Genspace and Assay Depot Announce Launch of Open Science Competition For Citizen Scientists and Bioartists

SAN DIEGO and BROOKLYN, N.Y., Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Assay Depot Inc. and Genspace today announced the launch of the Tri-State Open Science Challenge, a science competition open to citizen scientists and bioartists who want to translate their ideas into reality. Three projects will receive $5,000 in research funding and a one-year membership to Genspace, a community biotechnology laboratory located in Brooklyn, NY. One under-18 project will receive $1,000 in research funding.

One award will go to a bioartist who uses science to create works of art. Another award sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) will go to a project focused on biological or chemical detection. The third award is open to any proposal.

"Open Science is about lowering the barriers to scientific innovation," said Kevin Lustig, Assay Depot's CEO. "We need to empower both citizen and professional scientists to have any hope of tackling the enormous problems facing our planet today. We host these Open Science competitions in community laboratories around the world to make science accessible to everyone."

Applicants must submit a one to two page written proposal, a brief (less than five minutes) video or a five-slide presentation that explains their hypothesis and research plan. The competition will run from September 4 to October 19, 2012, and awards will be announced in November 2012. More info and submission guidelines are located at http://challenge.assaydepot.com/tri-state-open-science-challenge.

The Do-It-Yourself (DIY) biology movement has grown rapidly in the past two years, with community laboratories now open in eight major cities in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and France. Citizen scientists have become empowered in ways barely imaginable ten years ago. With crowdfunding websites, community labs, online research marketplaces, and free online publication channels, citizen scientists can now manage the full spectrum of drug discovery and development.     

"Both Genspace and Assay Depot are committed to the idea that science should not be limited to well-funded academic or industry researchers, but should be open to everyone to collaborate, identify and solve the many problems that concern us all," said Ellen Jorgensen, Genspace Founder. "We look forward to partnering with Assay Depot on this exciting new Open Science Challenge."

About Assay Depot

Assay Depot operates a network of online research marketplaces that empower scientists. By dramatically streamlining purchases between citizen and professional scientists and more than 8,000 global research suppliers, Assay Depot is changing the way life science research is done.

To learn more about Assay Depot's enterprise software, visit http://enterprise.assaydepot.com. To use our free public marketplace, visit http://www.assaydepot.com.

About Genspace

Genspace is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Since 2009 we have served the greater New York area by providing educational outreach, cultural events and a platform for science innovation at the grassroots level.

To learn more, visit Genspace's website at http://genspace.org/.

Media Contacts
Kim Richards: 619-708-4430, [email protected] 
Ellen Jorgensen: [email protected]

SOURCE Assay Depot