A promising source of renewable energy is biofuel produced by microalgae. However growing such algae commercially poses its own problems, including but not limited to: contamination, energy efficiency, strain improvement, and resource allocation. A potential solution to these issues is bioengineering microalgae to have higher lipid content, higher crop production, etc. One method of transforming the microalga species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is the glass bead method. While not as efficient as electroporation or bombardment, this procedure is more accessible to smaller labs with less resources. This study aimed to successfully transform wild type C. reinhardtii with a luciferase marker using the glass bead method. Cells that underwent transformation protocol were successfully grown on hygromycin B plates, however luminosity readings were inconclusive. The algal control recorded similar levels of luminescence as the transformed cells (~1000 μlm), however the lysis buffer control did not (~30 μlm). It is therefore unclear whether or not the transformation was successful, although the results suggest a possible potential or transformation of wild-type C. reinhardtii by the glass bead method.