Community Enrichment Laboratory for Learning Sciences - CELLS

08/21/2026

🧬 OPEN REGISTRATION IS HERE! 🧪
Give your student hands-on Chemistry and Biology as Technology programs at CELLS!

Operating directly out of the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc., Frederick's top technology startup incubator, our volunteer run, nonprofit community lab gives students ages 5 to adult authentic wet-lab experience through classes, open lab hours, and independent research mentorship. Under the guidance of experts providing safety oversight, participants don't just observe cool demos, they practice using real-world tools like micropipettes, PCR, gel electrophoresis, and complete real chemistry and biotechnology experiments.

Fall 2026 Programs Starting Sept 1:
🔬 Elementary Chemistry (Grades 2–5)
🧪 Middle School Chemistry (Grades 5–8)
🧫 Jr. BioFUNdamentals (Ages 8–12)
🧬 BioFUNdamentals (Ages 13+ / High School Advanced Bio track)

👇 How to Register:
1️⃣ Browse our course details and schedule
2️⃣ Create an account on our Online Member Portal
3️⃣ Select your weekly cohort and confirm your spot!
🔗Links in the comments section

08/07/2026

Ready to go beyond basic kits and experience real modern, hands-on labs and learning? 🧬

At CELLS (Frederick, MD), we give students hands-on access to advanced lab equipment, modern, safe reagents, and cutting-edge biofabrication projects—all backed by PhD-level supervision and rigorous safety standards.

Whether your child is fascinated by living materials or preparing for serious scientific pursuits, our structured weekly classes offer a true maker-mindset experience grounded in real science.

Want to know more about our upcoming Fall & Spring programs, flexible co-op membership tiers, or capped family rates? Join our upcoming Virtual Q&A to meet our founder and main instructor, explore our curriculum, and see if CELLS is the right fit for your family!

Virtual Open House & Q&A and Online Portal Demo
🗓 August 17th, 2026 7:00 - 8:30 PM
💻 Where: Online
🎟 Cost: Free (RSVP Required)
👇 Check the comments for the RSVP link!

07/02/2026

Big news! 🎉 We are incredibly honored to receive a grant from TEDCO through the 2026 Maryland Makerspace Initiative Program.

This funding will directly support our upcoming program, CELLS Matter: BioFabricating For The Future, bringing biofabrication resources and hands-on training to our community.

A massive thank you to our incredible partner and host, Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc., for their unwavering support and for providing the perfect launchpad for this initiative. 🤝✨

We’re proud to represent Frederick County alongside an amazing cohort of MakerSpace innovators statewide. The future of bio-innovation is bright! 🧫🌱

Check out the official announcement below:
https://www.tedcomd.com/news-events/press-releases/2026/tedco-awards-more-753000-2026-maryland-makerspace-initiative

17 projects were chosen for the 2026 awards

05/23/2026

🎨 The first batch of results are in form our Engineering Microbial Factories sessions, and they are absolutely gorgeous! 🎨

Check out these 🌈 Petri dishes with colorful engineered E. coli from our Jr and Sr BioFUNdamentals students!

They successfully made the bacteria produce 9 different colors, and yes, some of them even glow under UV light! ✨

Our young scientists were thrilled by how easy and fun the process was. They can't wait for the next step: using these colorful, living bacteria to bio-print their own custom canvas art! 🖼️🚀

We still have a few flexible spots open for this Saturday's Teens Class!

Missed our Engineering Microbial Factories class?
No problem at all—we made plenty of colorful cultures to share! You can join at any lesson, pay per class, and no prior lab experience is needed. We set everyone up for success whenever they join!

👉 Secure your spot by visiting our calendar (link in comments).

05/20/2026

Over the last two weeks in our BioFUNdamentals Microbial Factories Unit, students learned all about microorganisms and how to work safely with them in the lab. This week, the real magic is happening: they are engineering living microbial "factories" to produce vibrant pigments, which they will use to bio-print custom designs onto canvas (pictures coming soon)! 🎨🦠🧪

This unit highlights the power of biology as technology for the future of sustainable bio-manufacturing and bio-fabrication. 🌎🌱

🚀 Want to join the fun? We have a couple spots OPEN for Jr BioFUNdamentals (ages 7-12) on Wednesday at 1pm and Saturday in BioFUNdamentals (ages 13+) Spots fill up fast! 5 of our sessions are already full! Secure a spot today to dive into hands-on FUN with Biology!

05/14/2026

It is so cool to see Hood College doing the SuperTaster lab with their sophomore college students—because our own participants just tackled the exact same lab at the end of April!

​We completed this fun, high-level experiment with 30 students (aged 7–16) and two adults. While the SuperTaster lab is a staple of university-level biology (like the BIOL 203 course at Hood), our participants proved that when you give kids the right tools, they are more than capable of grasping university-level concepts.

​From paper testing to genetic analysis, our students didn't just learn about science; they did science. They engaged with real molecular biology tools and performed genetic analysis on their own DNA! It was especially rewarding to watch our sibling groups compare their genotype results to make inferences about the genotypes of their parents.

​A huge shoutout to all our young scientists in training for bringing their A-game and crushing their BioFUNdamentals Molecular Machines Unit Capstone Experiment! 🧬🧪

05/03/2026

A new, exciting Unit of our BioFUNdamentals program is beginning at the CELLS BioMakerSpace: Microbial Factories.

The Mission: Programming Living Organisms for Sustainability

Whether your child is a returning student or a curious newcomer ready to dive into the world of biology as technology, our next unit, Microbial Factories, is a great place to start.

