BioQuisitive is back for 2025!

BioQuisitive is a civic science hub that promotes relationships between scientists and citizens to effectively collaborate, coordinate and co-create diverse teams of civic and scientific problem solvers.We're a safe environment for people from all walks of life to come and learn about biology, explore the life sciences and get involved in workshops, classes and impact-oriented initiatives.

How you can get involved

Come down and join us on Thursday evenings from 4pm to 7pm at our community lab in Brunswick.

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Lego's have to be one of the best explainers for SynBio. Looking forward to announcing one of our two first projects using SynBio and uLoop to monitor pollution in our local water ways. If you're in Melbourne or want to participate remotely, get in touch!

#SynBio #diybio #brunswick #science #scienceisforeveryone #environment #pollution #remediation

When life gives you extra dry ice. Red cabbage experiment, create a natural pH indicator. #stem #science #diybio #scienceisforeveryone #brunswick #community #bioquisitive #civicscience

Big thank you to everyone showed up to help us move into our new @phoenixschoolprogram STEM library next door to @bioquisitive lab.

We moved over 10 years of collected superfluous equipment, consumables, and education kit in a little less than 3 hours 💪 .

Next we'll be inventorying everything and preparing kits for educators and other education initiatives across Australia.

If you know any educators in need of support, please be sure to point them in our direction!

Huge thank you to @rockyridgebrewing for sponsoring the move! It was a great way to finish off a day of hard work!

#stem #biochemistry #scienceisforeveryone #science #brunswick #nfp

Butterfly update! 🦋 The BioQ team had been looking after some chrysalis that we watched emerged as butterflies and released into the beautiful spring flowers! 🌷🌼🐛

Did you know the word chrysalis comes from the Greek word “cyrsos” meaning golden? ⚱️✨ because of the gold sparkles on the chrysalis! 🦋

Do you have plans this Saturday? Come and help us out at TPSP! 💪

Help Move Science for The Phoenix School Program 🚚🔬

The Phoenix School Program is back, baby! After a COVID-induced hiatus, this initiative(which donates excess science gear from research institutes to schools) is back up and running, thanks to the awesome folks at BioQ and BRUDI! 🎉

Now, we need your help to get everything ready. We're inventorying all the donated goodies in our storage container at Monash Self Storage in Brunswick and moving them to the new TPSP HQ at BRUDI.

TPSP HQ Is located in Building B at 420 Victoria St, Brunswick, VIC, 3056

Tickets here 🔽

https://events.humanitix.com/science-equipment-donation-to-schools-program-working-bee-tpsp

🥳 We've just upgraded from our DIY clean air box to a 1.8M wide laminar flow hood!

😷 This means we'll be able to work in a more sterile environment with life forms on the micro scale, without bumping shoulders.

👀 If you have ideas for projects we'll be doing a call out very soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

🕑 we're open Thursdays from 4:30pm

#science #scienceisforeveryone #synbio #biomanufacturing #STEM #mycology

🍕🔬 Pizza & PCR Night at BioQuisitive was a blast! The first of many to come! 🙌 Big shoutout to @greenacrepizza for supplying the delicious pizzas! 🍕❤

Thanks to everyone who came along and got their (gloved!) hands dirty with mycelium brick making, 3D printer-tinkering and of course - PCR on pizza ingredients! And congrats to the group on getting a successful gel on their first run!!

Interested in joining the fun? We host Open Lab Night every Thursday from 4pm. Come by and get hands-on with some science! 🧪✨

#PizzaAndPCR #BioQuisitive #GreenAcrePizzaBar #ScienceAndPizza #OpenLabNight #CommunityScience

One day we want to start a vintage road show for scientific instruments. There is something nostalgic about some of these throwbacks, almost a trustworthiness. 10 years ago when we worked on the first lab, it took years to get everything we needed like basic Molecular bio stuff.

Often it was the older bits of kit that were what we got given or could afford on ebay, from the US.

This lab has only taken 2 months to decorate. A few more things to go but pretty much there.

A large part of that is due to how much stuff gets thrown out, but there is no reason that it shouldn't be repurposed. Please do connect us in with teachers or #STEM staff if you think they need any goods (equipment, consumables), training, or support teaching.

