GENOMICE (Game Exploring Nuances in Offspring to Master Interactions of Chromosome Expression)

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PROJECT SUMMARY Genomics has become an essential element of biomedical science, playing multiple roles in rapidly addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding medical complications to develop more effective preventative care and treatments, and modeling diseases in laboratory specimens for study. Despite the increasing relevance of genomics to people's everyday lives, genomics literacy in the United States remains low. In addition, the genomics workforce in the United States is still far from achieving the NHGRl's Strategic Vision with respect to diversity. To address these societal needs, it is critical to expose people to genomics careers and educate them on related topics while they contemplate future career pathways. To maximize the impact of such an effort, students at the high school and undergraduate level need access to a higher-quality genomics education to seed their interest in pursuing genomics careers and improve the diversity of the genomics workforce. To meet this critical need, SIFT, Colby College, and Jackson Labs propose GENOMICE (Game Exploring Nuances in Offspring to Master Interactions of Chromosome Expression), a low-cost, web-based digital game that teaches college and high school students to think about genomics quantitatively, probabilistically, and predictively through active engagement, strategic problem-solving, and customized feedback emulating how genomics instructors teach their students. Non-violent gameplay and characters representative of many dimensions of diversity will present an inclusive environment designed to appeal to students regardless of their experiences playing games. Phase I of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) project will produce a low-fidelity prototype with tasks demonstrating specific game mechanics designed to teach core genomics concepts: identifying phenotypes, predicting genotypes, and developing breeding strategies to selectively produce offspring populations and traits (Aim 1 ). GENOMICE will also include a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (Al) system that monitors player performance and appropriately modifies game content to improve learning outcomes (Aim 2). GENOMICE's low-fidelity prototype will be evaluated in terms of usability and enjoyability in a pilot study with college students in introductory genomics courses (AIM 3). GENOMICE will be the first scalable, game-based, and adaptive genomics education tool targeting core genomics concepts and promoting transfer of in-game learning to traditional genomics assessments. GENOMICE will be a webbased game, allowing easy set up and scalability regardless of individual computers' capabilities. Making GENOMICE commercially available to universities, genomics research institutions, high schools, and the genomics industry has the potential to increase student engagement with genomics and give students of all backgrounds the skills needed for future genomics careers.