Advisor: Ryan Gregory [1], Integrative Biology

Proposed computational advisor: Stefan Kremer [2]

The amount of DNA in one copy of the nuclear genome – i.e., genome size – varies more than 7,000-fold among animals. At ~3 billion base pairs, the human genome is quite average in size for a mammal, and there are many organisms with far more DNA – for example, some salamanders have 40x more DNA in their chromosomes than we do. Genome size does not correlate with the number of protein-coding genes or the complexity of the organism, but it is strongly linked to cell size and cell division rate and correlates with traits such as body size, metabolic rate, and developmental rate.

The Animal Genome Size Database [3] was created in 2001 and contains genome size estimates for more than 6,500 species of animals. It has been cited in well over 1,000 publications. This project will involve a re-design of the database website to include more advanced search and data analysis tools and improved capacity for connecting to large-scale genome sequencing initiatives. The project will involve gaining skills and experience in web programming, databasing, and statistical analysis and visualization.

This can be a one-semester or two-semester project.

Knowledge/Skills

Skills in and/or willingness to learn web programming, databasing, statistical analysis, data visualization