There are many multiples of school science labs worth of equipment out there.

Big thanks to @janbjelic and @rrrubytuesday

@deadlyscienceorg

#civicscience #circulareconomy #sustainability @sustainabilityvictoria #science #scienceisforeveryone

It's amazing how much science equipment we as a community save from the bin. We're excited to donate these to schools in need and not for profits doing the STEM work!

Mycelium game is 💪 btw. Don't miss our upcoming workshops!

#diybio #stem #scienceisforeveryone #science #biochemistry #biology #sustainability #circulareconomy

Signs are up and doors are opening TOMORROW 2PM at BioQuisitive citizen science lab!

Come meet like-minded people, learn how you can engage with the space, and buy a raffle ticket to support the lab to purchase equipment for the community to use! A huge thanks to the local businesses who have donated prizes, including:
🍲 Brunswick Kitchen, who have donated 2 x cooking classes valued at $280 | Brunswick
🧘 Sage Pilates, who have donated 3 x 5 packs of pilates classes valued at $50 each | Brunswick West
🏺 Lygon Street Pottery, who have donated an Intro to pottery workshop valued at $125 | East Brunswick
📚 Laneway learning, who have donated workshop vouchers for classes of your choosing valued at $40 | Brunswick + CBD + Prahran + Online
🎵 Tempo Rubato, who have donated 2 x vouchers valued at $50 each | Brunswick
🌶️ Keating & Co, who have donated hot sauces | Coburg
☕ Bench Coffee Co, who have donated a bag of Bauhaus seasonal blend coffee beans | Brunswick
🐱 Lil Becky’s Hotsauce, who have donated hot sauces | Brunswick West
🕯️ Leaf Candle Co., who have donated a candle gift box | Coburg
🍄 MYCOmmunity, who have donated 2 x vouchers for any workshop | Brunswick
+ vouchers for workshops at BioQuisitive are up for grabs, too!

Grab your free tickets for the event below, and we look forward to seeing you there!

https://events.humanitix.com/bioquisitive-launch-at-brudi

Launch of BioQ is approaching, join us Saturday at 2pm aa we usher in a new era for BioQuisitive at BRUDI!

This will be the fourth rendition of BioQ with more help, ideas, resources, and a beautiful new lab! Ready to follow your curiosity?

#stem #science
#scienceisforeveryone #mycology #diybio #community #merri-bek #Brunswick

Great little catch up with some old members and new faces! Looking more lab like every time we catch up.

#stem #diybio #scienceforall #brunswick #makerspace #science

When he's not trying to eradicate Malaria, he's being a legend.

Thank you for organising this donation @deejay_nj , this is going to be very instrumental in getting open access science back up and running here in Melbourne.

#biotech #stem #diybio #science #scienceforall
#community

Science and Art 🤌 the new BioQuisitive lab is shaping up nicely thanks to @remedy_kmp

Please hold the 22nd of June in your calendars for our launch at @BioQuisitive 420 Victoria St, Brunswick. More details to come! Here's to a colourful future!

#diybio #stem #community #communitybio #mural #Brunswick

In and out of lockdown has been tough, but it's presented a rare opportunity to take a pause and reflect on what's worked, what could be improved, and new possibilities. The first workshop of many to come in the road to BioQ 2.0 big thank you to all who could attend and contribute. Special thanks to @scienceforall.world for their guest appearance and @colabs.melbourne for hosting.

When it comes to #diybio and #openscience in #community #labs, what is important to you? What possibilities do you see? What would you like to get out of your participation? Thoughts&concerns? Let us know and leave a comment ❤️

After a long hiatus, we're getting ready to open back up with projects in tow at the new space #syntheticbiology, conservation, and more is on the cards. Find opportunities for working with cyanobacteria, environmental remediation, and novel assembly standards. Check out our DIYbio Melbourne meetips for a list of upcoming events. Bring a mask!

