As part of the continuing affiliation of Hampden-Sydney with the other 70 schools nationwide taking part in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Science Education Alliance, the department was pleased to welcome Dr. Steve Cresawn of James Madison University to H-SC to talk about his work in the rapidly developing field of bioinformatics. Advances in molecular biology like the Human Genome Project have created mountains and mountains of data to be explored……the problem lies in trying to find an efficient way to sift through all the data. Bioinformatics combines biology and computer science to develop ways to analyze large quantities of data and compare the entire genetic content, or genomes, of organisms to answer scientific questions involving evolution, medicine, and other subjects.

Dr. Cresawn presented his development of Phamerator, a tool designed for the comparison of whole viral genomes with the goal of understanding their evolution.

comparison of 6 viral genomes using Phamerator (click the image for a closer look)

With Phamerator, students around the world are able to compare the viruses that they have isolated, including Arturo, isolated by Duncan Oliphant ’12 at Sagebrook Apartments at H-SC.  The program has made possible the understanding of the amazing level of viral diversity that exists in the natural environment and the evolutionary strategies used by viruses to adapt to changing environments.