Team:Wellesley HCI/Notebook/KaraNotebook

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Wellesley HCI iGEM Team: Kara's Notebook

Kara's Notebook


Contents

Introduction (May 29 - June 2)

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Summary
  • Introduction to HCI
  • Microsoft Surface programming tutorial
  • ELN research
To do
  • Finishing ELN research
  • Information workflow research

The first foray into human-computer interaction! We started with a basic introduction to the concepts of HCI research and the lab's particular goals and projects. Also included were the subteams our labs were divided into - I ended up in the Information Workflow and eLab Notebook groups, but my team members were to arrive next week. Still, since it was just the inofmration-gathering phase at the moment, being able to communicate via email was more than enough.

But before I started with workflow and ELN research, Consuelo sat me down in front of Samsung surface and gave me a thick Surface-programming training manual to work on. It was my first contact with XML and C# - they reminded me a lot of HTML and CSS/JS, though, but that does make sense. It was an interesting experience to dissect the logic in the code I was instructed to write and see familiar patterns in it.

Once that was done (which was a shame), it was time to start researching the ELN. We had a number of preliminary readings to do, which covered the current state of commercial ELNs to new and dramatically different implementations of the technology. It was quite a large volume of information to process, but it's exciting to see that technology in labs is a lot closer to the futuristic equipment shown in the media than I'd previously thought.

Team research (June 3 - June 9)

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Summary
  • Big idea 1
  • Big idea 2
  • Big idea 3
To do
  • To do 1
  • To do 2
  • To do 3

04Jun 2012

Went to MS NERD for a workshop on Windows 8

  • Introduced to Windows Metro and apps
  • Demo for Windows 8 on the Slate tablet
    • How they utilized many different possibilities for touch, like the picture password and gestures from sides and corners having different functions
    • Metro homepage provided a central hub for many different apps - like using FB or WordPress without being explicitly on, able to access just from the People app
    • Apps also updated with live tiles, badges, and toast popups
      • Something similar for the ELNs to streamline access to streams of information (machines, materials management, reminders, timers) and live updating through the cloud
      • Also helps with communication and collaboration between scientists if could use cloud to do both in real time
    • Split-screen view: applications for collaboration? A large window for the shared presentation and a personal dock on the side, for bi-directional file exchange
    • Visual Studio and Blend changes: most importantly, multiplatform support thanks to ability to write in HTML5 and JS
      • Relevant to last year: people asked why they couldn't have the ELN on so-and-so mobile device; may help with interactions with the tabletop surfaces for presentations

05Jun 2012

MIT synthetic bio bootcamp

  • Started the day with an intro to synthetic biology: how it merges biology and engineering, what tools and concepts both bring to the table to build cells/machines
    • Concrete examples provided with examples of past iGem projects, including the 2006 MIT team's Eau d'Coli
      • Interesting to see how they used abstraction to design their system, then delved into the physical parts (genes) and interesting to see a logic gate represented with DNA
  • Second half was wetlab for appreciation for the difficulties encountered during labwork, and to see where paper notebooks are lacking
      • Transformed E. coli K12 using E. chromi color plasmids
      • Measured the effect of modulating expression (e.g. promoters and RBSs of varying binding affinity)
        • Use of concepts (e.g. ß-galactosidase catalyzes splitting of ONPG into yellow product) to quantify efficiency of each system

06Jun 2012

  • Putting together preliminary presentation for Orit and Consuelo's feedback
  • Building on our existing research and new directions to take:
    • Troubleshooting phase of Build step/cycle as a target for software tools: research approaches and thought processes, how to support existing methods
    • Look up paper of the DIYBio DIS'12 workshop
    • Investigate existing software tools for each step of the information workflow, esp. previous iGem entries
    • Focus less on current state of ELN technology and more on avenues of innovation for small academic labs (current market for regulated commercial labs staffed with professionals)
    • Survey professors on campus as part of expert input step in gathering project requirements and specs (UCD)

Brainstorming (June 10 - June 16)

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Summary
  • Big idea 1
  • Big idea 2
  • Big idea 3
To do
  • To do 1
  • To do 2
  • To do 3

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The first steps of design (June 17 - June 23)

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Summary
  • Big idea 1
  • Big idea 2
  • Big idea 3
To do
  • To do 1
  • To do 2
  • To do 3

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