Ever wondered how laxatives could transform your... transformation protocols? Matt at BioQuisitive did! On the hunt for economical alternatives to Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)4000 used in many transformation protocols (where you move DNA into the cell of an organism) he found Movicol. Turns out the over the counter laxative Movicol's main ingredient is PEG 3350 not far off from PEG 4000 and the results speak for themselves. More "dots" are bacteria that have successfully taken up DNA. Left column plates were transformed using Laxative and right hand column using standard CaCl2 protocol. Just be sure to read the MSDS In case of ingestion... and stock up on TP...if you can #covid19

Bioquisitive is working with @biofoundry And Biobase to investigate new and cheaper diagnostic tests to identify covid19 infections. Using RT-LAMP, we're hoping to validate faster and cheaper tests! Stay tuned and follow along here
https://foundry.bio/coronavirus-covid-19/

We're getting ready for round 2! With one protocol investigated with the LBP we've got two more critically endangered species to try and investigate potential molecular ecology surveying techniques for, the Greater Glider ( native Flying Possum) and Bar Galaxia (native fish). We'll have until the 1st of June to explore the role eDNA sampling might play in monitoring their presence! If you're interested in helping definitely show up on Mondays and Thursday's at BioQ between 5pm to 9pm or PM us! Taking previous learnings from the Leadbeater Possum surveying, we're hoping to get started asap.
This work would not be possible without @scienceforall.world and the @royalsocietyvic . Photo cred @delwp_vic and www.fishofaustralia.com

Really excited for how this tardigrade incubator is turning out!So far we've got pumps for food, water, waste and air. Closer and closer to tardigrades on tap <3 Will upload all stl, svg, py, and ino files once this is done. Goal is to give sea monkeys a run for their money 😎 Waiting on stepper motors and a few more bits before we're finished but it should be able to grow them soon enough.

Custom tanks + DIY microscope optics based on the open flexure microscope optics module. Using a long working distance objective so we can see lil protozoa we decide to grow at a depth of 13mm. Next addition will be some steel rods and stepper motors to move the objective!

#3dprinting #lasercutting #diybio #protozoa #tardigrade #raspberrypi #microscope #BioQuisitive #Moreland

We did it! Incredible, after many months of lab work we managed to successfully extract and amplify leadbeater possum DNA from soil. These aren't the brightest bands,and we have a bit of optimisation to do but we got there. Huge thanks to the volunteers at BioQ who have spent months working on this project, @scienceforall.world the Paul Sunnucks lab, Dan Harley, and everyone who has been cheering us on! The relevance is that this could become an additional method for monitoring the critically endangered #leadbeater possum. Still have a bit of work to do before it's a reliable method but exciting none the less! This project, unlike most #citizenscience projects has been 100% managed by citizens and scientists, amazing what communities can accomplish!
Gel photo, lane 1, 100bp ladder, lanes 2 -7, soil samples from leadbeater possum enclosure, lane 8, positive control.

@phoenixschoolprogram @man.of.style @bankaust and @two_tractors at the lab talking about recycling science equipment by diverting it from landfill to schools!

Side project: Working on a little chamber to house and grow denizens of the microcosmos and be viewed with a microscope . They're actually a bit of work to care for, food, air, waste, fresh water, more work than looking after a succulent! So hopefully some microcontrollers and pumps can negate the threat of human neglect (laziness). Video is blurry due to having such a huge range of focus to play with, already dropped the tank depth by a few mil, added an extra port and a hatch for better pipetting in v1.1

Almost a year this bag of lichens and moss sat on a shelf, completely dried out and we thought... what the heck. Sure enough the water we sat these samples exploded with life including this lil one who is just waking up after a long cryptobiotic nap.

New year and back in the lab! After a bit of a break, we're getting into the swing of things working on monitoring critically endangered species, and finally exploring some possible synthetic biology projects. Come on down the 1st Monday of every month to check out the space and see what a community lab looks like. Now with dishwasher!

Great night training up volunteers helping Science For All looking at processing eDNA to help monitor critically endangered species. If you're interested in getting involved come by 124 Weston St, Brunswick East, 3057 on Monday 4th of November from 6pm to learn more. We're looking for people who can put in one or two evenings a week to learn how to process samples. You'll learn about DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis. The end goal is a community that can train itself in these techniques.

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