Somaiya Vidyavihar’s Bioriidl launches Darwin- a 3 day event for biohackers and bioenthusiasts
Mumbai: Somaiya Vidyavihar’s bioriidl is launching Darwin a 3day event where bio-enthusiasts present their solutions to the existing problems using science, imagination and innovation. The event which will be held from 28th November to 30th November, will host an international conference, workshops and panel discussions by renowned experts in the field of Bioscience around the theme for this year which is ‘evolution’.
Participants at the event include faculty and students from educational institutes as well as from corporate and institutions from, USA, South America, Europe, China, Nepal, Bangladesh and all across India. Participants will also visit local innovation centres/maker spaces and research institutes such as Godavari Biorefineries, Haffkine Institute for Training, Research & Testing, Imaginarium and Merck Life Science Pvt. Ltd
Darwin will host ‘Biohackathon’ a competition in which teams from across India will compete in an innovation competition, showcasing bio based innovations in the areas of Water Management, Waste Management, Bio Products, Energy, Genetics, Environment and Bio Medical. Biohackathon event allows bio enthusiasts to present their solutions through biosciences, on problems they have been working on for the past three monthsand prizes will be awarded to the top 2 teams. Teams with expertise as diverse as Computer Science, Genetics, Medicine, and Art/Design will participate in the event.
Interesting workshops with the aim of the enhancing science literacy among non-science majors include creating Bio-materials (Bio-Polymers, Bio-Plastics, Bio-Leather), DNA Extraction, Bio Brick and growing algae.
Arthackathon is a competition where participants will create installations using waste resources. These installations will be used as decor at various locations during the event.
Speaker sessions at Darwin ’19 will include keynote by Joe Davis- a Research Affiliate in the Department of Biology at MIT and an Artist Scientist in the George Church Laboratory at Harvard Medical School. Davis created the World’s First “Memory Crystals” of information-bearing DNA. Thomas Landrain,a pioneer of the DIY Labs and Open Science Communities in Europe and now Co-Founder and President at Just One Giant Lab; Sebastian Cocioba, an Independent Plant Biotechnology Researcher and Director at Binomica Labs and the CEO and Founder of New York Botanics, LLC. He is also a Research Affiliate at MIT Media Lab and is working on Floral Genetic Engineering and Design; David S Kong, he is a Synthetic Biologist, community organizer and Director of the MIT Media Lab’s new Community Biotechnology Initiative.
Says Bhavna Pandya, Innovation Catalyst at –riidl and bioriidl Head, Somaiya Vidyavihar, “Darwin is a platform that connects bioenthusiasts from across the world. Somaiya Vidyavihar’s bioriidl has been motivating bioenthusiasts since the last 4 years and supporting their transition from idea to prototype in biology. With this in mind we have created Darwin as a platform to encourage sharing of ideas and innovations in this field. We are humbled by the fabulous response we have received from experts and institutions in India and across the world. The sharing of knowledge and the interdisciplinary meeting of minds is core to the ethos of Somaiya Vidyavihar.”
An initiative of Somaiya bioriidl and Somaiya Vidyavihar, Darwin 2019 is supported by BIRAC- Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council and Patronage from Department of Biotechnology.
The event will take place at the Somaiya Vidyavihar campus at Vidyavihar East, Mumbai.