Image of DIY bio-makerspace with shelves and bio-experiments

bioMakerStudio

A space for biodesigning at Aalto University

The bioMakerStudio is a DIY fabrication space, which acts as an incubator for exploring and engaging creatively with the process of biological growing, making, and designing.

We welcome creatives (researchers, students, makers, community) from any discipline who are working with (or would like to try) bio-themed projects.

NEWS

bioMakerStudio Workshop Series
The bioMakerStudio Workshop and Talks Series is a non-profit community engagement initiative funded by the Sustainability Action Booster Grant… [read more]

Our intention is also to be as low-threshold, accessible, flexible and open as possible. We we encourage users to be explorative, scavenge stuff, make their own tools, and try more exploratory encounters that might be otherwise hard to do in a closed lab environment.

Our space develops according to demand, and grows together with the projects and our community.

Where to find us

Otakaari 7, 02150 Espoo, Finland


OUR APPROACH

At the bioMakerStudio, we run on a makerspace philosophy, which includes:

Learning-by-making

Finding creative workarounds

This is not a scientific lab – meaning that for certain processes, you will have to find creative workarounds. Can you find replacements for tools in everyday objects, for example?

Combine fabrication techniques and fields

Sharing and lowering barriers to knowledge

With the open-access mindset, youโ€™ll share your processes and results with others, and also learn from others. How can you share your knowledge in ways that can be accessed by more people?


SPACES & EQUIPMENT

bioMakerStudio

Our current inventory includes:
โ€ข Workbenches
โ€ข DIY incubators
โ€ข DIY bioreactor (for spirulina)
โ€ข Transparent growtent
โ€ข Darkroom growtent
โ€ข Microscope
โ€ข Fridge + freezer
โ€ข Kettle
โ€ข Shelves
โ€ข UV light
โ€ข Heating pads
โ€ข Heating plates
โ€ข Humidity gauge
โ€ข Dehydrator
โ€ข Drying fan
โ€ข Scales
โ€ข Kitchen utensils (stick blender, containers, pots, etc.)
โ€ข Lab consumables (petri dishes, test tubes, cotton cloths, pH paper, etc.)
โ€ข Kitchen consumables (baking sheets, aluminium foils, paper plates, etc.)
โ€ข Ingredients for growth mediums
โ€ข Large TV screen with HDMI
โ€ข Storage space
โ€ข First aid kit

Garden

8m2 community garden plot, currently growing:
โ€ข Woad (Isatis tinctoria)
โ€ข Japanese Indigo (Persicaria tinctoria)
โ€ข Dyer’s chamomile (Anthemis tinctoria)
โ€ข Dyer’s greenweed (Genista tinctoria)
โ€ข Weld (Ruseda luteola)
โ€ข Dyer’s coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)

We also have access to these facilities in the same building:

Dyeing Studio

A splash-proof kitchen-like space for wetwork with:
> Sinks
> Hobs
> Drying cabinet
> Kitchen utensils
For more, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/product/dyeing-and-surface-manipulation/

FabLab

Digital fabrication laboratory for digital fabrication, with:
> Laser cutter
> CNC machine
> 3D printers
> Electronic workstations
> Programming software
For more info, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/fablab/


WHAT CAN I WORK WITH?

We allow work with BSL0 (Biosafety Level 0) organisms, meaning that they are entry-level and food-safe in the bioMakerStudio. Currently, we are working with bacterial cellulose (SCOBY), cyanobacteria (spirulina), slime mould (physarum), mycelium (oyster and reishi), and plants (wild and grown).

Working with organisms that are highly perceptible to contamination would be very challenging in our space, as we cannot create completely aseptic conditions.

The bioMakerStudio is constantly changing. For most recent photos check out our Instagram account: @biomakerstudio

๐— ๐—œ๐—–๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—–๐—ข๐—ฃ๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ž๐—ฆ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฃ ๐Ÿ”ฌ
| bioMakerStudio Workshop Series no.6 |  ๐Ÿ“… December 9th, 2024
โฑ๏ธ 4pm - 6pm
๐Ÿ“bioMakerStudio, Otakaari 7, 02150  Beginnerโ€™s guide to light microscopy. Brief introduction to basic operations and sample preparation, accompanied with DIY approaches like looking at crystal structures in polarised light and using a laser pen microscope to observe bacteria suspended in water. Bring samples that you'd like to observe!  Our instructor this week is Katri Naukkarinen @katrinaukkarinen  โ€‹The events are completely FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No prior experience is needed!  ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—š๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ with link in bio ๐Ÿ’ซ
Places are limited!  ................  The bioMakerStudio Workshop and Talks Series is a non-profit community engagement initiative funded by the @sustainability_action_booster grant.  โ€‹Every week, we invite pioneering bio-creatives to share their techniques with you through hands-on workshops.  ๐Ÿ’ฌ For more information, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/biomakerstudio-ws2024/  .
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#workshop #sustainability #sustainabilityworkshop #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #microscope #bioart #microscopy #lightmicroscopy #helsinki

๐— ๐—œ๐—–๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ฆ๐—–๐—ข๐—ฃ๐—˜ ๐—ช๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ž๐—ฆ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฃ ๐Ÿ”ฌ
| bioMakerStudio Workshop Series no.6 |

๐Ÿ“… December 9th, 2024
โฑ๏ธ 4pm – 6pm
๐Ÿ“bioMakerStudio, Otakaari 7, 02150

Beginnerโ€™s guide to light microscopy. Brief introduction to basic operations and sample preparation, accompanied with DIY approaches like looking at crystal structures in polarised light and using a laser pen microscope to observe bacteria suspended in water. Bring samples that you`d like to observe!

