SBOL Blog Post - SBOLinside Episode 1

content/blog/sbolinside-episode1/index.md

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+---
+title: "SBOLinside: Episode 1 with Prof. Herbert Sauro"
+date: 2026-08-14
+authors: ["prashant-vaidyanathan", "erik-kubaczka"]
+tags: ["synthetic biology", "SBOL", "SBOLinside"]
+summary: "Go inside the genesis of the Synthetic Biology Open Language standard with Prof. Herbert Sauro in our inaugural video podcast episode."
+featured: false
+image:
+  caption: ""
+  focal_point: ""
+---
+
+{{< youtube N_Doh0nssWU >}}
+
+We are incredibly excited to announce that the very first episode of our brand-new video podcast, **SBOLinside**, is now live!
+
+## Episode 1: How Did SBOL Start?
+
+For our inaugural episode, host **Eric Kubaczka** sits down with **Prof. Herbert Sauro** from the University of Washington. As the first chair of SBOL and one of the leading forces in its creation, Herbert shares the fascinating origin story of the standard.
+
+Here is a brief sneak peek of what to expect in this episode:
+
+* **The Spark:** Herbert takes us back to the early 2000s, when groundbreaking papers like the *repressillator* and *bistable switch* proved that biological systems could be built from design.
+
+* **From PoBoL to SBOL:** Learn how the standard was originally named **PoBoL**, short for Provisional BioBrick Language and picked partly because it sounds like the Welsh word for people, before Prof. Drew Endy suggested the name **SBOL**.
+* **The first workshop:** Hear how a crucial Microsoft grant funded the very first workshop in Seattle, bringing together 40 enthusiastic young scientists to thrash out what would become the first SBOL draft.
+* **The vision:** Herbert explains his original vision for SBOL-inspired by his hobby of building electronic circuits. He envisioned a future where a biologist could design a genetic circuit on a computer (CAD) using SBOL, send it to a company, and receive the physical culture or plasmid in the mail a week later.
+* **Hurdles & Triumphs:** Herbert candidly discusses the early challenges of standard funding in the US and the importance of giving young scientists responsibility to build long-term project stability.
+
+## Watch Now!
+
+You can watch the full interview along with all our videos on our [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@syntheticbiologyopenlangua6204). 
+
+Don't forget to follow us on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/sbol/) and check back on our [blog](https://sbolstandard.org/blog/) for future updates!
+
+***
+ Stay tuned for more episodes of #SBOLinside!