Growing Mycelium in the Classroom and Making Stuff With It - Biofabrication

BIOCRAFTERS!

Explore the emerging field of biomaterials hands-on by growing mushroom mycelium, harvesting the biomass, and making things with it.

Growing mycelium is an excellent introduction to biomaterials because it grows quickly and students can use the stiff foam-like material for take home crafts. The dried mycelium can be sawed, drilled, laser etched, glued, dyed, painted, or sealed.

Great project for Biology classes (growth parameters of fungi, cellular respiration), but tangents other STEM subjects (making skills, graphing data, design, etc.).

Students will:

Understand the needs and growth parameters of fungi.
Grow the mycelium
Harvest the biomass and make beautiful or functional things
Record and analyze data
Discuss environmental impact of biomaterials

Supplies

SUPPLIES

(1) Isopropyl Alcohol 70% [Amazon]

(1) Spray bottle for alcohol [Amazon]

(2 pair per student) Disposable gloves [Amazon]

(1 per student) Safety Goggles [Amazon]

(1-2 rolls) Paper Towels [Amazon]

(1 per student) Molds made from plastic containers, plastic bags, waxed cardboard, silicone, or purchase molds [Amazon]

(1 roll) Plastic cling wrap (might not need it, depends on molds) [Amazon]

(1 per mold) Rubber bands (or masking tape) to hold on plastic wrap [Amazon]

(1 bag per 4-6 students) GIY Material from Grow.bio [sign up for teacher discount!] (Each bag makes ~.9 Gallon of material. Measure your molds using a water displacement method)

(1/2 c per bag of GIY) Flour (Can use gluten free flour or maltodextrin to avoid allergies) [Amazon]

(2 per bag of GIY) Binder clips / Chip clips [Amazon]

(3 cups per bag ) Water, filtered, distilled, or "spring" (no chlorinated tap water)

TOOLS

(1) Scissors [Amazon]

(1) Tablespoon measuring spoon [Amazon]

(1) Spoon for stirring (maybe measure can do both)

(1) Measuring cup for liquids (1 cup or larger) [Amazon]

(1) large bowl or bucket (clean!) [Amazon]

OPTIONAL

(Several) Drying racks [Amazon]

(1) Dehydrator or oven, if you are in a very humid climate [Amazon]

LESSON PLANS

Teacher Guide

Intro to Fungi

Fungi Lifecycle

Step 1: Clean Clean Clean

Put on Safety Goggles! I'm a professional and I have gotten all kinds of chemicals in my eyes because I thought "I'll just carefully spray here..." *Splatter Hits Eyes* "ARRRGH...@#%&!"... and so on. Wear them.
Fill spray bottle with the rubbing alcohol.
Wash your hands
Wear gloves
Spray alcohol to clean your tools and workspace to prevent mold or other competing organisms from getting into your culture
Spray your gloved hands, rub together, and dry with a clean paper towel

Step 2: Mix Up the Growing Media

Cut open the bag of GIY Material above the filter.
Measure 3 cups of water
Mix 4 Tablespoons of flour into the water and stir
Pour the flour water mixture into the GIY Material bag
Roll down the top of the bag 3 times and seal it with clips or tape. Leave the filter uncovered so it can breathe.
Shake the bag while holding the sealed top to keep it closed. Shake until everything is well mixed and there are no dry spots.

Step 3: Wait Wait Wait

Mycelium wants to grow at room temperature (~72 F) in a "shady" spot, with no direct sunlight. On a shelf away from windows, or in a closet, or in a cabinet will work.
Wait 4-5 days. Look at the bag for signs of growth. Mycelium will grow as white patches
When it is covered in white mycelium, it is ready to pack into the molds.

Step 4: What the Heck... Hyphae?

Mycelium will "eat" the flour and grow root-like hyphae. As these individual

white strands grow and intertwine, they bind together the particles of the growing media.

Step 5: Molds

Setup the molds or forms you will use to shape your mycelium.

For this Instructable we will use existing plastic containers, trays, or silicone molds, but you can also make molds from waxed cardboard.

Spray with alcohol to clean. Wait a full minute and wipe dry with paper towels. Let dry thoroughly before Step 6.

Step 6: Pack the Molds

Wash your hands
Spray alcohol to clean your tools and workspace to prevent mold or other competing organisms from getting into your project.
Wear gloves
Spray your gloved hands, rub together, and dry with a clean paper towel
Open the grow bag and dump the mycelium into the large bowl or bucket.
Mix in 4 Tablespoons of flour. Mix it really good so the flour is well distributed and there are no large clumps. use your gloved hands.

Step 7: Seal Up Molds

Step 8: Waiting...again

We wait for the mycelium to grow until it looks white all over the surface. You can watch this excellent 2 minute video for an overview of the technical properties and uses of mushroom mycelium for biofabricating useful items:

YouTube (Ecovative)

https://youtu.be/t1UjGTnWGYU?si=ZgzY2JHKQniOaQSj

Step 9: Careers in Biomaterials and Biofabrication

There is so much exciting work to be done!

Not just for scientists and engineers, but also artists, product designers, fashion designers, chefs, nutritionists, wildlife advocates, farmers, architects, and builders. Diverse career opportunities in biomaterials and biofabrication spread across disciplines, disrupting industries and driving innovation in ways that once seemed like science fiction:

3D printing living tissue constructs and growing pharmaceuticals
Artists crafting living, interactive installations.
Product designers creating eco-friendly products, sustainable textiles.
Growing electronic devices.
Farmers growing biofuel from waste.
Growing unique culinary ingredients or nutritious superfoods
Growing safer pest control for agriculture
Building healthy "living" buildings.
Navigating the complex ethics surrounding the production and use of biofabricated entities.
Optimizing growth processes by analyzing bioinformatics data.
Cleaning up environmental disasters.

Sound interesting?