At a small DIY biology lab in North Seattle stands a table where the members of Seed.code convene. What is Seed.code, exactly? Our group started off as four curious individuals from backgrounds of computer science, engineering, and molecular genetics. We’ve since grown into a diverse team focused on investigating the complexities of plant genetics and using that understanding to build a platform to assist other DIY bio labs throughout the world in a shared spirit of open exploration.

Using a unique interaction between a bacterium called Agrobacterium and a small, herbaceous plant known as Arabidopsis, we can, with relative ease, take a custom fragment of DNA and incorporate it into select plant specimens. This technique has earned the rather colloquial and apt term of “floral dip.”

To aid us in workflow management we employ a software called Aquarium; an invaluable tool to help us maximize our productivity and create experimental designs that can be used by nearly any independent research group. If you are someone who shares in this ideal or if you are a curious individual wishing to learn more about our world, come meet us! We don’t bite though some of our plants might. RSVP for future meetups on the SoundBio MeetUp page: https://www.meetup.com/soundbio/