ARS | Publication request: The MaizeGDB Genome Browser Tutorial: One example of database outreach to biologists via video

Submitted to: Database: The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: April 15, 2011
Publication Date: May 9, 2011
Citation: Harper, E.C., Schaeffer, M.L., Thistle, J., Gardiner, J., Andorf, C.M., Campbell, D.A., Cannon, E.K., Braun, B.L., Birkett, S., Lawrence, C.J., Sen, T.Z. 2011. The MaizeGDB Genome Browser Tutorial: One example of database outreach to biologists via video. Database: The Journal of Biological Databases and Curation. DOI: 10.1093/database/bar016:1.

Interpretive Summary: The Maize Genetics and Genomics Database (MaizeGDB) stores data about the crop plant and research model Zea mays ssp. mays. Here we report how we generate and use video tutorials for community outreach and education. We present one case study on the MaizeGDB Genome Browser, which describes how the maize genome was sequenced and assembled as well as how the sequence can be visualized and interacted with via the MaizeGDB Genome Browser. All maize researchers and breeders can benefit from viewing this tutorial, as this is the only place where this information can be easily obtained. It is our goal to educate our user community on important events. The generation of the first maize reference genome sequence is certainly a seminal event, and this tutorial describes how it was done, by whom, and how to access the maize DNA sequence.

Technical Abstract: Video tutorials are an effective way for researchers to quickly learn how to use online tools offered by biological databases. At the Maize Genetics and Genomics Database (MaizeGDB), we have developed a number of video tutorials that aim to demonstrate how to use various tools as well as to explicitly outline caveats researchers should know to best understand how to use the information available to them. One such popular video currently available is the MaizeGDB Genome Browser Tutorial, which describes how the maize genome was sequenced and assembled as well as how the sequence can be visualized and interacted with via the MaizeGDB Genome Browser.