Unlocking the Power of Experiential Learning with BioBuilder Club

The Hamden Hall BioBuilder Club was formed in October as an extracurricular offering. The team meets weekly on Thursday afternoons during which they have brainstorming sessions of what project ideas they want to focus on. Following a series of successful meetings, the students narrowed down their project idea to using biofilm-based care to treat chronic wounds. Biofilm induces a chronic inflammatory response that prolongs wound healing. With the technology development to treat and remove the biofilm, the chronic wounds would heal faster.  

 

BioBuilder is a non-profit organization that provides students and teachers with a comprehensive understanding of synthetic biology and the biotech field through hands-on learning, lab activities, and peer-to-peer learning. The organization was founded by Dr. Natalie Kuldell at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Kemp was first introduced to the program with the help of Science Department Chair and teacher Dr. Gina D’Angelo. Both Mr. Kemp and Dr. D’Angelo participated in the BioBuilder summer school offering that featured online learning classes and hands-on lab exercises. It was this experience that led Mr. Kemp to introduce the program to students as an extracurricular learning opportunity.

“I found BioBuilder really useful as the subject of biology is changing all the time; and I think as teachers, we need to keep ourselves updated with what's going on in the industry,” said Mr. Kemp. “With the growing number of modern scientific advancements and the potential uses of synthetic biology, it’s important to offer
students resources to learn about the technology and what can potentially be created."

 

Along with Mr. Kemp as the advisor, the students also work with Dr. Hiroko Kaczmarek, a designated professional mentor from the program. Over the next few months, the students will continue working on the design of their project and take part in a poster presentation slated for March.