Community projects at SoundBio LAB

We believe that science is better when we inspire and learn from each other.

All Community Project events are open to the public and are open to newcomers of all skill levels (no experience required). All meetings and events are posted on our Meetup account.

 You are welcome to check out your first event for free. To continue participating in a community project, please sign up to become a member.

Have an exciting idea for a new Community Project? Fill out the Community Project Interest Form. After you fill out the Interest Form, a member of the SoundBio Lab Community Project Committee will get in touch with you via email to answer any questions about the application process. 

Check out our Quick Start Guide to learn more about what it takes to lead a Community Project..

CURRENT PROJECTS

We currently have no Community Projects ongoing at SBL. 

Have an exciting idea for a new Community Project? Fill out the Interest Form. 

SCIENCE ADVISORS

Anyone can launch a Community Project, even without a background in science. Whether you are working on a new proposal or in the middle of an active project, you can get advice and tips from our Science Advisors. Below are some examples of our areas of expertise.

Contact us via the SoundBio Lab Slack or directly via email.

 

FELICIA WATSON (SHE/HER) (FELICIA@SOUND.BIO)

BOARD MEMBER, CHAIR OF COMMUNITY PROJECT COMMITTEE

Expertise: Experimental Design, Immunology, Vaccinology, Mosquito Biology, Ecology, Public Health

Lab Skills: Microbiological Techniques, PCR (DNA/RNA), Nucleic Acid Extraction, Molecular Cloning Techniques, ELISA/ELISPOT, Mammalian Cell Culture, DNA and Protein gels, Microscopy

 

Yoshi Goto (he/him)(yoshi@sound.bio)

BOARD MEMBER, VICE PRESIDENT

Expertise: Computational biology, Synthetic biology

Lab Skills: Kinetic/metabolic modeling, Mathematical modeling of biological systems, COMSOL/Matlab, Basic protein modeling

Community Project OVERVIEW

Community Projects are part of how we at SoundBio Lab fulfill our mission of providing everyone the resources, knowledge, and support to explore and grow their passion for science. As an extension of citizen science initiatives, community science not only allows participation by members of the larger community but also insists that research be directed by their interests, concerns, and existing expertise. 

These independently organized research projects allow individuals from diverse technical and non-technical backgrounds to learn, share, and ultimately create knowledge unencumbered by the numerous barriers that limit access to STEM resources and power. Community Projects are essential for building capacity for a truly diverse, equitable, and empowered life sciences ecosystem. 

Goals 

The central goal of a Community Project is to provide an opportunity for our members and the greater public to learn new skills, build relationships with like-minded people, and become familiar with the processes of collaborative scientific research. 

Towards this goal, all Community Projects must meet specific criteria: 

1. Involves authentic, engaging life science work that can be carried out in our lab space. 2. Encourages and accommodates participation by multiple people with all experience levels, especially people new to biology and life sciences. 

3. Provides frequent, publicly offered opportunities to join the project. 

Additionally, as we aim to increase capacity, power, and equity alongside access, we encourage projects that result in concrete accomplishments for participants. Some possible outcomes include authorship on peer-reviewed papers or novel resources (datasets, workshops, open-source hardware/software/wetware, etc.) that benefit local or global communities, both human and otherwise. 

Guidelines

Community Projects are open to the public – whether hosted online or at the lab. All meetings and events are posted on our Meetup account.

New folks can attend their first event for free. To continue participating in a community project, people can sign up to become a member.

Every community project requires at least one Researcher or Lead member as a project leader. If your community project is approved, project leaders get honorary Researcher/Lead privileges. Project leaders have keyed access to the laboratory and access to our inventory system for ordering supplies.

Project leaders are responsible for following all lab policies and project guidelines:

  • Supervising members during lab work

  • Posting events/meetings on our Meetup account for new people to join

  • Welcoming new participants and teaching them about the project

Tinkerers can do lab work while they are supervised by a project leader (i.e. a Researcher or Lead member) or during the Lab Manager’s open hours. Completion of the SBL ‘Lab Skills Training’ is required if Tinkerer members want to work without supervision of the project lead, either during open hours or with a key given to them by the lead.

New people are still welcome to visit the lab without prior training.

PAST COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Kombucha Science

We hope to better understand the microbial ecology of kombucha and explore the potential applications of kombucha-based materials. Whether you are more interested in homebrewing or tinkering around in the lab, you are welcome to join our team.

Seed.code

Join a team implementing a plant genetic engineering workflow at SoundBio, and developing an accompanying software assistant.

