Biotechnology, Mycelium Materials & The "Art, Science, Society Triad" | Prof. Vera Meyer

Ep. 136:

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the privilege of interviewing Professor Vera Meyer from the Technical University of Berlin. Professor Meyer’s career has seen her as a visiting scientist to the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London (2003) and to the department of Fungal Genetics and Metabolomics at Leiden University in the Netherlands (2005 - 2006). In 2008, Professor Meyer was appointed assistant professor for Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology at Leiden University, a position she held for three years. Since 2011, she has been professor at the Institute of Biotechnology and head of its department for Applied and Molecular Microbiology at the Technical University of Berlin. Her scientific work in the field of fungal biotechnology has been published in more than 100 publications. Vera also works as a visual artist, using the pseudonym V. meer. She puts a strong emphasis on sculpting and creating objects from chance finds like forest mushrooms, decaying wood and scrap metal. Inspired by her scientific work with fungi in microbiology, she combines these materials in the sense of a found object. Through her artwork, she wants to enhance the awareness for fungi and their potential in biotechnology and for a sustainable bioeconomy in general.

TOPICS COVERED:

Childhood Fascination with the Invisible
Fungal Biotechnology
Seeing Fungi as Friends and as Foes
Importance of Multi-Disciplinary Approach
Open Science Movement
Aspergillus niger, Citric Acid and the Origins of Modern Biotechnology
Primary and Secondary Metabolism
Modulating Metabolic Processes of Aspergillus in Making Products
Synthetic Biology
BioReactor Cultivation & Ecology of a BioReactor
Mycelium Materials
Building a Mycelium Materials Database
Transdisciplinary Collaboration
Reconciling Biotechnology with Conservation and the Precautionary Principle

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Vera Meyer Academic Page @ TU Berlin: https://www.tu.berlin/en/vcard/vera.meyer
Vera Meyer Art (V.Meer): https://www.v-meer.de/
Vera Meyer IG: https://instagram.com/v.meer_/
Art Lab Berlin: https://artlaboratory-berlin.org/de/forschung/mind-the-fungi/
TU Berlin - Natural Building Lab: https://www.nbl.berlin/
"Beauty of the Morbid" Article: https://fungalbiolbiotech.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40694-016-0028-4
Aspergillus niger: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillus_niger
Fomes fomentarius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fomes_fomentarius
Macrolepiota procera (AKA Parasol Mushroom): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota_procera