scientific support specialist at Thermo Fisher by age 23, highlighting how hands-on experiences and mentorship shaped his career path. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Curiosity, Teamwork, and Synthetic Biology: Building Solutions for Real-World Problems | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:30:44 | |
In this inspiring episode of the BioBuilder Podcast, Dev and Joshua, co-founders of the startup AIVON, take listeners through their personal journeys of curiosity, innovation, and social impact. The conversation weaves through their formative experiences with science and technology, their time in the BioBuilderClub, and their ambitious venture into the world of AI-powered healthcare.
Dev recounts how growing up in a science-loving household, with parents and an aunt deeply engaged in the subject, laid the groundwork for his fascination. From tinkering with technology alongside his dad to wondering about disease mechanisms, he developed an early love for biology and engineering. This curiosity eventually led him to Alliance Academy, where he joined the BioBuilder Club, a decision that would define much of his scientific identity.
As part of the BioBuilder program, Dev and his team designed a sustainable biofiltration system that uses genetically engineered bacteria (E. coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas putida) to remove heavy metals from water. The bacteria were enhanced with plasmids encoding metal-detoxifying enzymes and embedded in a biochar-based medium for stability and efficiency. Their modular, scalable filter design bridged biology and engineering in a way that was both educational and impactful. Dev credits BioBuilder for teaching him adaptability, technical rigor, and how to bring abstract ideas to life.
The episode explores how Dev collaborated with peers to develop their project, noting “aha!” moments when the science began to click. The iterative nature of their work, coupled with expert guidance from mentors like Dr. Grace Vezeau and Ms. Caroline Matarrese, helped deepen their understanding of real-world science. Soft skills like communication and teamwork were just as vital as technical prowess, a lesson Dev carries into his startup journey into career paths, possibly through an MD-PhD program.
Shifting to the theme of innovation, Dev and Joshua introduce their startup AIVON, based in Atlanta. Their flagship product, MediSense, is an AI-powered diagnostic platform that allows users to input symptoms and receive real-time health assessments. The idea was born from the intersection of their scientific training and the urgent need for accessible, intelligent healthcare tools. They share how conversations with patients, doctors, and mentors shaped MediSense’s design and functionality, emphasizing the importance of user feedback in product development. Their goal is to make fast, affordable, and intelligent diagnostics available to everyone, especially in underserved areas. Despite challenges—from building the tech to managing startup logistics—they remain focused on scaling the product and seeking potential partnerships with hospitals and schools. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Nicole Mumbi: scientific curiosity meets life-changing opportunity | 27 Apr 2025 | 00:27:05 | |
What happens when scientific curiosity meets life-changing opportunity? Nicole Mumbi shares her remarkable journey and provides a powerful answer to this question. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Cultivating Curiosity: Greg Wu's Journey in Synthetic Biology | 26 Feb 2025 | 00:17:36 | |
Greg Wu shares his transformative journey from high school in China to becoming an aspiring pioneer in synthetic biology. His story highlights critical educational opportunities at BioBuilder that shaped his passion for science and his future ambitions. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||
| Transforming High School Science Education: an interview with Daniel Kemp | 26 Dec 2024 | 00:19:27 | |
Daniel Kemp shares his transformative journey in integrating synthetic biology into high school education. Listeners will gain insights into practical applications in the classroom, the establishment of the BioBuilderClub, and the significance of bridging theoretical knowledge with real-world skills. Learn more about BioBuilder's programs for students, educators, and industry professionals here 👉 https://biobuilder.org/ | |||