Harnessing Agency for Efficacy: “Foldit” and Citizen Science

Abstract

One of the most challenging problems in microbiology today is predicting the structure of operation of a cell and serve numerous critical functions such as breaking down starches in food for energy our blood. Inside a living cell, protein functions (be they enzymes, antibodies, or code RNA) are determined largely by their structural arrangements: their size, shape, and the reactivity of molecules on the outside of the structures. Single proteins, however, can contain thousands of individual amino acids in different combinations and configurations. The entire field of structural microbiology is dedicated to discovering structures and their related functions. And the field has recently grown branches, one of which concerns protein design. Rather scientists design protein structures with amino acids. Protein design depends mostly on (1) the amino acid sequence of a protein and (2) the way that the chain is "folded" into itself and connected to other proteins. While researchers understand the importance of these elements, no easy way to predict a structure currently exists. Protein designers often use computer visualization tools to manipulate virtual proteins. probabilistically fold proteins into as many variations as possible, but the automated approach is unwieldy because of the multiplicity of moving parts and possible combinations. Moreover, it is difficult

Citizen Science and Scientific Objectivity: Mapping Out Epistemic Risks and Benefits

“…Second, they may also bring their own specific expertise to the solution of a problem. The "fold-it" program in fundamental biology, for instance, aims at studying the tridimensional structure of proteins by engaging volunteer citizens in a numerical serious game (Kelly and Maddalena 2015). Various other programs exist which demand strong commitment from a specific group of people, identified by scientists as sharing some expertise or skills in a given matter.…”

Rhetorical Genres in Code

“…A considerable amount of genre research concerning the role of digital technologies has focused on discourse genres such as the blog (see, e.g., Giltrow & Stein, 2009; Herring, Scheidt, Bonus, & Wright, 2004; Miller & Shepherd, 2004, 2009). Others worked to integrate genre approaches with systems-oriented approaches to study digital ecologies, including activity theory (Spinuzzi, 2003a; 2003b; 2013) and actor-network theory (Kelly & Maddalena, 2015; 2016; Read, 2016). Increasingly, (rhetorical) 1 genre researchers have been attending to the complex new media environments, including the traditional purview in professional and scientific communication, although also exploring new modalities (Casper, 2016; Gonzalez-Pueyo & Redrado, 2003; Gross & Harmon, 2016; Mehlenbacher, 2017; Wickman, 2016).…”

Networks, Genres, and Complex Wholes: Citizen Science and How We Act Together through Typified Text

“…To begin mapping out rhetorical deployment of Actor-Network Theory, and where that intersects with rhetorical deployment of Rhetorical Genre Theory, we first look to the study of Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Medicine (we, in fact, begin this work in Kelly & Maddalena, 2015, which offers the foundation for our work here). As rhetorical studies of science and technology expand to include health and medicine (Keränen, 2013), we find productive conversations already bringing together ANT and rhetorical theories.…”

“…Bringing together the work of genre theory and actor-network theory in rhetorical studies of science and social studies of science, we offer an illustrative theoretical account of useful and complex analytical strategies and theoretical entailments we have uncovered at the intersections of these fields. Building on our previous work in this area (Kelly & Maddalena, 2015), we suggest by way of a case study that these new forms and possibilities are complicated by new technologies and new genres.…”