Inventing Synthetic Biosystems

Biology as a technology is burgeoning, leading to diverse cultural, economic, geopolitical, and natural outcomes. Students in this course will learn to step back from the overwhelming immediacy of biotechnology's application and to instead adopt a culture of play that enables qualitative expansion of ideas and possibilities. So enriched students will also learn to map ideas onto a future constrained by practical realities and market dynamics. Active in-class participation and a team-based final project are required.