Eric Millikin, May 2026
SECTION 1: ABSTRACT: Large-format Animated Opentrons Art
The idea here is to create large-format and animated Opentrons art mosaics, by developing my lab automation and fluorescent bacteria skills to the point where I can create larger format artwork from multiple petri dishes. Shown above is my design featuring rotating DNA strands in seven petri dishes of Opentrons agar art. My art/design here emphasizes the colors that show up best in fluorescent bacteria art; for example, green, red, and blue. My main synthetic biology challenges are 1) Can I create new custom colors biodesigned by me, based on existing mScarlet? and 2) Can I design fluorescent proteins with hidden DNA messages from my ancestors?