Lab News

The Bio-adaptable Musculoskeletal Materials (Ba.M.M.) Lab at William & Mary opened its doors for Sci-Fri 2025, welcoming the community to explore the exciting intersection of biology, chemistry, and engineering in action. Located on the ground floor of ISC, visitors experienced live demonstrations of contact angle analysis, Cell-Ink 3D printing, and layer-by-layer extrusion, seeing firsthand how we develop adaptable scaffolds for tissue repair. Kids and their parents were captivated by the demonstrations, with children watching wide-eyed as the 3D printer brought digital designs to life layer by layer, while parents asked insightful questions about how these technologies could revolutionize medicine and help people heal from injuries. Families gathered around our stations, discussing everything from how materials interact with living cells to why personalized medicine matters, with many young visitors expressing excitement about future careers in science and engineering. Our students enthusiastically shared their research, explaining in accessible terms how we design materials that "listen" to the body and adapt to individual patients' needs, rather than using one-size-fits-all approaches. The event highlighted our mission: creating healing that is simple, bioadaptable, and provides more answers, healing tissues and bridging gaps. We also served ice cream to all our visitors, adding a sweet touch to an afternoon of scientific discovery! A big thank-you to everyone who stopped by, engaged with our demonstrations, and shared in the spirit of curiosity and discovery that makes Sci-Fri such a special community event.