Difference between revisions of "Main Page/Logo Redesign"

(Engineering Epiphany! Synthetic Biology can be described as the application of engineering principles to the design and construction of biological machines.)
(clearly defined the mission of the registry)
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= Details =
 
= Details =
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Synthetic Biology is all about the development and use of standard biological parts.  Parts are the modular building blocks used to engineer biological devices.  Abstraction, Standardization, and Predictability are fundamental engineering principles that define important properties of parts.   
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The mission of the Registry is to collect and provide standardized, reliable biological parts to enable synthetic biologists to design and construct biological machines.  Parts are defined as bits of DNA that have been designed (and then often constructed) to have a particular biological function with defined inputs and outputs.  The Registry acts as a clearinghouse for these parts as well as the biological devices and systems that are built from these parts.
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Parts are functions.  Functions perform an operation on an input to produce an output.  You should only need to understand the function of a part, not how it operates - this is '''abstraction''.  For example, to illuminate a light bulb you only need to know how to properly apply electrical current, not how to build the bulb or why current causes light.
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Parts are combined.  The inputs and outputs of parts should be defined and characterized in standard ways so that compatible parts can be connected without having to violate abstraction - this is the principle of standardization.  If the lightbulb in your flashlight breaks, instead of crafting a new one by hand, you can purchase any replacement that fits the standardized socket and runs at the proper wattage.
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Parts are predictable.  It should be possible to predict the output of a part from its input, which is another way of saying parts should be easy to understand. Furthermore, parts should be designed to operate in ways that do not interfere with the functioning of other parts to preserve the predictability of combinations of parts. 
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so what is the registry?
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The new logo should embody and convey the purpose of the Registry.
 
The new logo should embody and convey the purpose of the Registry.

Revision as of 14:04, 17 August 2007

Registry Logo Redesign Contest! Win an iPod or a Wii!

Win Me!
Or Me!

Go ahead, take a look at the upper left corner of our beloved Registry website. If you're like us, you're probably thinking the black book with the ghostly cell-gear and the "Catalog" title is looking a little outdated. Ok, more than a little outdated. We couldn't agree with you more, and we think you could do a much better job. So, we want to invite you to redesign the Registry logo.

Sound cool? Think about how you could represent the concept of the Registry of Standard Biological Parts in an enticing, cool, sleek, slick, shiny, poppy, sciency, nerdy, sexy, accurate, hip new way. Post a design on this page for the community to see and comment on and make suggestions for tweaks and revisions. If everyone likes the final version, we'll use it, highlighting your creative genius for the entire Synthetic Biology community to see. And as if the glory isn't a good enough motivation, we're also going to give you a brand new Apple iPod (8gb Nano or 80gb video) or Nintendo Wii! (Just think about how fun a Wii would be in lab! :)

Details

The mission of the Registry is to collect and provide standardized, reliable biological parts to enable synthetic biologists to design and construct biological machines. Parts are defined as bits of DNA that have been designed (and then often constructed) to have a particular biological function with defined inputs and outputs. The Registry acts as a clearinghouse for these parts as well as the biological devices and systems that are built from these parts.

The new logo should embody and convey the purpose of the Registry.