Latest bio-creations presented at 14th Tokyo Tech BioCon

The 14th Tokyo Tech BioCon, or bio-creativity contest, was held at Suzukakedai Campus on November 10, 2018.

Foundations of the competition

Bio-Creative Design 1 and 2, which form the basis of the Tokyo Tech BioCon, are courses offered to first-year students.

During these courses, students work in small groups to plan and design easy tools that can be utilized to teach bioscience and biotechnology to the public, or are otherwise useful to society. While boosting creativity, the courses also aim to provide students with the fundamentals of bioscience.

This year, 142 students making up 20 groups carried out investigations, experiments, and surveys to gather data for their bio-creative design project.

Presentation

The Tokyo Tech BioCon is a public contest, which also functions as the final assessment for the Bio-Creative Design courses. Students regularly receive advice from professors and teaching assistants throughout the process, and ultimately present their project aims, methods, and data to an audience made up of judges and members of the public.

Audience and judges enjoying presentations

Bio-play with Tokyo Tech students

After the presentations, elementary and middle school students were invited to test out the groups' creations during the "Bio-play with Tokyo Tech students" session. Groups set up booths to further explain their projects and encourage children to get more involved. The younger generations were once again provided with a chance to experience bioscience and biotechnology through interesting and challenging games.

Bio-play with younger generations

Evaluation and competition results

In addition to the eight judges selected from within and outside the Institute, fellow students and other participants at the event evaluated the projects, casting their votes for their favorite groups. In 2018, Group R claimed victory with their project “Voices of Beauty: Sensing microorganisms through sound.”

Congratulations to the winners and all the groups for their efforts in designing creative, original projects.

• 2018 Bio-Creative Design 1 - TOKYO TECH OCW
• 2018 Bio-Creative Design 2 - TOKYO TECH OCW
• 2016 bio-creations presented at 12th Tokyo Tech BioCon | Tokyo Tech News

School of Life Science and Technology
—Unravel the Complex and Diverse Phenomena of Life—
Information on School of Life Science and Technology inaugurated in April 2016

School of Life Science and Technology

Schools, Departments, and Institute for Liberal Arts