"Designing Regenerative Bio-Digital Futures"

In light of current environmental crises, the emerging field of Biological Human-Computer Interaction (Bio-HCI) focuses on building deeper relationships between humans, computers, and biological systems. The resulting bio-digital technologies are unique in that they integrate biomaterials-materials grown and derived from biological sources that biodegrade naturally in the environment-as functional design elements. I will discuss several biomaterials that I often work with, including: microbial dyes derived from my microbiome that I implement as personalized, responsive, living interfaces; symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast (scoby) grown from kombucha that I utilized for biodegradable electronics and wearables; and 3D printable bio-pastes made primarily from local eggshell waste that I developed for digital fabrication. I not only use these biomaterial examples as seeds that highlight where Bio-HCI research can grow in the future but also present my broader vision for designing regenerative futures; radically sustainable futures in which ecological, sociocultural, and technological systems deeply entangle to foster planetary regeneration and flourishment. Fiona Bell is an Assistant Professor of Human-Centered Computing at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, directing the Entangled Ecologies Lab. With a Postdoctoral fellowship in Computer Science from the University of New Mexico, a PhD in Creative Technology and Design from the ATLAS Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University, her research intersects human-computer interaction, materials science, and biodesign. Drawing on these disciplines, she is at the forefront of the emerging field of Biological Human-Computer Interaction (Bio-HCI), where she develops novel biomaterials that integrate with digital technologies to create sustainable and responsive bio-digital interfaces. By bridging the biological and digital worlds, she strives to build regenerative futures for planetary flourishing. The talk will be held in Room A266 Bay 10 on the second floor of Smith Warehouse. Free and open to the public. Following the lecture, audience members are encouraged to visit the opening reception of "Disobedient Subjects: Bombay 1930 - 31" at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies at 1317 W. Pettigrew St.