Language & tools for context-aware biology

Current biological research workflows make use of disparate, poorly integrated systems that cause large mental burden on the scientist leading to mistakes on often long, complex and costly experimental procedures. The lack of open tools to assist in the collection of distributed experimental conditions and data is largely responsible making protocols difficult to debug and laboratory practice hard to learn. In this thesis, we describe an open Protocol Descriptor Language (PDL) and system to enable a context-rich, quantitative approach to biological research. We detail the development of a closed-loop pipetting technology and a wireless, sample temperature sensor that integrate with our Protocol Description platform enabling novel, real-time experimental feedback to the researcher thereby reducing mistakes and increasing overall scientific reproducibility.

Department dc:contributor.department

Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Fracchia, Charles (Charles Victor)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Joseph Jacobson.

• Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/100890

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/100890