Bio is Changing to Science

Science
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Bio Committee has been having a rough time for several months, ever since last year. The Board of Directors actually suggested disbanding it at last month’s Board Meeting, but the issue really came to a head tonight. In an effort to save the Committee, the Board and members have expanded Bio’s scope. Now, this will be the Science Committee. I am thinking of it as an applied science committee, incorporating science, engineering and technology for projects that fall outside the domains of existing committees. We will still have biology-based projects, but also astronomy, chemistry, scientific computing, networking, geology and photonics.

The main problem that Bio had, according to the Board, is lack of participation. We weren’t offering classes; people weren’t attending meetings; we didn’t show much signs of life. So, our primary goal now is to reverse that trend. Science will be offering classes much more frequently, and we will be looking for ways of increasing participation and outreach. We have until August to improve participation, or the Board will shut us down.

Another problem that Bio had recently is that people began storing random items in our area. David Ratcliff did a good job moving much of that out, but we need to clear out pretty much everything that is in our area now (except the current aquaponics setup, which needs to be moved to the side). We need to discuss what we are going to do with the beer brewing group, and what to do with the gear used for it. My plan is for us to replace the current setup with work stations and work benches that would provide sturdy surfaces for projects, and build up shelves to increase our storage. We have about 150 square feet of floor space to use, so we need to make the most of it.

According to Ben Groves, DMS Treasurer, Bio had about $247 in funds. That will transfer over to Science. We are not allocated any additional funds at this time, so we will be depending on honorarium and donations heavily for a while.

The Board confirmed me as the new Chairman of the Science Committee. I am working closely with David Ratcliff to develop the Science Committee into the best we can make it. Of course, I’m also on this talk forum a lot. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions, concerns or ideas, especially if you could teach classes under our sponsorship. I would like to equip the Science area with lab facilities, so please make recommendations about what equipment we might obtain and from where.

Thank you.

Richard Alexander

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I’m excited to see what this could bring in this department.

I’d love to see some of the more lofty projects be broken down into smaller scale items that would be effective for classes. (Mini aquaponics for cooking herbs? Stupid idea that’s coming to mind right this moment.) As well as including new subject matter.

I know little about Bio’s (Science) past but I know what I and many others have seen coming into the space. I think this a great opportunity to bring new subjects into the category, thereby increasing ‘membership’ and participation, and eventually finding funding for some really cool stuff.

I would even find myself participating in this ‘new improved’ group, possibly introducing subject matter to expand on and instruct with.
Anyway, good luck!

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Is the food freeze dryer behind the HAAS included in the Science comittee floor space. When I did my space tour a couple of months ago we were told that was a Bio committee device.

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No idea personally. All I know is I don’t want it to go anywhere (away from Makerspace). Super interesting machinery.

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Science inherits the freeze-dryer from Bio. It is on loan from a member. However, the electrical outlet and fuse box must be re-wired before it can be used (or, we can keep stealing the socket from Pottery).

And, no, I did not include the space the freeze-dryer is on in my calculations. We actually have just under 200 square feet, if I include our official storage shelf space, too.

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Yep I wouldnt mind a class on the devices use and capabilities.

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Just to be accurate, the agenda item was added by a person other than someone on the board, so it’s not really accurate to say the board suggested it.

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Bio implies plants, bugs and other biological processes. These in turn need dirt, and dirt requires a lot of space(dedicated space). IF we could plant or grow things on the roof, much like the MakerSpaces in the north east maybe we could have a stronger, larger BIO. I know a few people in DFW that are heavily into BIO as a way of life, but they where not really interested in DMS due to the reasons above. The Tilapia/aquaponic FARMing guy that I know of, has his own set up, which he loosely manages in his spare time. As he put it, “this is going on here, not over there.” He started aquaponics as a self-sustainability project that turned into an incredible success.

BTW, if you have never looked into Aquaponics, it is incredible the amount of food that can be grown in a tiny space. There are videos on youtube that will blow your mind by the quantities. Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfScfxkmWw4

Also, I am a homebrewer. Brewing takes space time and dedication as well. Not only does it require a dedicated space, it requires a whole lot of time. Brewing is its own hobby, and most brewers are dedicated to it(till they burn out) It seems weird that more brewers are not attracted to DMS. Maybe I am missing something. And in the near future, I am planning on co-teaching a two part brew class. First part is direct, short, and informational. Second part(day) Full blown brew of… Maybe a stout.

…X…

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Thanks for the clarification.

Regardless of who suggested disbanding Bio, the Board is ready to disband the group if we do not increase the number of people engaged in projects on a regular basis.

@Awesomer Some of us have discussed finding a plot of land and practicing experimental horticulture, but that hasn’t actually happened. We’ve had various aquaponics systems in our space all along. The current setup occupies the middle of our floor. One of the main problems we have is that we don’t have a systematic process of experimentation. Nobody is keeping records of what we do and the results of what we do, or making changes to modify the results. We don’t have any plans or materials that would help people reproduce what we are doing. We aren’t actually teaching anyone anything about gardening or aquaponics. These are interesting projects, but they aren’t leading to anything bigger the way we are doing them.

Some people believed that home brewing could generate enough interest to save Bio. Although several people are involved in home brewing at DMS, they haven’t had a regular meeting in a long time. I understand they tried to produce a batch a few months ago, but it failed. Then, they were supposed to meet a few weeks ago, but the weather led them to cancel. The end result is, too little results coming too late. We need to be able to turn in a list of participant names to the Board showing at least ten people involved in projects on a regular basis in our group.

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I took a look at the Bio area this weekend while I was in for the welding safety class. I am a self taught gardener and definitely not a Scientist but I’m going on about my 4th year of gardening and have had some success and lots more failures. This is my first year to have a key-hold garden and it is going exceptionally well so far. I’m also very interested in areoponics and auqaponics gardening and would most definitely participate in some classes. I had the same thoughts of using the roof for garden and growing options. The plants setup in the Bio looks pretty pitiful and I wondered what the plan was to get the cucumber plant pollinated. Is there a way to find out if the roof can be utilized for the growing? I live in Plano and work full-time so I can’t commit to being there all the time but I would participate as much as I could and share what I have learned so far.