Esther Kim is a scientist working in synthetic biology. But she isn’t just a scientist, she’s a premiere community builder in these burgeoning scientific spaces. She has worked at small start-ups in the Bay Area at The ODIN, Synbiobeta, Braid Theory, and spent her early years working as a genetic engineer in biomanufacturing. She is most known for her work championing independent scientific researchers in the biohacking community to disrupt and transform scientific research and communication. She believes that science should be accessible and affordable to all.
Join us as we talk about everything from community building in science, to perhaps creating our own “Pikachu” in the future (looks like we’re going to have to fuse an electric eel with a mouse to make one of those…).
Episode Breakdown:
00:00-25:08: Tree Frogs, Evolving work (impact, goes where the people go), DIY CRISPR, The tale of being a “Creek” Girl , microbial engineering, the current speed of science, Breaking down the biohacker (Defining Biohacking), Practical science and the community,
25:08 - 45:00: Independent projects and research, Open-source Science, Scientific tools from eBay and community, DIY Science, homebrew reagents and materials sharing, What's a “flongle”?!, pain points of researchers, The struggles of grassroots science, the open scientist and social media, Open Insulin and the healthcare system, historical patterns between tech and biology, LIMS (spoiler alert, it’s an excel sheet). “Am I gonna go into the -80 and risk frostbite to check if the tube is there…?”
45:00 - 1:10:40: Software in science, “Can I make a Pikachu?!”, Community Oriented Biosecurity…check each other before we wreck each other, More Scientists in Politics, The rise of Community Biolabs, Building community in the scientific world, “IKEA Style Protocols”, “Esther Kim and the Chamber of Science”, Alternative Protein marketing–”it’s all the same in your tummy”,
1:10:40-End: Reaching out as a Young Researcher, Finding the right mentor, Red and Green Flags in the industry, Building something that lives on, Organizations to watch out for–robots, bio-mining, bio-engineered algae, “Green” Ketchup and Biological Fashion, Esther’s Closed-Loop Utopian Lab in the Desert.
Links to mentions from the episode:
The Odin - https://www.the-odin.com/
Sebastian Cocioba - https://twitter.com/ATinyGreenCell
Open Insulin - https://openinsulin.org/
Counter Culture Labs - https://www.counterculturelabs.org/
Michael Eisen - https://twitter.com/mbeisen
Reaxys - https://www.reaxys.com/#/login
The Primacy Effect - https://thedecisionlab.com/biases/primacy-effect
Trilobio - https://trilo.bio/#/
Maverick Bioworks - https://www.maverickbioworks.com/
Spira Inc - https://www.spirainc.com/
Takara Sake Brewery - https://www.takarasake.com/visit-us/sake-tasting-room
