Learn Synthetic Biology: Let's Assemble Pigment Pathways

Three-part Course:

Saturday, February 21, 2pm - 6PM EDT

Sunday, February 22, 2pm - 6PM EDT

Saturday, February 28, 2pm - 6PM EDT

Imagine converting rising carbon dioxide levels into fuel using algae. Cleaning up oil spills with engineered bacteria. Lighting streets with glowing plants. These once science fiction concepts are rapidly becoming science fact – thanks to the fast-evolving field of synthetic biology.

Synthetic biology blends genetic engineering with systems thinking to design and build new biological parts, systems, and organisms. From rewriting genomes to designing novel proteins, this cutting-edge field is reshaping the future of medicine, sustainability, and beyond.

In this lab-intensive course, you'll dive into real-world synthetic biology techniques through a guided, hands-on workflow.

Participants will:

• Explore how genes work by studying DNA from marine bacteria that naturally produce colorful pigments
• Learn how genes can be moved between organisms by rebuilding pigment‑producing pathways inside yeast cells
• Work with fluorescent proteins by copying the DNA that makes green, red, and yellow glowing proteins
• Assemble new DNA combinations to see how different genetic designs compete and perform
• Grow and observe colorful yeast colonies, then use PCR to confirm which genes are present
• Connect DNA to visible traits by linking genetic changes to the colors you see in living cells

Alongside lab work, we’ll explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of synthetic biology, including genome editing, gene drives, and de-extinction efforts such as the woolly mammoth.

Whether you're an aspiring bioengineer, researcher, artist, or curious thinker, this course offers a powerful introduction to building biology from scratch.

Peter Rühmann (he/him) grew up in the Hamburg area in Germany and obtained his PhD degree in chemistry under the guidance of Professor Dirk Trauner at NYU. He currently is a postdoctoral researcher in the Boeke lab at NYU Langone where he uses yeast and synthetic biology for the discovery of new antibiotics. Outside the lab, he uses yeast to bake bread, bikes around the city or explores the outdoors of New England.

Info: Kick off the course with a hands-on intro to pipetting, PCR, and restriction digests. Learn how to pour and run agarose gels to visualize DNA. We’ll dive into the basics of synthetic biology and wrap the day by prepping live yeast cultures our next session's experiments.

Info: In this session, we'll begin by measuring yeast growth from our overnight night cultures and learning how to subculture from it. After a primer on yeast biology, you’ll prepare competent yeast cells and perform a hands-on DNA assembly. The day ends with a live transformation experiment by plating your engineered yeast on agar.

Info: We’ll start by checking our yeast transformation results, then jump into colony PCR to identify if our yeast had our gene of interest. You'll prepare and run agarose gels again to analyze your colony's DNA. After a short lecture and break, we’ll end with a discussion comparing genotype and phenotype!

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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