Dirt Life

We are looking for microbial-minded members to help hundreds of community gardeners with their interest in microbial diversity, and their concern about soil-borne fungal pathogens.
The plan is to involve volunteers like you, our Lab, and the community gardeners in a project that could reduce plant pathogens and enhance the quality of our precious soil at the same time.
We work on research skills, a variety of lab skills, plus experimental design techniques. No experience necessary!

Prions Journal club

Our research group studies prions through journal club meetings and computer modeling. In our meetings, we discuss scientific papers and host special lectures on Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Biomodelling

We want to explore the intersection between programming, biology, and network systems through simulating gene regulatory networks in a program (in silico) and gathering experimental data of the same gene network, inserted into bacteria (in vivo).

Agar Artists

Join a community project focused on creating agar art! The art pieces will be made out of genetically modified E. coli that display different colors and fluorescence. We’re hoping to create educational pieces (centered around antibiotic resistance, the microbiome, etc.) and eventually take the art to elementary schools, nearby coffee shops, and even art galleries. The project is the perfect place to create any kind of art you want.

Citizen Salmon

The goal of Citizen Salmon is to acquire a deeper knowledge of local food origins and thus provide the same opportunity for inquiry to the public. By connecting the information about a salmon’s genes with its birthplace, CS aims to develop a simple tool that citizen scientists may use independently to determine the origin of salmon on their plate.

Community Project Ideas

The Community Project Committee has brainstormed and outlined several ideas that we believe will make great community projects. If you are interested in learning more about any of the projects, please reach out, and we will be happy to provide more information. We know that the activation energy of starting a new community project can be considerable, so we hope our research on suitable project ideas and methods will help get you started.

We have collated information about various project goals, methods, and funding sources. All the projects listed here are feasible and realistic for our lab space. Additionally, we believe that these projects will be of interest to the greater SBL community! Check out our Quick Start Guide to learn more about what it takes to lead a Community Project.

If you are interested in leading any of the projects listed below, please complete the Community Project Interest Form. After you fill out the Interest Form, a SoundBio Lab Community Project Committee member will contact you via email to answer any questions about the next steps.

Lead the SBL Kombucha Science Community Project!

Are you passionate about kombucha, microbiology, or leading community science projects? The SBL Kombucha Science Community Project is now recruiting a project lead(s) to explore the fascinating microbial ecology of kombucha and the potential applications of kombucha-based materials. 

We are looking for a motivated leader(s) to guide the team in designing experiments, coordinating events, and driving this community-based research forward. As the project leader, you’ll have the opportunity to utilize resources from the previous kombucha science projects run out of SoundBio, help isolate and sequence microbes, and lead the comparison of different kombucha cultures.  

This role offers a unique chance to grow your leadership skills, work with a diverse community, and contribute to authentic scientific research. If you’re ready to lead a dynamic, hands-on project with the potential to impact both science and the kombucha community, we’d love to hear from you!
If you are interested in leading this project, please fill out the Community Project Interest Form. Please write “Kombucha Science Community Project” in the project description box in the interest form. After you fill out the Interest Form, a member of the SoundBio Lab Community Project Committee will get in touch with you via email to answer any questions about the next steps.

Lead the Yeast Evolution Science Community Project!

Are you fascinated by evolution, microbiology, and hands-on research? We’re seeking a project leader to utilize yEvo resources to study evolution using yeast as a model organism. In this role, you'll lead the community project in designing and conducting tolerance and evolution experiments by applying selective pressure to yeast cultures, revealing how genetic changes drive adaptation.

As the project leader, you can leverage the wealth of existing resources and methods developed and tested by yEvo. The Evolving@Home initiative project involves culturing yeast with selective pressure and then using bioinformatics-driven sequencing to uncover genetic factors behind adaptation. This project could be run individually with support from the community, or as a larger group effort to explore broader evolutionary patterns across multiple yeast strains. To further extend this project, you could also include sourdough extraction experiments, using yeast isolated from starters to further study microbial ecology and evolutionary changes. 

This is an incredible opportunity to develop your leadership skills, participate in authentic research, and work with a diverse group of curious individuals eager to advance our understanding of evolution. If you're passionate about science, community, and making an impact, we'd love to have you lead this project!

If you are interested in leading this project, please fill out the Community Project Interest Form. Please write “Yeast Evolution Science Community Project” in the project description box in the interest form. After you fill out the Interest Form, a member of the SoundBio Lab Community Project Committee will get in touch with you via email to answer any questions about the next steps. 

Note: SoundBio Lab is currently not hosting an iGEM team. If you are interested in iGEM, search for “Emerald_City iGEM” on your favorite search engine.