Twelve-plus guided projects across three modules — each one building on the last. Module 1 gets the machine running. Module 2 makes the fungus respond. Module 3 makes original bio-art and explains the AI behind it.
Assemble, calibrate, and understand your laser printer — then run your first print.
Identify every component, understand its function, and plan the build sequence. Skill: systems thinking.
Assemble the two-axis frame and mount the stepper motors. Run a manual axis test in the software. Skill: mechanical assembly, CNC basics.
Mount the laser head, connect to the controller, and calibrate focus and alignment on paper. Skill: optics, precision, safety protocol.
Connect to the software, run a test pattern, and verify each axis and laser response. Skill: hardware/software communication, debugging.
Understand Mucor — its growth, its response to light, and how to control it.
Mix, pour, and set agar plates with sterile technique. Inoculate with Mucor spores and observe the first 24 hours. Skill: lab technique, sterile procedure.
Track fungal spread with daily photos and the time-lapse feature. Plot a growth curve and identify variables that affect it. Skill: data collection, graphing.
Use the laser at low power on an uninoculated zone and measure the inhibition boundary. Determine the minimum effective exposure. Skill: controlled experiment, cause & effect.
Print a simple shape (square, circle) and observe whether the fungus respects the laser boundary. Iterate on exposure settings. Skill: iteration, scientific method.
Use the full software system, understand the AI simulator, and create original bio-art.
Use the design canvas to create a custom shape. Compare the software's growth simulation to your real fungal results. Skill: computational design, model vs. reality.
Learn how the neural cellular automaton in the simulator was trained. Tweak growth and decay parameters; observe how the simulated output changes. Skill: AI literacy, parameter sensitivity.
Design your initials, generate the laser path, print, and grow. Document the result against the simulation. Skill: design iteration, communication.
Design, predict, print, and grow an original work. Document process and results, present to peers or publish online. Skill: synthesis, creative & scientific communication.
By the capstone, a learner has built a machine, cultivated an organism, and used software to make them cooperate. That's a research loop — the same one the original paper describes.
Full lesson plans, group challenge modes, and assessment rubrics for running Mycelian Micro in a classroom or after-school setting.
The full digital curriculum is included with every kit and updates for free as we add projects.
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