Our research examines public participation in science, low-cost, DIY (Do It Yourself) fabrication techniques, and socio-technical systems for community knowledge sharing and civic engagement.

Interactive Materials
Interactive MaterialsWe study DIY fabrication techniques for making, reconfiguring, and appropriating systems for scientific inquiry. Our work includes screenprinting techniques to create new interactive and smart materials and 3D printing with materials such as food, ceramics, and glass.
Biology Beyond Professional Settings
Biology Beyond Professional Settings Our team of biologists, designers, and engineers are studying DIYbio (Do It Yourself Biology) as a subdomain within the maker movement. Our projects include open science hardware tools for DIYbio and bioart classes and workshops to support public engagement with science.
Extreme Heat
Extreme HeatPhoenix is one of the hottest locations on earth, and it presents a testbed for understanding and addressing climate change. Our work examines adaptation and mitigation strategies for resilience in the face of extreme heat thermal-sensing tools to understand the impact of heat on local communities.
Open Science Hardware
Open Science HardwareWe are developing low-cost tools for performing biology outside of professional settings to support public engagement with science.
Food as a Platform for Everyday Science
Food as a Platform for Everyday ScienceWe are studying practices that counter mass-production and engage with concepts from microbiology, botany, biology, chemistry, and food science. Our projects include solar cooking as creative engagement with food science and climate change, and studies of community food science practices such as fermenting, brewing, pickling, foraging, or dumpster diving.
Antibiotic-Responsive Bioart
Antibiotic-Responsive BioartCombining practices from biology, fine arts, and digital media design, we developed a course where students creatively “painted” with bacteria and antibiotic substances, digitally designed stencils from the resulting petri dish images, and screenprinted them onto physical artifacts.

Recent publications

Jennifer Weiler, Todd Ingalls, Stacey Kuznetsov. Lithobox: Exploring Hybrid Crafting Practices through a Collaboration Across Digital Fabrication and Fine Arts. Forthcoming in Leonardo, Volume 54 Issue 5.

Fernando, Piyum and Stacey Kuznetsov. OScH in the wild: dissemination of open science hardware and implications for HCI. CHI 2020 (24.31% acceptance rate)

Stacey Kuznetsov, Cassandra Barrett, Piyum Fernando, Kat Fowler. Antibiotic-Responsive Bioart: Exploring DIYbio as a Design Studio Practice. ACM CHI 2018 (25.7% acceptance rate)

Stacey Kuznetsov, Martin Tomitsch. A study of urban heat: understanding the challenges and opportunities for addressing wicked problems in HCI. ACM CHI 2018  (25.7% acceptance rate)

Piyum Fernando, Jennifer Weiler, Stacey Kuznetsov, Pavan Turaga. Tracking, Animating, and 3D Printing Elements of the Fine Arts Freehand Drawing Process. ACM TEI Arts Track 2018 (33% acceptance rate).

Upcoming events

Design a Dream Future
A workshop led by Alejandra Rodriguez Vega on Friday, October 1, 11am