About Bench
Bench is named after the lab bench - the place where scientists do actual experiments, make real discoveries, and learn things nobody knows yet.
The philosophy
Every class at Bench is a working project. You don't watch someone code - you code. You don't read about Docker - you build containers. The class content lives in open-source GitHub repositories that you can fork, modify, and reference forever.
Classes are demand-driven: you sign up for what interests you, and when enough people want it, it runs. Small groups (max 30), live sessions, real interaction. Not a 500-person webinar.
The instructor
Dr. George Perdrizet
PhD, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
I spent years working at the bench in research labs, then taught chemistry at the college level, most recently at the University of San Francisco. That experience taught me that the only way to really understand something is to do it with your hands. Reading about an experiment and running one are completely different things.
That same principle drives how I teach technical skills now as an AI/ML instructor. Whether it's containerization, machine learning, or software engineering - you learn by building, not by watching.
How it works
- Browse - find a class that interests you
- Join - sign up for the interest list (free, no commitment)
- Wait - when enough people want the class, it gets scheduled
- Build - attend the live session and work through real projects
- Keep - the class repo is yours to reference and build on