Mar 7, 2014

Prof. Oliver Medvedik, Cooper Union

Prof. Oliver Medvedik from The Cooper Union Frontpage: 
"Learn How to Sequence DNA in Less Than a Day" 

Though less well known than the four degree-granting engineering disciplines -- chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical -- bioengineering has a place at The Albert Nerken School of Engineering. The practice of applying engineering principles to the life sciences happens chiefly through the Maurice Kanbar Center for Biomedical Engineering and through the Sandholm Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology and Bioengineering, a two-year position currently held by Prof. Oliver Medvedik. A native of New York City, he co-founded Genspace, a non-profit biotechnology laboratory for classroom and public use. Now into his second semester, Prof. Medvedik has begun rounding up students to attend iGEM, an annual, national synthetic biology competition. We sat down with him for a chat about iGEM, Genspace, his ambitions during his time at Cooper and why the thought of bioengineered terrorism doesn't worry him...too much."