New nonprofit lab SoundBio hopes to spark Seattle’s DIY biology community

Clare McGrane | Geekwire | 3 January 2017

“Despite a vibrant maker culture, and one of the top biotech industries in the nation, Seattle has never had a strong DIYbio community — a loose movement of amateur and professional scientists, working on creative biology experiments.

But a group of DIY biologists is hoping to change that with SoundBio, a volunteer-run, nonprofit community lab opening in Seattle’s University District early this year. The lab will host DIYbio projects in its space, and run educational outreach programs around Washington state.”

Read more here.

 

UW Bothell video-game programming lab prepares grads for even non-computer jobs

Katherine Long | The Seattle Times |2 January 2017

“It’s a computer game populated by floating, light-beam-wielding monsters, but “Ghostlight Manor” has another purpose beyond entertainment: to help newly minted grads better prepare for their first job.

That’s the strategy behind the University of Washington Bothell’s Digital Future Lab, which runs a gaming studio as a novel way to get students ready for life after college.

It turns out that developing a computer game involves using a raft of skills also necessary in most offices today, said Jason Pace, the lab’s executive director and a former manager at Microsoft. Producing a game involves software development, creative and artistic skills, project management and marketing, to name a few.”

Read more here.

 

Bellevue’s growth surge shows no signs of stopping

Seattle Times Editorial Board | The Seattle Times | 1 January 2017

“ONE of the remarkable stories of 2016 was the continued growth of downtown Bellevue.

While Seattle’s Amazon-fueled construction boom drew most of the attention, Bellevue experienced it’s own surge of new office and apartment buildings.

This pattern, and Bellevue’s capacity to accommodate more of the region’s new jobs and residents, is an important consideration as growth policies evolve.

Bellevue is addressing this in part by updating plans for the downtown, Bel-Red and Wilburton areas.”

Read more here.

 

Can you hack? Here’s how to make a (legal) buck

Tim Johnson | The Seattle Times | 30 December 2016

“In the lingo of computer hacking, “black hat” hackers are the creeps. They steal your credit card data, hack into your email account, and take over your home router for malicious mayhem. Think Bonnie and Clyde.

Companies hate “black hat” hackers, worried that they will penetrate corporate servers and steal proprietary secrets or create turmoil.

But the global hacker community is big, and some companies are finding ways to appeal to hackers displaying certain qualities — curiosity, a tendency to want to break things apart, and a natural trespassing instinct — but without blatant outlaw practices.”

Read more here.

 

Dental ultrasound firm S-Ray expands in Seattle to prepare for acquisition or IPO

Coral Garnick | Puget Sound Business Journal |29 December 2016

“A biotech company working to replace the typical dental X-ray just opened an office in Seattle as it prepares for an acquisition or an IPO sometime in 2017.

S-Ray Inc. is developing its low-cost 3D imaging system with a patented ultrasound technology. The S-Ray system connects to a laptop or tablet and does everything an X-ray does using a simple mouthpiece that scans the teeth with ultrasound sensors rather than radiation and “bitewings” disliked by many patients.”

Read more here.

Check out S-Ray jobs here.