In this unit, we are stepping out of the theoretical and into the BioMakerSpace Studio. Students will become "Bio-Designers," learning how to program tiny, living organisms to manufacture sustainable products. Our goal? To solve one of the world's biggest pollution problems: Textile Dyes.

New to the Lab? No problem! We start from the ground up, teaching everything from lab safety to working with microorganisms.

What’s happening in the BioMakerSpace over the next 6 weeks starting the week of May 4th:

Week 1 (May 4th - May 10th): 🔬 Discovery: Dive into pond water to meet the microscopic world

Week 2: 🧤 Personal and Environmental Safety: Master safety techniques used in real labs.

Week 3: 🧬 Programming Life: Insert DNA "blueprints" into bacteria to turn them into living color-factories.

Week 4: 🎨 The Master Palette: Harvest and isolate the brightest, most vibrant bio-ink colonies.

Week 5: 🖌️ Bio-Art Studio: Use your living ink to "paint" designs on agar.

Week 6: 🖼️ The Future of Fashion: Use your microbial art for bio-printing to see how biology can replace toxic chemical dyes!

Why Bio-Manufacturing?

Today’s students are the engineers of tomorrow. By the end of this 6-week journey, your child will take home a custom artwork that wasn't just painted, it was grown. They will see firsthand how biotechnology can create a cleaner, greener planet.

Join us at the CELLS BioMakerSpace to program living organisms to manufacture sustainable pigments and grow art that protects our planet!

Students work in a real laboratory designed specifically for education and citizen science projects with student and environmental safety as our top priority!

The link to our calendar for available times and registration is in the 1st comment!

⚠️ Classes are small (4-6 students) and fill up quickly!

We can’t wait to see what your Bio-Designer will create!

04/18/2026

We are thrilled to share that CELLS has been awarded the Catalyst for Change micro-grant by Women in Bio Capital Region! This funding will directly support our project:

"HERStory in The Making: Early Exposure to Biology as Technology."

​Because of this support, we are providing:
💲5 Full Financial Aid Scholarships 🎓
👩‍🔬For girls in 5th-12th grade with demonstrated financial need
🏫To attend one of our 6-8 week classes at the CELLS BioMakerSpace

​By removing financial barriers, we are ensuring these young girls can walk into a real lab and realize that biology isn't just a subject, it’s a technology they can use to change the world. These scholarships ensure they have the tools to start writing their own "HERstory."

​Thank you to the organizers and the generous sponsors of the micro-grant: 8 Count Cosmetics, EmpowerBio, and Theresa Cassino, for believing in our vision to make biology as technology accessible to all! And thank you to our partner Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc. for hosting the CELLS BioMakerSpace Lab!

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04/15/2026

✂️ Ever heard of "Molecular Scissors"? 🧬
​This week at the CELLS BioMakerSpace, our students are exploring how microorganisms use these "scissors" to defend against viruses and how scientists use that same technology to "cut and paste" DNA to engineer with Biology.

​🧪 From Genotype to Phenotype
​The journey doesn't stop there! In our next two classes, students will apply these techniques to test their own DNA. The mission? To discover if they possess the "Super Taster" gene! 👅✨

​🛡️ The Dedicated Lab Advantage
​When you learn with us, you’re in a space built specifically for you. Our programs are led by professional scientists with deep expertise in biosafety and chemical safety. The CELLS programs use a dedicated educational lab, not a shared industrial lab that may allow the use of hazardous chemicals and high-risk organisms. We focus exclusively on education and low-risk community science, providing a professional environment and equipment while eliminating the risks associated with industrial research.

​📅 Join the Discovery!
​When: This Saturday @ 9:00 AM (recommended age 7-12 years old)
​Where: CELLS BioMakerSpace
​How: Register now to secure your spot! ​🔗 Registration link in the comments below!

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04/09/2026

Join us in the lab for a hands-on mission where you take the lead as a molecular biologist!

The Mission: Solve the DNA Mystery
The lead scientist at CELLS has a problem: the tube labels got smudged, and we don't know which tube has our engineered DNA molecules. We need your help to figure out which tube is which!

In this class, you will:

Use "Molecular Scissors": Discover how bacteria naturally fight off viruses and how scientists "borrowed" this system to cut and paste DNA and to check the identity of DNA molecules.

Run a Gel Electrophoresis: Use the power of electricity to push DNA through a gel, separating the cut DNA pieces to reveal their sizes.

Crack the Code: Analyze your results to re-label the tubes and save the experiment!

Why Join?
This isn't just a lecture. You’ll use the same tools and techniques used by scientists in real biotech labs to engineer the future. You’ll learn in a dedicated educational lab specifically designed for student success, offering a safe environment that avoids the risks of shared commercial lab spaces that allow industrial work with hazardous chemicals and microorganisms. Our space is exclusively used for our educational programs, ensuring a safe, secure environment for every young scientist.

Spaces are limited (4-6 students per class) and fill up quickly!

BioFUNdamentals (13+, basic chemistry knowledge recommended)
Tuesday 4/14 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Tuesday 4/14 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 4/14 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Jr BioFUNdamentals (7-12, no chemistry knowledge)
Wednesday 4/15 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (full)
Wednesday 4/15 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Wednesday 4/15 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (full)
Wednesday 4/15 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday 4/18 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (full)

Location: The CELLS BioMakerSpace Lab at the Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc.
4539 Metropolitan Ct, Frederick, MD 21704