Microbiology: Hello World
A beginner-friendly multi-model lab that wires three simple modules into one story: a starter setup, a microbial growth simulator, and a plain-language reporter. You pick a starting plate, watch viable cells grow until food runs out, and read why the colony declines after starvation begins.
What it simulates
- A starting plate (initial cell count, available food, growth rate, space limit).
- Viable-cell dynamics: cells eat, multiply, hit a carrying capacity, then decline once food is exhausted.
- A “what happened” narrative that explains which limit dominated each phase of the run.
Run it on the Hub
- Open the Microbiology Hello World Growth Lab on the public Hub.
- Click Run. The bundled defaults run for 12 hours and produce viable-cell and food charts plus the setup and story tables.
Inputs you can tune
| Input | Meaning |
|---|---|
initial_cells | How many cells are on the plate at the start. |
available_food | How much food is available. |
growth_rate | How fast cells multiply when food and space are available. |
space_limit | Approximate maximum colony size the space can hold. |
What results to expect
- Viable cells: a steep climb to a peak, then a decline once food hits zero.
- Food chart: monotonic decline to zero as cells consume the substrate.
- Story reporter: a plain-language explanation that names the dominant limit (food, space, or starvation).
- Next steps: suggested parameter tweaks for follow-up runs.
Source on GitHub: models-microbiology-hello-world. This is an educational lab, not a calibrated microbiology model.