[Plant-education] Classical genetics software

[Ben Adamczyk]

Dear Plant-ed folks,

I want to spread the word about a computer program I created called Classical Genetics Simulator (http://CGSlab.com) which can be used for teaching genetics.  It isn't specific to plants, but can be customized for a plant biology course.

Briefly, the software allows instructors to set up populations of Arabidopsis (or Drosophila or mouse) with various genetic properties (linked traits, codominance, lethality, etc to give a few examples).  Students can then log in to view the populations, perform test crosses, analyze the results, and reach conclusions about the heritable characteristics of a population.  The software is easy to use and runs in a web browser, so it can be used on PC's, Macs, and from outside the classroom if needed.  It is highly customizable, allowing an instructor to set specific criteria for the populations that the students encounter (phenotypes, mode of inheritance, linkage), or an instructor can opt to have the program randomly assign these genetic properties.   

So far it has been used primarily by two large undergraduate intro biology courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I've received a lot of positive feedback from instructors who have used it.  I want to make it available to other institutions who might be interested.  If you are interested in knowing more, or would like to see how the software has been used by courses on the UW-Madison campus, send me an email and I can send you additional information.  More can also be found at http://www.cgslab.com.

Thanks,
Ben Adamczyk
Botany Graduate Student
UW-Madison