SynFlo: an interactive installation introducing synthetic biology concepts

Authors:
Kimberly Chang;Wendy Xu;Nicole Francisco;Consuelo Valdes;Robert Kincaid;Orit Shaer
Affiliations:
Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA;Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA;Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA;Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA;Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, California, USA;Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA
Venue:
Proceedings of the 2012 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
Year:
2012

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Abstract

SynFlo is an interactive installation that utilizes tangible interaction to help illustrate core concepts of synthetic biology through outreach programs. This playful installation allows users to create useful virtual life forms from standardized genetic components, exploring common synthetic biology concepts and techniques. The installation consists of Sifteo cubes, which are used to modify virtual E. coli to serve as environmental biosensors. The modified bacteria can then be deployed into an environment repre-sented by a tabletop computer, where they detect environmental toxins. The goal of this research is to explore ways to develop effective interactive activities for out-reach in STEM and to communicate the excitement and constraints of cutting-edge research.