Transforming Morphological Ssystematics From Desktop to Web Applications: Development of the Online Workspace Morphobank.org 3.0

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Stony Brook University is awarded a grant to develop a prototype database for comparative anatomy into a production resource to support anatomy-based phylogenetics research. MorphoBank (www.morphobank.org) was created as a professional resource for research scientists and their students that provides tools to allow comparative anatomists in different parts of the world to work simultaneously, in real time, on one project via the web. MorphoBank allows professional scientists and their trainees to upload images of comparative anatomy through a browser interface, to analyze and label these images, and to create morphological character matrices (the raw data for phylogenetic analysis) from them. The work performed under this award will create a scalable Web application that expands on the collaborative environment for character management and implements Web-based phylogenetic tree searches through the CIPRES project and Web-based phylogenetic tree viewing. The project will contribute to educational infrastructure by partnering researchers in the history of life, paleontology, and informatics (particularly database integration). The tools for image storage, annotation, and analysis developed here will have long term importance for describing anatomical traits relevant to species identification, and for documenting anatomy in model organisms. The PIs will actively recruit minority and underserved interns through ongoing relationships with the Research Experiences for Undergraduates and Academic Enrichment programs at SDSC/UCSD, and the California Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) Program.