Week 11: Conclusions

Welcome to my final senior project blog post! 

Throughout this trimester, I have been fortunate enough to meet and work alongside a number of individuals who generously volunteered their time and expertise. Prior to this project, I had never had lab experience, and the realm of science felt overwhelming. I want to thank my advisors, Ms. Danyelle Weathers and Casey Lardner, as well as the rest of the biomaterials studio team at Genspace, and BASIS Independent Brooklyn for the opportunity to complete this project. 

In conclusion, while there was no mycelium growth in the final spawn bags, only the plates, I’m leaving this project with many lessons learned. Short term, I learned extensively about how to grow mycelium, its properties and applications, as well as how professionals have been able to harness its power. I also got to learn about biomaterials, and how scientists are using techniques like 3-D printing to make them come to life. I got to experience the scientific method first hand: formulating a question, researching, conducting and designing experiments, and more. Throughout this project, the question “how do I make this better?” was the central theme. Long term, this project illuminates how there are countless creative solutions to environmental problems, whether they be large or small, and will hopefully inspire myself and others to continue seeking them.

For future research, using bioplastics rather than mycelium for this project would have had interesting results. Even with the Ecovative kit, the substrate’s texture was an issue; the palette didn’t have the smooth finish I was looking for. Perfecting a bioplastic recipe that didn’t warp or have much texture would most likely have been a better route. While the natural paints turned out great, some were grainier than I would have liked. Continuing to work with different ingredients or recipes to perfect their consistency is another mode of future research. Finally, coming up with different palette designs and creating molds for them! 

Here is my final presentation for anyone who’s interested!

Thank you for reading!