[DIYbio] New

OK be gentle with me. I'm brand new. I live in I am a mature student (aged 44) studying for a degree in cellular and molecular biology in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. I have been interested in science and technology since I was a very young boy, but for various reasons (family/work) etc. never really got around to applying myself to a formal pursuit of science until quite late in my life.

Anyway it seems to me if/when I complete my degree that the opportunities for middle aged newly qualified biologists is likely to be rather limited, particularly if I am interested in any sense in being at the bleeding edge of research. I have long read about the Open Biology movement, and to my eyes in a great many ways this is the bleeding edge. An attempt to bring biology and make it accessible to the masses is a deeply noble aspiration I feel. College professors spend too long isolated in their comfortable crystal towers. However due to having been intensely busy for this last 2 years I have not been able to delve into the topic in significant depth.

My initial response in finding this forum (and any other resources that users here might care to recommend?) is one of both astonishment and enthusiasm. I feel it is astonishing how far this community and this movement have developed and can't imagine why I have waited so long to explore it.

However, I have hit something of a small snag. I enjoyed hugely reading about the DIY projects available on the DIYbio web site. I initially set out and found this list because I had been vaguely contemplating for some time building my own PCR thermal cycler. However lacking sufficient knowledge and experience to do so, I concluded that it was likely someone had probably already beaten me to it - and that they might have plans. Unfortunately while this has proved to be the case, all of the DIY equipment projects I have come across so far seem to require access to a laser cutter and/or a 3D printer.

This seems to rather go against the spirit of 'democratizing biology', as very few ordinary people are likely to have access to these resources. Indeed as I live in a small city centre apartment close to my University, these resources are likely to be forever beyond my grasp. We do have a Maker Space in Newcastle and they do have a laser cutter and a number of 3D printers. But the laser cutter is very jealously guarded by those few members who paid for and bought it - and the 3D printers are in general all the property of individual members. The attitude appears to be 'if you want to use a 3D printer, you should probably make one.' There may be some merit in this argument, but really what I want to do is learn about biology, so this seems like a bit of a side issue for now.

I am also almost certain I must be the only person in this entire city who is interested in, or even remotely aware of these topics. I would love to be proved wrong however. But my question is, how do I get my hands on the relevant parts for any of these DIYbio projects without needing a laser cutter and a 3D printer?

I know some folks here might ask why don't I just use the lab equipment at my university? Unfortunately as an undergraduate I am not presently granted the luxury of just messing around in a lab and doing what I want - and in any case, the point in building stuff from the ground up is to better understand how they work, so I can build on that experience in the future.

Anyway sorry for the slightly long intro. As a side note I am also desperate for any spare lab equipment I can get my hands on, as I am archetypal penniless starving student and the prospect of being able to find the money to set up my own small domestic lab seems daunting. So if anyone has anything going spare they can share or give me please feel free to get in touch privately. In any case I hope I can play a very small part in this vast and exciting revolution.