During the last week, I had the opportunity to be part of the Biohack Academy in Barcelona. The people in Barcelona form a heterogeneous group: bioinformaticians, biologists, pharmacists, and other scientists who are meeting twice a week, in order to build the lab equipment.
The first day I went there was on a Saturday, which is the day they usually meet, since most of them are fulltime workers. They were building the flow cabinet. Before starting the assembly, Álvaro Jansà introduced the equipment: what it is and how it works, including some tips how to make it. At this point, there was some discussion how the design could be modified, to meet future uses. After this, the actual building process could start. Individually or in small groups, they were helping each other in creating the construction.
For the practical work, the participants are gathering at Made in Barcelona, a maker space where they have access to 3D printers, a laser cutter, electronic tools... and now also a small space that can be used as a biolab. While the participants were still busy building the flow cabinet, the organizers were already preparing the next assignment, the centrifuge, while others were preparing the staining and microscopy practicals.
For the lectures, BHA Barcelona is meeting at MOB Barcelona, a co-working space that provides a meeting place for the participants. They are a very enthusiastic group, collaborative and with a promising future as biohackers! It was a really nice experience, so thanks to the organizers to allow me to be part of it. Gràcies!
