Development of an Interdisciplinary Honors project based course Bio Art

Interdisciplinary undergraduate research is an important component of higher education. It involves integrating knowledge and methods from different disciplines. This approach enhances student learning, teaches them to solve complex problems, promotes collaborative skills, and prepares students for diverse careers and to tackle complex global social challenges. Here we discuss our exciting endeavor of developing and enhancing an interdisciplinary project-based course, Bio Art, at South Florida State College in which students learn to make unique art pieces using living bacterial cells by integrating principles of art, 3D printing, genetic engineering and digital photography. We also present the development of a sequel course to integrate entrepreneurship as an additional skill, which involves the principles of small business model based on student’s Bio Art.