Fungal Biomaterials and Biofabrication Workshop

The Fungal Biomaterials and Biofabrication Workshop is a Penn State event that will feature interdisciplinary presentations, panels, and discussion groups with the goal of initiating new research collaborations and initiatives on fungal biomaterials.
May 12-14, 2022
University Park, Pa
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Featured Speakers & Panelists

The Fungal Biomaterials and Biofabrication Workshop will feature experts from around the world, including from within academia as well as from industry.

Featured Speakers

Headshot of Elise Elsacker

Elise Elsacker

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Hub for Biotechnology in the Built Environment, Newcastle University

Headshot of James Lendemer

James Lendemer

Associate Curator of Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden

Headshot of Philip Ross

Philip Ross

Co-founder and CT, MycoWorks

Headshot of Lynn Rothschild

Lynn Rothschild

Senior Research Scientist, Bio and Bio-Inspired Technologies, Research and Technology Lead, NASA

Headshot of Thomas Speck

Thomas Speck

Professor, Botany: Functional Morphology and Biomimetics, Institute for Biology II, Director of the Botanic Garden, University of Freiburg

Speakers and Panelists

Rahman Azari

Associate Professor of Architecture, Director of RE2 Lab, Penn State

 

Sharifa Crandall

Assistant Professor of Soilborne Disease Dynamics and Management, Penn State
 
 

Felecia Davis

Associate Professor of Architecture, Director of SOFTLAB, Penn State
 
 

Juan Pablo Gevaudan

Assistant Professor of Architectural Engineering, Penn State
 
 

Esther Obonyo

Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering, Director of Global Building Network, Penn State
 
 

John Pecchia

Associate Research Professor of Mushroom Science and Technology, Director of Mushroom Research Center, Director of Mushroom Spawn Lab, Penn State
 
 

Juliana Vasco-Correa

Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Penn State
 
 

Josephine Wee

Assistant Professor of Food Science, Penn State

Agenda

Day 1 – May 12

  • 09:30 am – Welcome
  • 10:00 am – Featured Speaker: Elise Elsacker – “Towards Living and Self-Healing Fungal Materials”  
  • 11:00 am – Panel: “Sustainable Built Environment”
    • Panelists: Elise Elsacker, Esther Obonyo, Juan Pablo Gevaudan
    • Panel Chair: Benay Gürsoy

  • 12:00 pm – Lunch Break

  • 01:00 pm – Featured Speaker: Thomas Speck – “Plants and Fungi as Models and Building Materials for Bioinspired Architecture and Soft Machines”

  • 02:00 pm – Panel: “Structure, Performance, Processing in Fungal Biofabrication”
    • Panelists: Thomas Speck, Felecia Davis, Josephine Wee
    • Panel Chair: Zoubeida Ounaies

  • 03:00 pm – Coffee Break

  • 03:15 pm – Featured Speaker: James Lendemer – “Lichens: Keystone Fungal Symbionts and the Paradox of Anthropocene Resiliency”

  • 04:15 pm – Panel: “Fungi in Combination with Other Organisms for Multifunctional Material Systems”
    • Panelists: James Lendemer, Sharifa Crandall, John Pecchia
    • Panel Chair: Jennifer Macalady
  • 05:15 pm – Closing Comments
  • 05:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Graduate Student Poster Session + Reception

Day 2 – May 13

  • 09:00 am – Welcome
  • 09:30 am – Featured Speaker: Philip Ross – “Requirements for Mycotechnology Infrastructure”
  • 10:30 am – Panel: “Socio- and Technoeconomic Implications of Fungal Biomaterials”
    • Panelists: Philip Ross, Rahman Azari, Juliana Vasco-Correa
    • Panel Chair: Juan Pablo Gevaudan
  • 11:30 am – Featured Speaker: Lynn Rothschild – “Mycotecture Off Planet”

  • 12:30 pm – Lunch Break

  • 01:30 pm – Workshop topics presented; participants broken down into groups

  • 01:45 pm – Workshop sessions #01

  • 03:15 pm – Coffee Break

  • 03:30 pm – Workshop sessions #02

  • 05:00 pm – Coffee Break

  • 05:15 pm – Groups reunite; workshop leaders present the outcomes

  • 06:00 pm – Closing comments

Day 3 – May 14

  • Mushroom foraging