The UC Davis Eco Materials Library and CoSEP have partnered with Autodesk and California College of the Arts on the Pioneering Biomaterials exhibition. Eco material samples made by Professor Beth Ferguson, Assistant Professor Akshita Sivakumar, graduate student Diego Martinez Fernandez del Castillo, and alumni Eldy Lázaro and Alejandra Ruiz will be on display at the CCA Campus Gallery until Feb. 14.

Pioneering Biomaterials: Academia and Industry Convergence
Location: California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Symposium: Feb. 13-14, 2025, exhibition: Jan. 22- Feb. 14, 2025

The Eco Materials Library at the UC Davis Department of Design is a collaborative project created to increase awareness around DIY opensource eco material recipes. The project has a custom label system that features categories such as fungal, animal-based, mineral, microbial, plant-based, and recycled materials. The labels have icons that inform students if the material can be composted, locally sourced, laser cut or recycled. The project is constantly evolving with new sample contributions and collected from material innovators.

The selection of samples shared in the Pioneering Biomaterials exhibition are made from food scraps (eggshells, banana peels, pistachio shells), agave fiber, cactus pulp, kombucha SCOBY, mycelium, hemp, and cochineal dye. The shared recipes use binders like agar-agar (seaweed) or gelatin to suspend the ingredients into a flexible leather.

Professor Ferguson has set up a materials research lab with bio ingredients, a food dehydrator, a mycelium drying oven, and an industrial blender for innovative material experimentation with her students. Reducing reliance on plastic begins with increasing awareness and education, as well as providing better alternatives. Smith and Lázaro have helped develop the project scope, Makerspace display and label system.