Info for Students

Some BioBuilderClub teams are incorporated into a high school biology, biotech, research, or other life science course. For these teams, students typically complete the majority of their project work during class hours (teams that are building or testing often spend additional time in the lab). 

For teams that are run as an after-school program or extracurricular activity, the time commitment varies based on the team's goals. Developing a solid biodesign is a good goal for a new team. These teams typically meet once a week for 1-2 hours, and students may contribute additional time with online research outside of meetings. Attending or viewing recordings of BioBuilderClub webinars is usually in addition to this group meeting time commitment. 

All teams participating in the Final Assembly will need to spend additional time preparing their short talks and poster presentations. Registered teams will receive detailed information on project deliverables and Final Assembly details so that they can plan in advance. 

All teams need an adult to register and supervise the team. For most teams, the supervising adult is a high school teacher. However, we do allow parents/guardians or other adults to serve as the supervisor if a team is highly motivated to participate but unable to recruit a teacher from their school. 

If you need assistance identifying a teacher who is interested in supervising, please feel free to share this website and resources with teachers or reach out to chloe@biobuilder.org for support. 

Please note that if your high school already has a school-affiliated BioBuilderClub team, then you may not start a team outside of your school. If you are unsure if your school has a team already, please reach out for assistance. 

Students do not need any prior lab experience or familiarity with synthetic biology and the biodesign process. Teams receive resources to study biodesign, and mentors support teams through the process. 

Students also do not need to have taken advanced biology or biotechnology courses. However, we find that students do best when they have a basic understanding of DNA as the coding language for cells. Having taken a 9th-grade or high school introductory biology course sets students up for success. 

All teams are eligible to be paired with a mentor once they have selected a project topic. Registered teams will receive a link to the Mentor Request Application, which helps us match teams with mentors based on topic, availability, and support needs. 

Each year, students consistently report that the highlight of their BioBuilderClub season is interacting with other teams at the Final Assemblies. We love to foster networking and collaboration between teams, so we encourage students to check out our dedicated Discord server and the BioBuilderClub subreddit. Registered students will receive access to both. 

Registered teams will receive access to our online BioBuilder textbook, the BioBuilderClub Handbook and online resource guide, our dedicated Discord server and BioBuilderClub subreddit, live and recorded webinars beginning in September, project guidance from an assigned volunteer mentor, support from BioBuilder's National Program Director, and an invitation to participate (plus presentation prep sessions to help you prepare) in one of our Final Assemblies.

Teams also receive coupons to purchase lab supplies from Carolina Biological Supply and access to select free reagents from New England BioLabs. Many teams go on to publish their work in BioTreks, the peer-reviewed journal for high school synthetic biology.

Students who are interested in entering their BioBuilderClub project into science fairs and other competitions are free to do so. Please familiarize yourself with the rules of the science fair or other competition so you adhere to any requirements regarding collaboration with other students and mentors.