Open Doors, presented by BNY Mellon, is a monthly event series that allows you to experience the innovation happening in different corners of Boston. It’s an opportunity for you to learn and find inspiration in neighborhoods across this vibrant, buzzing city that can sometimes be tricky to navigate.

Kendall Square has been called the most innovative square-mile on earth. But how do you keep up with what’s going on? Enter: July Open Doors, presented by BNY Mellon.

We’re cracking open Kendall Square with an afternoon of programming that uncovers everything you ever wanted to know about Kendall — and nanotechnology, and women in STEM, and CRISPR, and molecular gastronomy — but were afraid to ask. Learn about the groundbreaking science that will shape the future that’s happening right now in our backyard and walk away with bite-sized nuggets of knowledge you can bring back to your daily life and conversations.

Whether you’re looking for a fun afternoon of science, hoping for an onramp to innovation, or wanting to connect with your neighboring pioneer, you’ll leave with solid takeaways to help you pursue (or spark) your passion — whether you come to work in Kendall every day, or will be visiting for the first time.

Feel free to join us for the full afternoon of programming or drop-in for one session.

An Afternoon at The Broad Institute | 4:00 - 6:00 PM

415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

Summer School Lightening Presentations

Broad Auditorium

Get a peek behind the curtain at the innovative, cutting-edge science being pursued in Kendall Square. Researchers, professors, and trailblazers will show and share their groundbreaking work to give you a clear understanding of these sometimes complex topics and their potential to shape our future. Featuring:

• Designing with Biology, Kit McDonnell of Ginkgo Bioworks. What is synthetic biology and isn't that an oxymoron? Kit will share research from the self-proclaimed "organism company" on how one manufactures organisms and engineers biology.

• Breaking Down the Divide Between Science and the Public, Fatima Husain, MIT Museum & Geobiology & Astrobiology researcher at Summons Lab, MIT. How do we even begin to understand all these new developments and innovations? Fatima will talk about getting a leg up on understanding science and research and her journey as a researcher and writer.

• Engineered Cell Commmunication, Derfogail Delcassian, MIT, Nottingham University & Harvard Medical School. Our bodies are filled with trillions of cells, each carrying out a specific function. How do we communicate with these tiny cells, and give them new instructions? Derfogail will describe how to make nano-sized materials that interact with individual cells, and can deliver instructions to change cell behavior.

• Sequencing the Stories of Ebola, Katherina Thomas, Journalist, Writer, Global Health reseracher, Sabeti Lab, Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT. During the 2013-16 West Africa Ebola outbreak, geneticists at the Broad Institute sequenced the Ebola genome while visiting writer-in-residence Katherina Thomas mapped the human stories behind the outbreak – following the stories of families, friends, and health workers, proving how connected we all are.

• Hybrid Living Materials, Rachel Soo Hoo Smith, PhD student, Mediated Matter Group, MIT Media Lab. What tools are currently available to create “hybrid living” or bio-hybrid materials—those that can be animated with biological functionalities of growth, biosynthesis, and cuing to the physical and chemical environment? Rachel proposes how an age of new materials can come about through the careful pairing of synthetic materials with natural processes, and explores the brand new application space that may ensue.

  

• Exploring the Smallest Scales with the World’s Biggest Science Experiments, Toyoko Orimoto, Assistant Professor of Physics, Northeastern University. What are the basic building blocks, or elementary particles, of nature? How do we use the world’s largest and highest energy particle accelerator to study these tiny particles? Orimoto will address these questions and others in this introduction to particle physics and the ground breaking experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Speed Mentoring - SOLD OUT

DNAtrium at Broad

Speed Mentoring is back! During one-on-one lightning chats, get answers to your burning questions about working in biology, tech, chemistry and more, from top researchers and entrepreneurs in the Kendall Square community. Mentors to be announced. Space is limited. Registrants will sign up for individual slots upon arrival.

• David Nuñez ┃ Director of Technology & Digital Strategy ┃ MIT Museum

• Ritu Raman | Postdoctoral Fellow, Langer Lab at MIT | Founder, Women in STEM Database at MIT (WiSDM)

• Mallori Upshaw | Life Science Consultant | Putnam Associates

• More to be announced!

Homeroom

DNAtrium at Broad

Take a break and hangout in the DNAtrium where you can check out vintage lab machines and tools, a phylogenetic mobile, breakout sessions with local innovators and more. Check out who's who in town like vegan helado artisans, Baravena.

Tour MIT.nano | 5:00 - 6:00 PM - SOLD OUT

All tours start at The Broad Institute, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

Tour this fascinating new space on MIT's campus — named 2019 Lab of the Year — where scientists study the teeny tiny in pursuit of big discoveries. Learn how MIT is encouraging nano research and what this revolutionary new knowledge means for everything from drug delivery to cloud computing to gaming technology. Tours will be led by MIT.nano Director, Vladimir Bulović and MIT.nano Communications Director, Tom Gearty.
Tours leave at 5:00 PM from the hub. Space is limited — max 40 people

Eat, Drink, & Get Connected at the Koch: A Meet-Up | 6:00 - 7:30 PM - Advance tickets are sold out, but first come first serve tickets will be available at the door on the night of the event

Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

Hosted by MIT Open Space Programming, join us for networking, drinks, and snacks in the Koch Institute’s beautiful public galleries. Meet new people, reconnect with friends and colleagues, and keep the art, science, and technology conversations going.