College Students Come Up with Winning Design for Biodesign ChallengeCollege Students Come Up with Winning Design for Biodesign Challenge

Students from the California College of the Arts Architecture + University of California in San Francisco have created a winning design for the Biodesign Challenge, an international competition.

More than 50 schools across 15 countries participated in the Biodesign Challenge, an education program for high school and college students that introduces biotechnology, art, and design and connects them to a global network of leaders in academia, industry, and entrepreneurship who are defining the field of biodesign.

Students from the Art College's Architecture team, in collaboration with UCSF students and faculty, created “Shell We Dance?” which was the Biodesign Challenge Outstanding Science Winner.

This is the second consecutive year the team has received this honor.

This concept transforms waste from the consumption of eggs and shellfish into a biomaterial that is harvested, processed, and fabricated into a building material. The team developed moldable components and an adhesive, which were tested at multiple scales, looking at the chemical and biological structure of the material, exploring variable formulations and developing ways to enhance the structural capacity with the addition of living bacteria.

See the process live in this video.