Part 1: 

Jaidyn Perry ; “Culture” – A Petri Dish Exploration 

Elevator Pitch: 

My project consists of a cursor bacteriophage virus that chases and grabs the bacteria in a Petri dish. The interface also has buttons that can be used to further explore the interactions. Everything in the project can be controlled by the mouse of the user. 

Abstract: 

Within biology labs, Petri dishes are used to study bacterial growth and cultures. A bacteriophage virus infects and spreads within bacteria. Thus, I wanted to combine these elements into my project. Within my project, the background is the lab in which there is a Petri dish in the center. The bacteria in this Petri dish grows and evolves with time. Originally, the bacteria avoid the bacteriophage cursor to show that they do not want to be infected. However, when the bacteriophage closes its claws, they are attracted to it, thus being grabbed. Each mouse click also creates a new bacteria, as the virus is spreading throughout the project. The interface also has two buttons at the top. From left to right they are the light switch that is shaped like a lamp, this turns on the light and ‘startles’ the bacteria. Holding down the light button also attracts the bacteria towards it, making it try to get out of the constraints of the dish. The button beside it is the deletion button that kills the bacteria that the user has created. But be careful, the virus can be killed too. The mouse is what is used for all of these interactions. Users do not need to worry about controls or keyboard, everything can be done by exploring interactions with the mouse. The ultimate goal of this project is to express the intricacies of life on a molecular level, and how it all interacts with each other.

Images:

Images show interaction between bacteria and bacteriophage. 

Part 2: 

Process (Design and Composition) : 

The design process of this project started with the idea. I knew that I wanted to make something that resembled a lab in which the microbiological creatures interact with each other. From there I decided on a Petri dish that I ended up placing in the center as the focus. I originally tried to have the bacteria be placed wherever the mouse is pressed, but it caused some problems since I have the bacteria set to bounce to keep them within the circle. The colors were also changed multiple times because I did not find that they worked well together. I could not settle on a color for the bacteria, so I ended up randomizing them which I think ended up visually adding to the project. I also wanted to design the buttons because before this project I only knew how to create buttons using the create button feature, which in my opinion does not look very good. 

Process (Technical) : 

The technical aspects I struggled with the most were the interactions with the mouse. It is difficult with so many objects to not make their mouse interactions overlap and therefore cover each other up. This is shown in the clicking of the buttons also making the bacteria have the same reaction as if the mouse was pressed anywhere else on the screen. Although I now like that the light makes the bacteria leave the circle, it was not my intention and caused a lot of frustration when I was trying to code the project with the original thoughts in mind. I also wanted to make the virus be able to grab the bacteria and move them individually, but this was too complicated for me to figure out when I was also working on the most important parts of the code. I did learn that I have a strong preference for OOP, and I made a lot of classes to organize my code. I like this a lot better because I was able to keep everything in its own specific ‘folder’ within the code. If I had the chance to do everything again, I would focus on making all of the interactions smoother and not overlap with each other. The individuality of interactions seems to be important in the overall reception of the project. 

Reflection and Future Development 

In the future, I would like to add more interactions to the project. If I were to be able to make the virus select and drag the bacteria individually, or be able to do other things with them individually, I think it would make everything more cohesive. Originally, I did not even have the bacteria move to the mouse when it is pressed, but after the interaction day and the feedback from my peers, I realized it does not make sense to have the virus have a claw-like feature without the bacteria being drawn to it in some aspect. This is when I decided to make all the bacteria drawn to the virus, I think it makes the project at least seem more cohesive. Ultimately, the biggest developments I want to make are all adding to the interactions of the bacteria and making everything separate. I would also like to put more time into the visual presentation of the project. Although I think it is generally visually appealing, I think that I could put a lot more detail into it that could make it even more enjoyable.