Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 21, 2026

SoundBio Lab

SoundBio Lab is a non-profit community laboratory and BSL-1 biomakerspace located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2016, the organization provides laboratory space for independent research projects, offers hands-on classes on biological techniques, and hosts community biology and STEM education programs. SoundBio is part of the DIY Biology movement, which promotes public access to biotechnology education and research infrastructure.

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SoundBio Lab
FoundedJune 27th, 2016
EstablishedMarch 11th, 2017
Location
  • Seattle, Washington
Websitehttps://www.sound.bio/

SoundBio Lab (also known as SoundBio) is a non-profit community laboratory and BSL-1 biomakerspace located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2016, the organization provides laboratory space for independent research projects, offers hands-on classes on biological techniques, and hosts community biology and STEM education programs. SoundBio is part of the DIY Biology movement, which promotes public access to biotechnology education and research infrastructure.

Facilities

SoundBio, a 501(c)(3) organization1, operates as a BSL-1 community laboratory equipped for molecular biology and microbiology work with: PCR machines, centrifuges, autoclaves, incubators, an Opentrons liquid-handling system, light microscopes, orbital shakers, incubators, refrigerators, gel electrophoresis equipment, etc.2 Much of the equipment was acquired through donations, grants, or second-hand purchases; however, they are professional-grade.3

Education

SoundBio regularly offers hands-on classes on biological techniques on topics such as: bacterial transformation, microscopy, synthetic biology, gel electrophoresis, and plasmid minipreps.4 These programs are designed to accommodate participants across a range of experience levels, from middle school students to professionals.5

For middle school students, SoundBio hosts the after-school program Life Science Explorers, in which participants learn molecular biology techniques through the collection and sequencing of moss samples gathered from their local environment.67 In partnership with the STEMTAC Foundation, SoundBio hosts the National Youth Laboratory Internship, an eight-week hybrid summer program for students ages 16-20 that provides practical research experience in microbiology, biochemistry, electronics, etc.89

The makerspace provides laboratory space, equipment access, biosafety oversight, and mentorship for high school students conducting independent research projects and science fair entries.10 Students from schools including The Overlake School, Roosevelt High School, Tesla STEM High School, and Mountlake Terrace High School have used SoundBio facilities for projects involving: plant genetics, bacterial quorum sensing, algal growth, antibiotic resistance, plant pigment production, etc. Several projects were conducted for competitions including the Central Sound Regional Science and Engineering Fair and the Washington State Science & Engineering Fair.1112

History

SoundBio Lab was founded on March 11, 2016 by Michal Galdzicki, Zach Mueller, and Regina Wu.1314 The idea for the makerspace originated in 2014, inspired by a podcast about the iGem competition. The co-founders met at the now-defunct HiveBio Community Laboratory.15

Previous community projects

Citizen Salmon

Citizen Salmon was a community science project led by Galdzicki, originating from HiveBio Community Laboratory, that used DNA testing and genotyping to identify the species and origin of store-bought salmon.16 The project explored methods for tracing salmon to their river of origin, with applications in seafood sourcing transparency and stability; it was presented at Biohack the Planet in 2016.1517

Kombucha Science

Kombucha Science was a collaborative community research project led by SoundBio Lab in partnership with Counter Culture Labs and Boslab.18 The project studied the microbial composition of kombucha using culturing, DNA barcoding, genome sequencing, and other microbiology techniques; It included community workshops where participants analyzed samples and discussed fermentation processes.19

OpenCovid19

On March 1, 2020, SoundBio co-founder Zach Mueller and Thomas Landrain of Just One Giant Lab launched the OpenCovid19 Initiative to develop and share open-source methods for detecting COVID-19.20 The initiative grew rapidly to tens of thousands of participants across more than 180 countries, producing over 90 projects, while SoundBio contributed within BSL-1 constraints using non-clinical materials.2122

Bionic Leaf

The Bionic Leaf project, led by Mark Minie, received $100,000 through the Amazon Catalyst program to develop open-source educational kits based on earlier Bionic Leaf research. It involved SoundBio co-founders, Michal Galdzicki and Zach Mueller, as well as University of Washington Professor Herbert Sauro, and SoundBio members.23

SoundBio Ignite Prize

As part of the 2026 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge, SoundBio awarded the Ignite Prize to team TPT-Finder for creating a handheld device that helps surgeons distinguish parathyroid tissue during thyroid surgery to prevent life-threatening complications. The prize was a free 6-month membership at SoundBio.2425

iGem

SoundBio previously hosted high school teams that participated in the annual iGEM competition.2627 From 2017 to 2019, SoundBio iGEM teams developed projects in environmental and biomedical synthetic biology, including engineering Escherichia coli to express PCB-degrading enzymes for pollutant breakdown,28 creating a synthetic biology-based alternative to the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate(LAL) endotoxin assay using Bacillus subtilis,29 and developing "Bacto-Basics" which explored engineered bacterial cellulose and optogenetic control of protein attachment for wound healing applications.30

Outreach

In 2017, SoundBio held a booth at MiniMaker Faire Seattle.31

From 2018 to 2020, SoundBio participated in a variety of STEM outreach events and workshops in the Greater Seattle Area and beyond, including collaborations with organizations and venues such as the Museum of Pop Culture(MoPOP), the Museum of History and Industry(MOHAI)32, Amazon's Women in Engineering Tech Expo, Juno Therapeutics & Celgene, the Pacific Science Center,33 and the Sammamish Library.34 These activities typically featured introductory biotechnology demonstrations and hands-on laboratory exercises such as pipetting and DNA extraction.

