In class, Professor David Kong delivered a lecture on “How to Grow ‘Good’ - Principles & Practices“ on behalf of Dr. Megan J. Palmer, reflects on thinking about bio-futures and how to strategically avoid potential harm. The first week’s assignment is circled around ethics, safety, and security. We were asked to discuss the governance action and protocols to achieve ethical goals around the biological engineering application we’ve chosen.
First, describe a biological engineering application or tool you want to develop and why. This could be inspired by an idea for your HTGAA class project and/or something for which you are already doing in your research, or something you are just curious about.
The Anthropocene, marked by widespread environmental degradation, demands innovative approaches to foster ecological awareness. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) like CO₂ and CH₄ are invisible pollutants that drive climate change. To raise public awareness, I am interested in developing a bio-responsive wearable textile that visualizes GHG concentrations in real-time using synthetic biology-based sensors.
I am inspired by Donna Haraway's concept of "sympoiesis"—collaborative systems where human and nonhuman entities are co-constituted, and hope to incorporate sympoiesis into a transdisciplinary design. The wearable provides colorimetric and luminescent feedback, engaging users through dynamic environmental storytelling.
The evolution of bioreceptor-based wearable electrochemical sensors. Wearable Electrochemical Biosensors for Advanced Healthcare Monitoring (Duan H. Et al., 2024)
Design and validation of fluorescent and luminescent FDCF synthetic biology wearables. Wearable materials with embedded synthetic biology sensors for biomolecule detection (Nguyen, P.Q., Et al., 2021)
A interactive dress that can visualize the level of CO2 in the nearby surroundings, with CO2 sensor, LED lights and Arduino Lilypad microprocessor inserted into the embroider. The Climate Dress (DIFFUSE, 2019)