Friendly competition (that we should win) - gene annotations at FungiDB

[neurosporapolicycommittee]

Hi all, 

Perhaps you have seen the recent email from VEuPathDB for the upcoming challenge posed to the fungal communities: to enhance gene annotations. Please consider adding a new gene annotation to the FungiDB.org website!  By adding just one annotation or user comment, you win a "Got Fungus" mug (I have one and it's pretty sweet)!  Details below, in case you didn't receive this email: 

We are excited to announce that FungiDB is launching a crowdsourcing user comment and gene annotation campaign, coinciding with the 32nd Fungal Genetics Conference (FGC) in Asilomar, USA.

Participation is straightforward:

1. Post one User Comment or edit one gene in Apollo between now and 16 March 2024 and one “Got Fungus?” mug is yours!

2. To claim your mug, drop by the FungiDB help desk during poster sessions at FGC.

Top 10 contributors will also receive a "Got Fungus?" T-shirt!

Unable to attend FGC? No worries! You can still contribute by submitting a user comment or updating gene models remotely via https://FungiDB.org. Simply arrange for a colleague attending the conference to collect a mug on your behalf.

For more information about how to submit a comment or edit genes in Apollo, follow this ink: http://tinyurl.com/32FGCcampaign 

Interested in a little friendly competition? Let's find out which fungal communities can generate the most user comments and secure a feature spot on FungiDB Twitter! Calling all Aspergillus, Fusarium, Neurospora, Cryptococcus, Candida and other fungal enthusiasts and lovers! Your expertise is vital for enhancing genome quality.

Got too many user comments to submit individually? We’ve got you covered! Download our bulk user comments submission form (https://tinyurl.com/commentsfungi), complete it, and send it back to us via the FungiDB Contact Us form (https://fungidb.org/fungidb/app/contact-us).

Not familiar with the Apollo editor? Check out Apollo tutorials and learn how to modify gene models: https://fungidb.org/fungidb/app/static-content/apollo_help.html 

Did you know that your contributions:

- Help improve genome annotations: provide evidence for alternative gene models, knockout phenotypes, sub-cellular localisation, PubMed IDs, etc.

- Become searchable and visible on the gene record pages and JBrowse (e.g., Community annotation from Apollo)

- Benefit the research community at large, showcase your favorite genes or publications, and are the quickest way to provide up-to-date information about genes on the live site

Have questions? - Contact Us (https://fungidb.org/fungidb/app/contact-us)

Sincerely,

FungiDB team