Gigsaw – physical simulation of next generation sequencing for education and outreach

Authors

  • David Michael Alan Martin College of Life Sciences,University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14806/ej.18.1.499

Keywords:

genomics, bioinformatics, DNA sequencing, next-generation sequencing, training, education, public understanding of science

Abstract

Modern sequencing methodologies produce more data in one run than a human being can read in a lifetime. Understanding how such vast quantities of information can be marshalled, assembled and interpreted is a challenging task for students and experienced researchers; it is even more challenging to have to explain this to lay audiences. Abstract representations, such as graphs or algorithms, or practical exercises with ‘black-box’ software, are limited in cultivating understanding. Gigsaw provides a physical model of next-generation sequencing data that can be readily manipulated, and different algorithms/experiments investigated at benchtop level. It is flexible in application and inexpensive to produce for public-understanding-of-science exercises or undergraduate/postgraduate training. 

Availability: a Web server implementation of the Gigsaw software is freely available at http://www.compbio.dundee.ac.uk/gigsaw/ and provides the Gigsaw output as PDF aligned for double-sided printing. Source code is available upon request under an open-source license.

Author Biography

  • David Michael Alan Martin, College of Life Sciences,University of Dundee, Dow Street, Dundee
    Senior Bioinformatics Scientific Officer, Division of Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery

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Additional Files

Published

2012-06-28

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1

Section

Technical Notes

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