GSoC

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Welcome to the Genome Informatics GSoC

“Google Summer of Code (GSoC) is a global program that offers student developers stipends to write code for various open source software projects. We have worked with several open source, free software, and technology-related groups to identify and fund several projects over a three month period. Since its inception in 2005, the program has brought together over 4,500 students and more than more than 4,000 mentors & co-mentors from over 85 countries worldwide, all for the love of code. Through Google Summer of Code, accepted student applicants are paired with a mentor or mentors from the participating projects, thus gaining exposure to real-world software development scenarios and the opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits. In turn, the participating projects are able to more easily identify and bring in new developers. Best of all, more source code is created and released for the use and benefit of all.”

GSoC has several goals:

  • get more open source code created and released for the benefit of all
  • inspire young developers to begin participating in open source development
  • help open source projects identify and bring in new developers and committers
  • provide students the opportunity to do work related to their academic pursuits during the summer
  • give students more exposure to real-world software development scenarios.

Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

About Genome Informatics GSoC

The Genome Infomatics group is organizing the joint efforts of WormBase, Reactome, and GBrowse (see below). This is a great opportunity for students to contribute to the work of three different bioinformatics projects.

Wormbase is an online bioinformatics database of the biology and genome of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans and related nematodes. It is used by the C. elegans research community both as an information resource and as a mode to publish and distribute their results. The database is constantly updated and new versions are released on a monthly basis. WormBase is a collaboration among the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Washington University in St. Louis, and the California Institute of Technology. Links: Website.

Reactome is a manually curated database of core pathways and reactions in human biology that functions as a data mining resource and electronic textbook. The Reactome data model describes diverse processes in the human system, including the pathways of intermediary metabolism, regulatory pathways, signal transduction, and high-level processes, such as the cell cycle. Reactome software uses only freely available (and often open source) components and has been created with cross-platform compatibility and wide usability in mind. Data is stored in a MySQL database, the web site is implemented in Perl and data entry tool in Java programming language. The Reactome team is composed of individuals who are both biologists and programmers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, New York University Langone Medical Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and The European Bioinformatics Institute. Links: Website, ReactomeWiki .

Generic Model Organism Database (GMOD) is an open source project to develop a complete set of software for creating and administering a model organism database. Components of this project include genome visualization and editing tools, literature curation tools, a robust database schema, biological ontology tools, and a set of standard operating procedures. This project is collaboration of several database projects, including WormBase, FlyBase, Mouse Genome Informatics, Gramene, the Rat Genome Database, TAIR, EcoCyc, and the Saccharomyces Genome Database. Links: Website, GMOD Blog

Contact Us

  • Email: robin.haw[AT]oicr.on.ca - contact me to find out more about a project or your potential mentor(s).
  • Discussion mailing lists: Genome Informatics Google Groups - ask about our projects; join the community!

How to apply

We would like to know who you are and how you think. Incorporate the following into your application:

  • Your information
    • Name, email, and website (optional)
  • Brief background: education and relevant work experience
  • Your programming interests and strengths
    • What are your languages of choice?
    • Any prior experience with open source development?
    • Your interest and background in biology or bioinformatics
    • Any prior exposure to biology or bioinformatics?
  • Your ideas for a project (an original idea or one expanded from our Ideas Page)
    • Provide as much detail as possible
    • Strong applicants include an implementation plan and timeline (hint!)
    • Refer to and link to other projects or products that illustrate your ideas
    • Identify possible hurdles and questions that will require more research/planning
  • What can you bring to the team?

Guidelines and Advice

Project Ideas

As we are developing new features for WormBase, Reactome and GBrowse, we are exploring a number of areas ideal for Google Summer of Code students. These projects include a broad set of skills, technologies and domains, such as GUIs, database integration and algorithms. You are also encouraged to propose your own ideas related to our projects. If you have strong computer skills and have an interest in biology or bioinformatics, then you should apply!

IDEA 1: Original Idea

Feel free to propose your own idea. As long as it relates to one of our projects, we will give it serious consideration. Creativity and self-motivation are great traits for open source programmers, but make sure your proposal is also relevant.

IDEA 2: Export Reactome layout in BioPAX

Create an XML file format for visualization based on Reactome pathway diagrams for BioPAX level 2 and 3 exports, and a Java applet or Web Start visualization tool based on our curator tool to display this format.

Language and Skills: XML. Java
Idea by: Guanming Wu
Potential Mentors: Guanming Wu

IDEA 3: HTML 5 canvas based visualization tool

To display Reactome's Functional Interaction network and query. A tool should be supported by HTML 5 compliant browsers, and should be compatible with iPad or other types of tablets. The whole ideas are based on these two canvas based web applications: LucidChart and HTML 5 canvas painting. We will develop it based on GWT and GWT canvas for easy management and flexibility.

Language and Skills: HTML5
Idea by: Guanming Wu
Potential Mentors: Guanming Wu and David Croft

IDEA 4: Cytoscape Web based visualization tool

This would reuse server-side code to replace the Reactome pathway browser.

Language and Skills: GWT
Idea by: David Croft
Potential Mentors: David Croft and Guanming Wu

IDEA 5: Pathway Summary visualization tool

Provides a user with an overview of all of the pathways in Reactome, able to show expression and species comparison information in a multi-pathway context.

Language and Skills: GWT
Idea by: David Croft
Potential Mentors: David Croft

IDEA 6: Reactome RESTful API

Language and Skills:RESTful
Idea by: Guanming Wu
Potential Mentors: Guanming Wu

Resources

For Students
For Mentors