Interactive Biomaking Exhibit for the 2020 USA Science & Engineering Festival

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Enter the text here that is the new abstract information for your application. This section must be no longer than 30 lines of text. Biology has become a powerful and revolutionary technology, uniquely poised to transform and propel innovation in the near future. Advances are already being applied to some of today’s most pressing issues, from the environment to medicine. The skills, tools, and implications of using biological systems to design solutions to global challenges, however, are still largely foreign and inaccessible to the general public. With this Administrative Supplement, we will develop a set of ‘Biotinkering At Home’ activities for families, educators, and students everywhere to use. We will leverage a combined design challenge learning, making, and tinkering approach because of its demonstrated effectiveness at fostering confidence, creative capacity, and problem-solving skills in diverse participants. Each of our experiences will be designed to support the following educational outcomes: (1) enable everyone to experiment, create, and problem solve using biology; (2) support curiosity-driven exploration and tinkering with biological systems; and (3) provide opportunities for direct engagement with lab tools, ideas, and organisms to foster STEM identity. The resource packages created will include PDF guides and videos with instructions, tips, background info on the biology, and further at-home experimentation extension. In an effort to support as many people as possible, we will create resources in both English and Spanish. This content will be made available on The Tech Interactive’s website and social media platforms for kids and parents currently stuck at home to access. By generating and sharing online resources that empower people to explore biology in their own homes, we can substantially extend the impact of our museum space, both during this unprecedented period of social distancing and in the future. These unique biotinkering activities can help support the STEM pipeline and build the next generation of creative biotech and biomedical innovators.