“BrAPI connecting the world’s plant breeding data through a mobile application”

Project Summary:

Breeding technology is advancing very rapidly, and it is important to stay connected between databases to share information faster. It is also important that researchers stay connected so that information can be revised and improved. My application does just that.

My application is written in Android Studio to allow the user to search through different databases at brapi.org. First, I need to make sure that the user has internet connection, if he doesn’t, then he would be notified immediately. Next I added intents, abstract descriptions of an operation to be performed, to transition from one page to the next whenever the user chooses a database or category before viewing the data text file. If the user does not see the information he needs, he can always change the page size by clicking on text box below to get more results, and specify the information he needs on the specifications page.

After completion, I learned how to build a simple android application, about the connection between two activities, how to check for connection or connect to the internet, and how to design stylish pages. My mentor and I created an application that allows any user who is logged in to brapi.org to connect and query much faster to the available plant breeding databases than using standard search methods. In the near future, I am planning on releasing the beta version of this free application on the Google Play store for all users.

My Experience:

I gained many experiences from this internship that I realize are necessary for me to start a computer programming career. This internship helped me understand that not everything can be solved right away, and often requires to communicate with others to discuss problems that need to be resolved immediately.

Before entering this program, I never fully understood the purpose of programming, and often failed to seek help from others. Now that I have created an app that has practical applications, I understand that programming requires dedication, and there is a plethora of unknown surprises when creating an app, so asking for help is just a matter of time. I want to thank my mentor, Nicolas Morales, for always helping me find ways of solving complex problems with simple codes, and helping me understand trying to resolve everything on my own is not always the best option.