Professional Development

Our online platform lets you learn with teachers around the world who will bring tomorrow’s science into today’s classrooms.

BioBuilder’s workshops will impact your understanding of biology and your approach to teaching it.

Co-taught by BioBuilder’s Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Natalie Kuldell, and one of BioBuilder’s expert high school teachers, our workshops combine classroom, laboratory, and design activities that are both accessible and inspiring. You’ll leave with ready-to-teach lessons that bring engineering into your biology classrooms, labs, or science clubs.

About these workshops

ROLLING REGISTRATION!

Sign up for information about upcoming sessions

 

 

2024 Summer Workshops

BioBuilder will offer its Teacher Professional Development workshops in a more flexible format throughout the academic year.

Participating teachers will have access to BioBuilder's online lectures, readings, and activities to cover at their own pace over two weeks, and then can join two live laboratory sessions taught by BioBuilder instructors to synchronously prep and run the BioBuilder experiment. BioBuilder Essentials Training: Part 1 will cover the Eau That Smell experiment and Part 2 will cover the Colorful World experiment and Biodesign training. Participating teachers will receive a copy of the BioBuilder textbook and an lab kit (either Eau That Smell or Colorful World), sent to their school in advance.

Part 1: What is Synthetic Biology and Eau That Smell lab Workshop costs $250/person, or $200/person when 2 or more teachers from the same school register.
Part 2: What a Colorful World experiment and Biodesign Training costs $150/teacher or $125/person when 2 or more teachers from the same school register.

Completion of Part 1 is required for participation in Part 2.

If your school is interested in setting up a workshop for more than five teachers, please reach out to us at info@biobuilder.org with the subject line “Teacher Professional Development Inquiry,” and we can explore scheduling a time that works for your teachers!

Part 2: What a Colorful World

Rolling access to online content; Zoom lab Aug 5-9 (date TBD)
Hybrid-Remote

$150/person

OPEN

Part 1: Eau That Smell

Rolling access to online content; Zoom lab July 8-12 (date TBD)
Hybrid-Remote

$250/person

OPEN

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to frequently asked questions about BioBuilder’s Professional Development Workshops here. If you can’t find the answers here please feel free to email your questions to us at info@biobuilder.org.

Are the workshops geared toward high school, middle school teachers, elementary, or university level teachers?

The workshops are designed primarily for high school teachers, but all educators are welcome. In the past, we have also had participants from educational organizations, government, and nonprofits doing work related to STEM education.

How many people may participate in each workshop?

Our hybrid workshops can accommodate up to 50 participants per two-week session.

How much does it cost to attend?

$250 per teacher for Part 1, which includes all online platform materials with on-demand life-time access to the course content, a copy of the BioBuilder textbook, and one lab kit that will be sent to the teacher’s school during the workshop.

When 2 or more teachers sign up from one school the cost is $200 per teacher, with full access for each teacher to the course content, a book for each teacher, and one lab kit sent to the school during the workshop.

The cost for Part 2 is $150 per teacher or $250 when 2 or more teachers from the same school register.

 

What does the registration fee include?

  • 5 hours of self-paced lectures, readings and assignments to complete over a 2 week period
  • Slide decks to download for teaching and learning;
  • A social engagement platform to interact with other teachers and BioBuilder’s instructors
  • A copy of BioBuilder’s textbook;
  • A Lab Kit sent to participant’s school;
  • Two half-days of synchronous lab training to prep and run each lab, available as a recording if needed
  • Certificate of Completion;
  • Discounted tuition in BioBuilder’s follow-up Essentials Training Sessions.

How do I register?

We have a rolling admissions process. Workshops are limited to 50 teachers and attendance is reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission requires payment of tuition as the time of registration.

Part 1: Eau That Smell, June 14-27, 2023: Register Here

Part 1: Eau That Smell, July 5-18, 2023: Register Here

Part 2: What a Colorful World, July 26 – August 8, 2023: Register Here

 

Do you have scholarships available?

We do not have scholarships available at this time.

What is the payment process?

To complete registration, participants must pay the tuition fee by credit card. If you require a purchase order payment, please reach out to us at info@biobuilder.org.

 

 

Is there a cancellation policy?

Registration may be cancelled up to 15 days prior to the selected workshop’s start date. In such cases, a refund of the registration fee will be issued, less applicable processing fees.

We are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations received less than 15 days prior to your selected workshop.

Who will teach the workshop?

BioBuilder Essentials lectures are led by Dr. Natalie Kuldell and Dr. Rebekah Ravgiala and Ms. Jo-Anne Purdy.

 

Dr. Natalie Kuldell is the Founder and Executive Director of BioBuilder. Natalie has taught for more than a dozen years in the Department of Biological Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a highly regarded educator who develops discovery-based curricula drawn from the current literature to engage students in structured, reasonably authentic laboratory and project-based experiences. She studied Chemistry as an undergraduate at Cornell, completed her doctoral and postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School, and taught at Wellesley College before joining the faculty at MIT in 2003.

 

Dr. Rebekah Ravgiala teaches Biology and Advanced Placement Biology at Tyngsborough High School in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. She holds a B.A. in Biology and a doctorate in Mathematics and Science Education. She has been actively involved in the BioBuilder community since 2011, leading a BioBuilderClub team, and serving as a member of its Board of Directors. She is a recipient of the ASBMB Fostering K12/University Partnership Grant and the AMGEN Excellence in Science Teaching Award.

Jo-Anne Purdy has been teaching Biology, Chemistry, and Advanced Placement Biology for the past 25 years and currently teaches at Westborough High School in Westborough, Massachusetts. She has been working with the BioBuilder community since 2011, leading a BioBuilder team and running workshops teaching teachers about the BioBuilder curriculum. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biological sciences and is a recipient of the Brenda M. Keegan award for Excellence in Teaching.

 

How much time would teachers be expected to spend per week?

We anticipate that participants will spend 5 hours/week completing the online coursework and synchronous lab work.

Do you offer Continuing Education Credit or Professional Development Points

BioBuilder is a registered PDP provider in Massachusetts.

If you are a teacher in a different state, please inquire with us about ways to receive state credit for your workshop.

Is there an online code of conduct?

Yes. We require that all participants agree to our community Code of Conduct. Review the Online Code of Conduct here: https://bit.ly/BB-Code-of-Conduct.

My question isn’t here! What should I do?

Please email your question to info@biobuilder.org and we’ll get back to you.