Team:Alberta/Tour/software

Online Companion Software

Complimenting the physical GENOMIKON kit is an online software suite. Packaged together at [http://genomikon.ca GENOMIKON.ca] is:

• An electronic lab manual that guides users through experiments packaged with the kit, with the capacity for users to design their own experiments.
• An in silico plasmid design tool, where users can piece together plasmids by simply dragging parts together, while the software automatically generates a protocol for constructing that same plasmid with the kit.
• Informational materials including an encyclopedia and glossary of terms for molecular biology related topics.
• An online student and DYIbio community, where users can share and collaborate on experiments, while teachers can monitor their students' activities and progress.

The aim of the software suite is to empower students to go beyond the traditional "cookbook recipe" model of the high school science lab. Students are encouraged to experiment on their own, trying any number of possible plasmid construction combinations and genetic circuits in their own unique experiments.