We are a new media company publishing websites that focus on energy, the environment and sustainable living. By leading the conversation about green issues, LiveOAK aims to advance the principles of sustainability by making them meaningful and accessible to a mainstream audience.
A fluorescent protein makes millions of bacterial cells blink in unison.
UC San Diego biologists and bioengineers continue to discover interesting uses for these winking microbes. Not just visually interesting, these altered bacteria could be used to detect environmental pollutants and organisms. A bacterial sensor capable of detecting arsenic has already been developed.
Karen MacKay is an industrial designer and glass artist currently focusing her work on urban agriculture solutions and habits for urban wildlife. Karen’s interest in art began as early as her first memories. Throughout high school and college she explored various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture and glass blowing. In 2002 Karen graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville with a BA in Philosophy and recently graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Master of Industrial Design. Since an early age, Karen has maintained a passionate relationship with both art and nature. She loves to spend time in the outdoors, usually with her dog Abbey. As a designer, her expertise in sustainable design integrates her passion for all things natural and her insatiable desire to create. Karen has worked as a sustainability consultant to various design and architecture firms and is currently continuing to develop a vertical farming device for in-home use.
Follow Karen MacKay on Twitter: 
