Digital Resources

A suite of free digital and online activities developed at HudsonAlpha

HudsonAlpha iCell®  

Why use flat images from a textbook when you can explore cell structure in 3D? HudsonAlpha iCell, one of Apple’s featured biology apps on the iTunes® Education market, allows students to explore representative plant, animal and bacteria cells with vivid 3D models. iCell is available on multiple platforms and has been downloaded over 3 million times around the world. Download iCell on your Apple® or Android® device, to your Windows 8® tablet, as a Mac® or Windows® program or visit icell.hudsonalpha.org

The Progress of Science™

The Progress of Science is an online timeline that details over 200 major accomplishments and milestones in genetics and biotechnology during the past 10,000 years. The digital timeline is an interactive navigation tool that offers details on each major event and links out to other online resources where available. The timeline is frequently updated, keeping the content current for classroom discovery. Access the Progress of Science timeline at timeline.hudsonalpha.org.

GenomeCache®

Build your own genome, or walk ours! GenomeCache® combines the challenge of a scavenger hunt with the human genome. It allows anyone to create up to 20 walkable paths that explore the human genome with over 150 challenging questions, a leaderboard and themed paths. The digital activity combines clues, fun facts and trivia questions to create an engaging learning experience. Download GenomeCache at Apple®Google Play or at genomecache.hudsonalpha.org.

Touching Triton®   

With this engaging online interactive game, participants work together to ensure the health and safety of a deep space crew while learning about the genetics of common disease. Touching Triton teaches the complexity of common disease risk from family history, environment and individual genomic profiles. Players begin to understand how genetics and lifestyle choices affect their health. Visit triton.hudsonalpha.org to play.

*Touching Triton was made possible through funding from NIH Grant Number 8R25 0D018981-02, Lockheed Martin and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

FILTERED – a digital game to save the world

The HudsonAlpha Educational Outreach team has developed a learning tool to introduce students to bioinformatics and infectious diseases. FILTERED gives students an experience that mirrors real life to demonstrate the tools of the rapidly expanding field of bioinformatics – the science of collecting and analyzing complex biological data – and how it will help define the future of science. Set against the backdrop of a fictitious global pandemic, FILTERED employs comic book-style graphics and multi-level puzzles to simulate the application of computational tools in analyzing DNA sequences and solving biological problems. Filtered takes students on a journey of discovery as they are charged with researching the pandemic outbreak of a mysterious, fictional infectious disease. They’re asked to use a simulated bioinformatics program to compare genetic sequences of viruses to determine the ancestral origin of this novel and deadly pathogen.

The free, web version of this educational activity is available at https://www.hudsonalpha.org/filtered/. You can play as an individual (Guest mode), or educators can integrate the game into their classes. A Teacher Portal is available for instructors to monitor student progress.

When prompted for a password, individuals should type “Guest”. Educators can set up a private classroom in the Teacher Portal with a unique password.

FILTERED represents an innovative approach to bioinformatics education that shows promise in enhancing student understanding of key concepts. The game’s engaging nature and effectiveness in knowledge transfer provide a solid foundation for introducing bioinformatics concepts to students. As the demand for bioinformatics skills grows, tools like FILTERED will play an increasingly important role in preparing the next generation of computational biologists.

*The development of Filtered is made possible through funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Science Education Partnership Award number R25GM129867. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.