In 2019, SoundBio also engaged in broader educational and scientific outreach initiatives, including participation in the Interagency Modeling and Analysis group conference in Washington, D.C.,35 the global community Bio Summit hosted by the MIT Media Lab,3637 and university and youth-focused programs such as the University of Washington "Up Your Ave" orientation event and workshops for cub scouts.38

In 2025, SoundBio conducted additional workshops in collaboration with UW Riverways at South Shore K-8 and with Seattle Science Lab, including introductory molecular biology activities such as DNA extraction.3940

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Suozzo, Andrea; Glassford, Alec; Ngu, Ash; Roberts, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Soundbio Lab - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  2. "Community science: Not just a hobby". www.science.org. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  3. de Lange, Orlando; Dunn, Kellie; Peek, Nadya (29 April 2022). ""Short on time and big on ideas": Perspectives from Lab Members on DIYBio Work in Community Biolabs". Association for Computing Machinery – via Arxiv.
  4. "Workshops, Courses, and Events". SoundBio Lab. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. "Microscopy with SoundBio Lab|Iurbanteen org". Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  6. "Bagheri Lab | Outreach". bagherilab.com. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  7. "Life Science Explorers". SoundBio Lab. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  8. "National Youth Laboratory Internship". SoundBio Lab. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  9. "Stemtac Foundation | Other Programs and Services". Stemtac Foundation. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  10. "Senior Projects Like No Other". www.overlake.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  11. "SoundBio High School members participate in Science & Engineering Fairs - 2019". SoundBio Lab. 2019-05-16. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  12. "SoundBio: More than Just a Laboratory". SoundBio Lab. 2019-12-03. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  13. "Geeking out with a goal: Regina Wu brings Hutch research to classrooms". The Seattle Times. 2019-07-10. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  14. You, Weimu; Valkjärvi, Mira; Ofosu, George (13 June 2021). "What it takes to make it: profile and characteristics of DIY bio laboratory founders". Technology Analysis & Strategic Management: 6 – via UTUPub.
  15. "Seattle's only community lab puts a DIY spin on biotech". Cascade PBS. 2019-03-13. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  16. McGrane, Clare (2017-01-03). "New nonprofit lab SoundBio hopes to spark Seattle's DIY biology community". GeekWire. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  17. "2016 BioHTP Conference – CitizenSalmon". citizensalmon.org. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  18. "Kombucha Genomics". sphere.diybio.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  19. Powers, Zach (2023-07-05). "At SoundBio Lab, researchers can explore whatever quenches their curiosity". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  20. "JOGL launches a call to design an open source Covid-19 test". Makery. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  21. Kokshagina, Olga (23 March 2021). "Open Covid-19: Organizing an extreme crowdsourcing campaign to tackle grand challenges". R&D Management. 52 (2): 2 – via Wiley Online Library.
  22. Zulkefli, Khalisah; Tan, Jaymi; López-Vergès, Sandra; Malone, John; Kagansky, Alexander; Veerakumarasivam, Abhi; Kolodziejczyk, Bartlomiej (2 March 2022). "Empowering Do-it-yourself Biology by Doing-it-together: Collective Responsibility in Maximizing Benefit and Mitigating Risk". Leverhulme Centre For The Future of Intelligence: 4 – via Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository.
  23. McGrane, Clare (2017-02-23). "Bionic Leaf project that can 'make food out of thin air' receives $100,000 Amazon Catalyst grant". GeekWire. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  24. Entrepreneurship, Buerk Center for (2026-03-05). "2026 Hollomon Health Innovation Challenge Awards Give Life to Innovative Solutions". Foster School of Business. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  25. Schlosser, Kurt (2026-03-05). "University of Washington team working on CPR feedback device wins health innovation challenge". GeekWire. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
  26. Chappell, Callie R; Quiroz, Ana Paulina; Kong, David Sun; Endy, Drew (Summer 2025). "Creating a Popular Foundation for the Bio-Age". Issues in Science and Technology. 41 (4): 61 – via ProQuest.
  27. "Team:SoundBio/Project - 2019.igem.org". 2019.igem.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  28. "Team:iTesla-SoundBio - 2017.igem.org". 2017.igem.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  29. "Team:iTesla-SoundBio/Project Description - 2018.igem.org". 2018.igem.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  30. "Team:SoundBio/Project Description - 2019.igem.org". 2019.igem.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  31. "Seattle Mini Maker Faire at MoPop". Do206. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  32. "Maker Day: Painting with Bacteria". Museum of History & Industry. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  33. "Engineer It @ the Pacific Science Center!". SoundBio Lab. 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  34. "Sammamish Library Science Workshop". SoundBio Lab. 2020-02-11. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  35. "SoundBio travels to Washington, DC". SoundBio Lab. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  36. "Team:SoundBio/Team - 2019.igem.org". 2019.igem.org. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  37. "SoundBio attends Global Community Bio Summit". SoundBio Lab. 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  38. "Dawgs in the District — U District Partnership". U District Partnership. Archived from the original on 2019-11-12. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
  39. "2025 Outreach Events". SoundBio Lab. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  40. "Seattle Science Lab - Laboratory Visits". www.seattlesciencelab.org. Retrieved 2026-05-21.