Cs Portal > List of citizen science projects > Fold It - (2013/12/20)
THIS PAGE DESCRIBE A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
Start date : 2008/05/08
- Beta start date : 2008/12/12
- End date : Still open.
⇳ Description
Fold It is a computer game enabling volonteers to contribute to biochemistry research by resolving proteins puzzles. The game is part of an experimental research project, and is developed by the University of Washington's Center for Game Science in collaboration with the UW Department of Biochemistry.
➠ Purpose
Identify the structural configuration of natural proteins to study and understand proteins better.
? Research question
"As described above, knowing the structure of a protein is key to understanding how it works and to targeting it with drugs. A small protein can consist of 100 amino acids, while some human proteins can be huge (1000 amino acids). The number of different ways even a small protein can fold is astronomical because there are so many degrees of freedom." from official project website
MAIN TEAM LOCATION
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University of Washington
CONTRIBUTION TYPE: data analysis
PARTICIPATION TYPOLOGY: distributed intelligence
GAMING GENRE Puzzle
GAMING ELEMENTS: NONE
◉ Tasks description
⤯ Interaction with objects
▣ Interface
- Data type to manipulate: 3D manipulation
- interface enjoyment: somewhat cool/attractive
- Interface usability:
GUIDANCE
- Tutorial: ✓
- Peer to peer guidance: ✓
- Training sequence: Somewhat
FEEDBACK ON
- Individual performance: ✓
- Collective performance: ✓
- Research progress: Somewhat
❂ Feedback and guidance description
COMMUNITY TOOLS
- Communication: website, blog, forum, wiki, other
- Social Network: Twitter, Facebook
- Member profiles:: minimal
- Member profile elements: photo, personal interests, badges, activity metrics, other
⏣ Community description
- Community size (volounteers based) 6398
- Role:
- Interaction form: Blog Comments and Twitter
- Has official community manager(s): maybe
- Has team work yes
- Other: Forum fairly active.
- Community led additions:
Other information
1 PROJECT
Url:http://fold.it/portal/
Start date: 2008/05/08
End date: Still open
2 TEAM
Official team page:http://fold.it/portal/info/credits
Leader: David Baker
Institution: University of Washington's Center for Game Science
Partner institutions: UW Department of Biochemistry, UW Center for Game Science, UW Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Contact: http://fold.it/portal/feedback or https://twitter.com/foldit
Main location: University of Washington
3 PROJECT DEFINITION
3.1 Subject
Natural sciences > Biochemistry (biology/medicine/neuroscience)
3.2 Description
Fold It is a computer game enabling volonteers to contribute to biochemistry research by resolving proteins puzzles. The game is part of an experimental research project, and is developed by the University of Washington's Center for Game Science in collaboration with the UW Department of Biochemistry.
3.3 Purpose.
Identify the structural configuration of natural proteins to study and understand proteins better.
3.4 Research question.
"As described above, knowing the structure of a protein is key to understanding how it works and to targeting it with drugs. A small protein can consist of 100 amino acids, while some human proteins can be huge (1000 amino acids). The number of different ways even a small protein can fold is astronomical because there are so many degrees of freedom." from official project website
4 ABOUT PARTICIPANT TASKS
4.1 .
4.2 .
| Grey typology |
Participation typology |
Contribution type: |
|
|
| Computing: |
NO |
Thinking: |
NO |
| Sensing: |
NO |
Gaming: |
YES |
|
|
|
| Crowdsourcing |
☐ |
Distributed intelligence |
☑ |
| Participatory science |
☐ |
Extreme citizen science |
☐ |
| Science outreach |
☐ |
| |
|
| Data collection |
☐ |
| Data analysis |
☑ |
| Data interpretation |
☐-------- |
|
| Gaming |
| Genre: puzzle |
Gaming elements: achievements, score boards, challenges |
| Interface |
| Data type to manipulate: 3D manipulation |
interface enjoyment: somewhat cool/attractive
Interface usability: |
Member profiles::minimal
Member profile elements: photo, personal interests, badges, activity metrics, other |
5 ABOUT GUIDANCE AND FEEDBACK
| Guidance |
Feedback on |
| Tutorial and documentation: |
YES |
| Training sequence: |
SOMEWHAT |
| Peer to peer guidance: |
YES |
|
| individual performance: |
YES |
| collective performance: |
YES |
| research progress: |
Somewhat |
|
5.1 .
| Tools |
News & Events |
|
Communication: website, blog, forum, wiki, other
Social Network: Twitter, Facebook
|
Main news site: http://fold.it/portal/blog
Frequency of project news updates: weekly
Type of events: other
Frequency of events : 5
|
| Community description |
|
Community size (volounteers based): 6398
Role:
Interaction form:Blog Comments and Twitter
Has official community manager(s): maybe
Has team work yes
|
Other information about community: Forum fairly active.
Community led additions:
7 OTHER PROJECT INFORMATION
Foldit main.png
Yes
[[has completion level::Medium]
http://fold.it/portal/info/credits
Not explicitely listed
University of Washington
http://fold.it/portal/feedback or https://twitter.com/foldit
2008/12/12
Yes
Biochemistry
Natural sciences
biology/medicine/neuroscience
Identify the structural configuration of natural proteins to study and understand proteins better.
"As described above, knowing the structure of a protein is key to understanding how it works and to targeting it with drugs. A small protein can consist of 100 amino acids, while some human proteins can be huge (1000 amino acids). The number of different ways even a small protein can fold is astronomical because there are so many degrees of freedom." from official project website
International
Fold It
data analysis
distributed intelligence
3D manipulation, other:
Thinking: no
Computing: no
Sensing: no
Gaming: yes
achievements, score boards, challenges
puzzle
somewhat cool/attractive
yes
yes
strong
yes
yes
somewhat
minimal
photo, personal interests, badges, activity metrics, other
maybe
website, blog, forum, wiki, other
Twitter, Facebook
other
5
http://fold.it/portal/blog
6398
weekly
Forum fairly active.
Blog Comments and Twitter
yes
Twitter and mentions in popular science articles
Medium
...
Bibliography
