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Outreach, crowd-creation, creativity, and design: these are the tools of IdeaMosaic, one of the first startups incubated in Ryerson鈥檚 Science Discovery Zone. Created by Reeda Mahmood (Biomedical Science 鈥�17) and Nathan Battersby (Biology 鈥�17), IdeaMosaiac uses engaging and immersive education experiences to make science come alive.

鈥淭here are other companies around that do science engagement, and there are a lot of organizations that are currently pursuing the intersection between science and art,鈥� said Battersby, 鈥渂ut we haven鈥檛 found any other company that does creative science engagement using art, design, and crowd-creation in the way that IdeaMosaic does as installations and experiences.鈥�

Their initiatives so far have included , a science-in-a-bottle project, and , a 10-foot-long, interactive public display featuring questions related to science literacy. Prior to founding IdeaMosaic, Mahmood and Battersby collaborated on the Guinness World Record for . 鈥淥ur goal with this company is to have fun,鈥� said Battersby. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an avenue for Reeda and I to do what we love while making a difference in the world.鈥�

The latest addition to Ryerson鈥檚 network, the Science Discovery Zone is an interdisciplinary space that offers mentorship and incubation for science-based entrepreneurs. For Battersby, the zone has offered a valuable crash-course in business management. 鈥淲e had no experience in business鈥攏ever taken a class in business鈥攁nd to venture out and actually start a business, there was a lot that we had to learn. The zone has really helped us fill in the gaps on that side, as well as providing mentorship and putting us in touch with other science-based organizations.鈥�

鈥淚 think the biggest help has been learning to take something that鈥檚 a passion, and turning it into something that can be monetized鈥攖hat can be your career,鈥� said Mahmood. 鈥淎nd just having access to design fabrication resources, and being able to go into a lab when we need to is very helpful. We wouldn鈥檛 have access to this elsewhere.鈥�

For Mahmood, the zone鈥檚 mentorship mandate has helped ease her trajectory as a woman and person of colour in a largely male-dominated discipline. 鈥淲hen you go into a room and the first thought in your mind is, 鈥業鈥檓 the only person here who鈥檚 a woman of colour,鈥� then you feel very self-conscious,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here aren鈥檛 many women and people of colour in science, and while that鈥檚 definitely changing, it鈥檚 still an uphill battle. When I have meetings between Nathan and I, people go to Nathan first, even if it鈥檚 a project I鈥檓 responsible for.

鈥淭he way I deal with it is to do more and more projects, and with more and more mentorship, I think about it less and less,鈥� she continued. 鈥淢entors like Bryan Koivisto [director of the Zone] really support me, and the zone has connected us to mentors from organizations like Ontario Genomics. Being in touch with these people and getting support from them has really helped me not think about that as much. I realize I鈥檝e been lucky enough to have all these cool experiences, and I want to keep doing it.鈥�

For more information on IdeaMosaic, visit .