BioBuilder: Building Inclusive Pathways into the Bioeconomy

Description:
As the bioeconomy grows, so does the need for innovative and inclusive life science education. The BioBuilder Educational Foundation is a nonprofit founded at MIT that aims to meet this challenge by equipping high school students and teachers with engaging, project-based synthetic biology and biotechnology curricula. Since 2011, BioBuilder has reached over 87,000 students and teachers across 50 U.S. states and 80 countries.

This talk will explore how BioBuilder addresses key chokepoints in the education-to-workforce pipeline: increasing student engagement in science, supporting educators with high-quality resources, and building partnerships with industry and community colleges. Early data from longitudinal studies and program impact assessments will highlight BioBuilder’s scalable contributions to STEM learning and job readiness. Designed for educators, researchers, and students alike, this session offers a model for how biological engineering can be taught in ways that are both rigorous and inclusive—broadening participation in the workforce and empowering students to pursue meaningful, well-paying careers—with or without a traditional four-year degree.

Speakers:
Dr. Natalie Kuldell is a molecular biologist and educator who founded the BioBuilder Educational Foundation in 2011. BioBuilder has since provided STEM learning opportunities in 50 states and over 80 countries, reaching approximately 87,000 students, teachers, and industry professionals. In 2024, BioBuilder launched BioTechBuilder—a skills-based curriculum that earned the Educator’s Choice “Best of STEM” award for Career and Technical Education. BioBuilder’s kits are distributed by Carolina Biological Supply Company and are used by thousands of students each year. Its textbook, published by O’Reilly Media, has been translated into multiple languages, including Russian and Japanese. Dr. Kuldell holds a Chemistry degree from Cornell, a PhD and postdoc from Harvard Medical School, and was on the Wellesley College faculty before joining MIT’s Department of Biological Engineering in 2003. She is the recipient of the 2020 Margret and H.A. Rey Curiosity Award and the Million Women Mentors STEM Trailblazer Award.

Charlene (Char) Montgomery has spent most of her adult life in education, beginning as a swim instructor and homeschool teacher before becoming a full-time substitute while earning her master’s degree and multiple-subject teaching credential. What began as a plan to stay in elementary education evolved into a passion for teaching science—first at the middle school level and, for the past decade, in high school chemistry. Her love for the natural world, the art of teaching, and the joy of discovery continue to shape her classroom practice. She is new to both BioSTEM and Tennessee.