Photo series of SCOBY growth with corresponding musical notes

Microbiology as meditation: Living Matter Lab explores “livingness” in time

April 8, 2024

The Living Matter Lab pursues a deeper understanding of alternative perspectives on temporality through a surprising medium: kombucha SCOBY.

A detail view of the interface used to control the cloth.

Unstable Design Lab 2023 Residency in Review

Sept. 28, 2023

The 2023 Experimental Weaving Residency, featuring Elizabeth Meiklejohn, has left us with new understandings about electromagnetics and cloth movement.

Flower pots 3D printed from spent coffee grounds

3D printing with coffee: Turning used grounds into caffeinated creations

Sept. 8, 2023

Utility Research Lab director Michael Rivera uses surprising materials to fabricate useful objects.

NSF logo

ATLAS Institute Faculty Nationally Recognized for Radical Creativity and Invention

June 8, 2023

The National Science Foundation’s CAREER award is among the most prestigious honors supporting junior faculty doing outstanding work integrating research and education toward a meaningful social impact. The CAREER award is highly competitive and is a strong indicator of future research success. Award criteria focus on intellectual merit and broad...

woman wearing tank-top style shirt made from kombucha scobe with led lights embedded

Kombucha chic: How one student uses microbes, and time, to grow her own clothes

May 4, 2023

Biodesign researcher Fiona Bell says that anyone, anywhere can grow their own clothing right from their kitchens. You start by brewing a batch of kombucha.