Our instructor this week is Katri Naukkarinen @katrinaukkarinen

โ€‹The events are completely FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No prior experience is needed!

๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—š๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ with link in bio ๐Ÿ’ซ
Places are limited!

…………….

The bioMakerStudio Workshop and Talks Series is a non-profit community engagement initiative funded by the @sustainability_action_booster grant.

โ€‹Every week, we invite pioneering bio-creatives to share their techniques with you through hands-on workshops.

๐Ÿ’ฌ For more information, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/biomakerstudio-ws2024/

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#workshop #sustainability #sustainabilityworkshop #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #microscope #bioart #microscopy #lightmicroscopy #helsinki

Preparing petri dishes for sharing our Physarum (slime molds) this Friday with some of our community members ๐Ÿ™Œ  We will have a cozy Artist's Talk by @leenapukki โ˜•  This yellow creature is a single-celled organism that creeps along to look for food ๐Ÿพ
Loves to eat oat flakes ๐ŸŒพ  .
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#sustainability #sustainable #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #bioart #slimemold #slimemould #physarum #artisttalk #limakko

Preparing petri dishes for sharing our Physarum (slime molds) this Friday with some of our community members ๐Ÿ™Œ

We will have a cozy Artist`s Talk by @leenapukki โ˜•

This yellow creature is a single-celled organism that creeps along to look for food ๐Ÿพ
Loves to eat oat flakes ๐ŸŒพ

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#sustainability #sustainable #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #bioart #slimemold #slimemould #physarum #artisttalk #limakko

๐—ก๐—”๐—ง๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฆ ๐—ช๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ž๐—ฆ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฃ ๐Ÿ–‹๐Ÿฅ•
| bioMakerStudio Workshop Series no.5 |  ๐Ÿ“… December 2nd, 2024
โฑ๏ธ 4pm - 6pm
๐Ÿ“bioMakerStudio, Otakaari 7, 02150  Learn how to make inks for drawing and painting out of plants and organic kitchen scraps to create your own natural ink painting!  Our instructor this week is Ronja Tammenpรครค @ronjatammenpaa  โ€‹The events are completely FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No prior experience is needed!  ๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—š๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ with link in bio ๐Ÿฅ•
Places are limited!  ................  The bioMakerStudio Workshop and Talks Series is a non-profit community engagement initiative funded by the @sustainability_action_booster grant.  โ€‹Every week, we invite pioneering bio-creatives to share their techniques with you through hands-on workshops.  ๐Ÿ’ฌ For more information, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/biomakerstudio-ws2024/  .
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#workshop #sustainability #sustainabilityworkshop #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #naturalink #biocolor #naturalcolor #ink #diy #helsinki #foodwaste

๐—ก๐—”๐—ง๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ž๐—ฆ ๐—ช๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ž๐—ฆ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฃ ๐Ÿ–‹๐Ÿฅ•
| bioMakerStudio Workshop Series no.5 |

๐Ÿ“… December 2nd, 2024
โฑ๏ธ 4pm – 6pm
๐Ÿ“bioMakerStudio, Otakaari 7, 02150

Learn how to make inks for drawing and painting out of plants and organic kitchen scraps to create your own natural ink painting!

Our instructor this week is Ronja Tammenpรครค @ronjatammenpaa

โ€‹The events are completely FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. No prior experience is needed!

๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—š๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฅ with link in bio ๐Ÿฅ•
Places are limited!

…………….

The bioMakerStudio Workshop and Talks Series is a non-profit community engagement initiative funded by the @sustainability_action_booster grant.

โ€‹Every week, we invite pioneering bio-creatives to share their techniques with you through hands-on workshops.

๐Ÿ’ฌ For more information, visit: https://studios.aalto.fi/biomakerstudio-ws2024/

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#workshop #sustainability #sustainabilityworkshop #biomakerstudio #community #biodesign #diy #naturalink #biocolor #naturalcolor #ink #diy #helsinki #foodwaste

A time lapse filming set-up ๐ŸŽฌ of fungi ๐Ÿ„
by @henritimperi in the corner of the bioMakerStudio!  This DIY setup is made with a small tent, humidifier, baking trays, lights, and a GoPro.  Amazing to see new mushrooms popping up every day ๐Ÿ„๐Ÿ„๐Ÿ„  .
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#mycelium #fungi #mushroom #biolab #biodesign #biomakerstudio #biofabrication  #sustainabledesign #sustainability

A time lapse filming set-up ๐ŸŽฌ of fungi ๐Ÿ„
by @henritimperi in the corner of the bioMakerStudio!

This DIY setup is made with a small tent, humidifier, baking trays, lights, and a GoPro.

Amazing to see new mushrooms popping up every day ๐Ÿ„๐Ÿ„๐Ÿ„

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#mycelium #fungi #mushroom #biolab #biodesign #biomakerstudio #biofabrication #sustainabledesign #sustainability

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CONTACT

If you are interested in using the bioMakerStudio or have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are always looking to expand our inventory of equipment and materials through recycled or second-hand goods. If you have any lab / makerspace equipment that you would like to donate, please let us know!


Interested in the bioMakerStudio? Contact
  • Ena Naito
    Ena Naito

    Doctoral Researcher

    ena.naito@aalto.fi

    +358 50 464 4304

Co-funded by