Bacterial Gene Neighborhood Investigation Environment : A Scalable Genome Visualization for Big Displays

fundamentally changing the course of my life and teaching me everything I know about visualization, graphics, computer science research and THE FUTURE! It has been fun and I look forward to doing my PhD in the best possible place, the lack of oceans and illegality of 'on-top-of-Jeep' riding notwithstanding. and the rest of the computational biology team at Monsanto for bringing me onto your team and helping me put together this project. I learned so much from all of you and your ideas will carry my research forward for a long time!-Everyone at the EVL for providing me with ideas, support, inspiration, and laughter. Special thanks to Khairi Reda for helping me pull together resources for perception and cognition, and its impact on visualization for big displays. You have given me lots of research ideas and been a great role-model for how to do this whole research thing. Lance for making me laugh even in the midst of buggy code. Also, for all the sushi and Munchkin®.-Tanya Berger-Wolf for being such a wonderful mentor and teaching me that there is just about nothing better than spotting zebras at Mpala from atop a Jeep. ! iii! !-My parents for endless, boundless, lifelong encouragement and support. Also, thanks Dad for convincing me to (finally) take a CS course. You were right. I loved it and it was exactly what I was meant to do.