When brainstormiong topics for this week. I was particularly inspired for how universities use fraternities as a way to group, manage, an occasionally punish students. If someone get alcohol poisining at a party of friends, it is tough for the schools to address and correct the culture that led to that behavior; however, if someone gets alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party, the school is more easily able to target the culture responsible. Of course, fraternities/sororities are inherently problematic, but that idea of grouping BioHackers with personal labs so that they have a community that encourages best practices and condems unethical behavior seems interesting to me. I am a fan of DIY bio, but no Do-It-By-Yourself Bio. Community is so important in all science, so taking actions to make sure that community exists seems like a good place to start. So, below I propose a mandatory licensing of synthetic biologists, which means everyone working in synthetic biology must be trained with best practices, but also must be part of a regional community.
