During the thesis, dinoflagellates were embedded in hydrogels to create living, responsive materials. The living dinoflagellates inside the material create a near-instantaneous, brilliant flash of blue light, when the material is touched or mechanically stressed.

These living hydrogels were also 3D printed into various geometries, which also exhibited a strong bioluminescent response to touch. Inspired by the bountiful oceans we were surrounded by in our lab, I chose to print shapes of gliding manta rays, corals, and turtles. Some of them can be seen below.