Bioworks Institute | Oliver Medvedik
Positioned at the confluence of art and science, Bioworks Institute are a tightly knit group of designers, artists and scientists who seek to develop new forms of biological products and designs using biotechnology. The skills and ideas each of us bring to this project will, we predict, synergize to produce a radical new architectural craft.
Dr. Medvedik earned his Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences program. As part of his doctoral work he has used single-celled budding yeast as a genetic system to map pathways that underlie the processes of aging in more complex organisms, such as humans.
International Society for Mushroom Science
The International Society for Mushroom Science (ISMS) seeks to further the cultivation of edible (including medicinal) macrofungi. It is non-political and non-profit making. The objectives of ISMS are the dissemination of information on new developments and the science of mushrooms and to stimulate exchange of new ideas between growers and scientists around the world. ISMS also publishes a newsletter, Mushrooms International four times a year. ISMS sponsors major international congress on mushrooms, which are held every 3-5 years. The upcoming one is in Beijing in 2012.
MAPS: Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
Not just related to mushrooms, but also to medical marijuana.
Founded in 1986, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization. MAPS functions as a non-profit pharmaceutical company working to make psychedelics and medical marijuana available to patients, physicians, and therapists on a legal, prescription, generic basis for public health benefits and health care cost savings.
MAPS seeks to bring an end to the fear and irrationality that have surrounded psychedelic and marijuana research for decades. Instead, MAPS commits to the systematic scientific evaluation of their risks and benefits as treatments for some of the most debilitating and hard-to-treat conditions.
OPEN Foundation
The OPEN Foundation is an interdisciplinary initiative that wants to stimulate research regarding all facets of the psychedelic experience. By organizing lectures, conferences and other informative meetings at universities, we hope to awaken the interest of future researchers. We want to spread honest information on both the potential and the risks of psychedelics, and hope to lessen the stigma that is still part of researching psychedelics. We also want to create a virtual meeting place for all students that are interested in doing research. This way, they can come together in research teams and help each other with writing research proposals. In short: we want to lower the threshold for researching - and applying - the psychedelic potential.
Evelyn went to a reception on September 6.
Terreform ONE | Mitchell Joachim
Terreform ONE (Open Network Ecology) is the official non-profit design group that promotes green design in cities. Through our creative projects and outreach efforts, we hope to illuminate the environmental possibilities of New York City and inspire solutions in areas like it around the world.
Mitchell Joachim, is a leader in ecological design and urbanism and co-founder at Planetary ONE and Terreform ONE. Mitchell is an Associate Professor at NYU and EGS in Switzerland.
Universiteit van Wageningen
Important and interesting contact, via Mark Janssen is Johan Baars: http://www.wewur.wur.nl/popups/vcard.aspx?id=baars005
I will contact him and see what he can do for / with us. (d.d. 9 September 2011)
Contacted him and heard back. Need a meeting before we can move forward (d.d. 12 September 2011)
Thom Kuyper: Professor, Fungal Ecology and Diversity
VU Medisch Centrum
Also a tip from Mark Janssen, Stephen Snelders used to work at Trimbos Institute and is now connected to the MetaMedica department of the VU. He's an expert on LSD and other hallucinogenic substances. http://www.metamedicavumc.nl/pers_stephen.html
I will also contact him and tell him about our project. (d.d. 9 September 2011)
Contacted him and heard back. Need a meeting before we can move forward (d.d. 12 September 2011)
Fungi Perfecti | Paul Stamets
Paul Stamets is an eminence in the mushroom cultivation field. He is an autonomous researcher and runs a company called Fungi Perfecti where he commercializes mushroom cultivation kits, tools and equipment for hobbyists and professionals. He has wrote many books on mushroom cultivation technology and their medicinal properties. Titles as "Psilocybe Mushrooms & Their Allies" (1982), The "Mushroom Cultivator: A Practical Guide to Growing Mushrooms at Home" (1984) or "Mycomedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms" (1999) are essential readings.