The Boston Open Source Science Lab (BOSSlab.org)

Hey DIYbio-Boston peeps,

It’s been a while!

I’ve been making progress on getting us a lab space here in the Boston area. I’ve acquired a shipping container that has a molecular biology lab built inside of it and am spinning up an organization to take care of it. It’s called the Boston Open Source Science Lab, or the BOSSlab (cred for the awesome name goes to a brilliant volunteer at the recent iGEM Jamboree). Some basic info about it online athttp://bosslab.org.

My vision for the space is to develop it into a volunteer research center where PhDs and amateurs can work together to develop and document low-cost, low-waste “open source” tools and techniques for biotechnology and synthetic biology. 12-month goal: build and distribute one unencumbered (IP-free or freely-licensed) BioBrick under the new BioBrick Public License to the DIYbio community, preferably a device with an obvious and fun phenotype. In the process develop comprehensive and practical resources and protocols for DIY biobrick creation and use that bridge the gap between high-school and PhD-level lab instructional material. Along the way, we’ll figure out how to make it all financially sustainable with a combination of workshop tuition, membership fees, donations, and grants. We might even be able to put together some DIY kits.

For now, the BOSSlab is chilling out on a low-cost industrial lot near Fresh Pond (NorthWest Cambridge) until we can find a space for it closer to public transportation, universities, utility hookups, etc.

The fine folks at Sprout (http://sproutward.org) are coincidentally in the process of setting up a community wetlab space as well and are excited to host us until the BOSSlab is ready to open its doors.

I propose we meet up at Sprout this coming Sunday at Noon to:

• set up Sprout’s wetlab space
• review the great projects that were brought up during the iGEM Jamboree DIYbio meetup
• and finish with a tour of the BOSSLab, which is about 15 minutes away

You can get directions to Sprout here: http://thesprouts.org/contact

Check out the diybio-boston mailing list for updates and watch @bosslab on twitter.

Cheers!
Mac