Research, Collaboration, and Open Science Using Web 2.0
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Authors:
Kevin Shee1,+,*,
Michael Strong2,3,+,*,
Nicholas J. Guido2,
Robert A. Lue1,
George M. Church2,
Alain Viel1
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Published 20 December 2010
- *Corresponding authors. Mailing addresses:1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 440 Winthrop Mail Center, Cambridge, MA 02138. Phone: (916) 294-5316. E-mail: [email protected]. 2Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Smith Building A656, 1400 Jackson St., Denver, CO 80206. Phone: (303) 270-2782. Fax: (303) 270-2136. E-mail: [email protected].
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+ These authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
- Copyright © 2010 American Society for Microbiology
Abstract:
There is little doubt that the Internet has transformed the world in which we live. Information that was once archived in bricks and mortar libraries is now only a click away, and people across the globe have become connected in a manner inconceivable only 20 years ago. Although many scientists and educators have embraced the Internet as an invaluable tool for research, education and data sharing, some have been somewhat slower to take full advantage of emerging Web 2.0 technologies. Here we discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating Web 2.0 applications into undergraduate research and education programs, based on our experience utilizing these technologies in a summer undergraduate research program in synthetic biology at Harvard University. We discuss the use of applications including wiki-based documentation, digital brainstorming, and open data sharing via the Web, to facilitate the educational aspects and collaborative progress of undergraduate research projects. We hope to inspire others to integrate these technologies into their own coursework or research projects.
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Abstract:
There is little doubt that the Internet has transformed the world in which we live. Information that was once archived in bricks and mortar libraries is now only a click away, and people across the globe have become connected in a manner inconceivable only 20 years ago. Although many scientists and educators have embraced the Internet as an invaluable tool for research, education and data sharing, some have been somewhat slower to take full advantage of emerging Web 2.0 technologies. Here we discuss the benefits and challenges of integrating Web 2.0 applications into undergraduate research and education programs, based on our experience utilizing these technologies in a summer undergraduate research program in synthetic biology at Harvard University. We discuss the use of applications including wiki-based documentation, digital brainstorming, and open data sharing via the Web, to facilitate the educational aspects and collaborative progress of undergraduate research projects. We hope to inspire others to integrate these technologies into their own coursework or research projects.

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Author and Article Information
-
Published 20 December 2010
- *Corresponding authors. Mailing addresses:1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, 440 Winthrop Mail Center, Cambridge, MA 02138. Phone: (916) 294-5316. E-mail: [email protected]. 2Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Smith Building A656, 1400 Jackson St., Denver, CO 80206. Phone: (303) 270-2782. Fax: (303) 270-2136. E-mail: [email protected].
-
+ These authors contributed equally to this manuscript.
- Copyright © 2010 American Society for Microbiology
Figures
Virtual brainstorming sessions. (A) An example of the shared electronic notebook page used by the students for brainstorming summer project ideas. This method of online brainstorming complemented in-person brainstorming sessions and allowed the students to document, discuss and archive project ideas leading to the formulation of the summer project. (B) A portion of the source code for the brainstorming page is shown to demonstrate the intuitive nature of wiki code. Students can include hyperlinks to relevant websites, images and other e-notebook pages in a user-friendly manner using the wiki.

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FIGURE 1
Virtual brainstorming sessions. (A) An example of the shared electronic notebook page used by the students for brainstorming summer project ideas. This method of online brainstorming complemented in-person brainstorming sessions and allowed the students to document, discuss and archive project ideas leading to the formulation of the summer project. (B) A portion of the source code for the brainstorming page is shown to demonstrate the intuitive nature of wiki code. Students can include hyperlinks to relevant websites, images and other e-notebook pages in a user-friendly manner using the wiki.
The lab wiki. Our wiki contains student-contributed information including laboratory protocols, reagents used, gene sequence information, literature references, student presentations, digital pictures, primary data and archives of virtual brainstorming sessions (http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2007).

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FIGURE 2
The lab wiki. Our wiki contains student-contributed information including laboratory protocols, reagents used, gene sequence information, literature references, student presentations, digital pictures, primary data and archives of virtual brainstorming sessions (http://openwetware.org/wiki/IGEM:Harvard/2007).
The electronic open notebook. (A) An example of a page from the electronic notebook relating to work performed on bacterial targeting. The wiki-based electronic lab notebook contains protocols, data, results, discussions and hyperlinks to other relevant experimental information including (B) sequence information and (C) gel electrophoresis results.

Click to view
FIGURE 3
The electronic open notebook. (A) An example of a page from the electronic notebook relating to work performed on bacterial targeting. The wiki-based electronic lab notebook contains protocols, data, results, discussions and hyperlinks to other relevant experimental information including (B) sequence information and (C) gel electrophoresis results.