Myco-Materials: An Investigation Into the Properties and Applications of Mycelium-based Composites Emaline Ouellette, Keira Reidy, Chase McDivitt, Nick Ascione, Nelson Mathis, Ryan Collins Advisors: Dorlan Curtis Jr., Gustav Wellin, Allan Jones Introduction Results Discussion Literature Cited Acknowledgements At The Island School, mycology-based research has focused on the cultivation of Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) to model sustainable agriculture and biomaterial production in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Due to large scale importation of food and goods, as well as agricultural residues, there are widely available substrates for mushroom production such as cardboard, banana straw, and coffee grounds. Mushrooms are a climate resilient food source as they can be grown indoors under controlled conditions (light, temperature, relative humidity), and are less impacted by drought or reduced rainfall. This research studied the ability of Phoenix Oyster mushrooms spawn myceliate various forms of locally available biomass in order to produce food and novel myco-materials. By varying substrate-fungi combinations, it resulted in different final material properties in the myco-composites. SPULP performance, as a myco-composite, under compression, flammability, and moisture retention tests show equal or superior results when compared to other myco-composites such as SBSTRW or COF. In the flammability tests, SCARD performed the best; it only lost 7 grams of mass after 120 seconds of exposure to flame. COF performance in moisture retention the best in water retention as it only absorbed about 25 grams of water. In compression tests, SPULP performed the best, experiencing zero displacement under Attias, N., & Danai, O., & Tarazi, E., & Idan, P., & Grobman, Y. J. (2019). Implementing bio-design tools to develop mycelium-based products. The Design Journal, 22(sup1), pp.1647-1657. Girometta, C., & Picco, A. M., & Baigeura, R. M., & Dondi, D., & Babbini, S., & Cartabia, M., & Pellegrini, M., & Savino, E. (2019). Physico-Mechanical and Thermodynamic Properties of Mycelium-Based Biocomposites: A Review. Sustainability, 11(281) Karana, E., Blauwhoff, D., Hultink, E. -J., & Camere, S. (2018). When the material grows: A case study on designing (with) mycelium-based materials. International Journal of Design, 12(2), 119-136. Tarko, D. B., & Sirna, A. M. (2018). Substrate optimization for cultivation of Pleurotus osteatus on lignocellulosic wastes (coffee, sawdust, and sugarcane bagasse) in Mizan- Tepi University, Tepi Campus, Tepi Town. Journal of Applied Biology & Biotechnology, Vol. 6(04), pp. 14-11) Dorlan Curtis Jr., Gustav Wellin, Allan Jones, Ruben Gomez, The Tingum, Chores Team, Alexis Saunders, The Farm Team, The Island School, CEI, The Ray Dalio Foundation The fundamental questions of this research project were what are the material properties of different substrate-fungi combinations and how can we utilize MDD to create furniture from mycelium-based composites? The research objectives are: 1) To pilot mycelium-based composite research utilizing locally available substrates 2) To produce novel and exotic materials for eco-conscious designers 3) To model sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture with cultivation of edible mushrooms. Research Rational Growing Myco-Composites and Edible Mushrooms Substrates were prepared and pasteurized in 80-100°C water for 60 minutes, and were then inoculated with 10% by weight (w/w) of Phoenix Oyster mushroom spawn and 5% w/w flour or cornstarch as a growth supplement. The inoculated substrates were mixed and packed into either fruiting bags, for edible mushroom cultivation, or a grow design mold for myco-composite production. The fruiting bags and grow molds were then incubated in the dark/low light and 65% relative humidity (RH) for 4-5 weeks to allow the mycelium to colonize the substrates. After the incubation period, the fruiting bags were placed in a fruiting chamber for 2-3 week