Biophysics Hackathon Series: Teaching Cytosim for Cytoskeleton Simulation
This course is presented by the University of Göttingen.
Co-designed and co-delivered with student organisers, this project embodies a lived students-as-partners approach—allowing learners to grow into collaborators in shaping a novel teaching format. This teaching-hackathon series introduced students from diverse disciplines to simulations of the intra-cellular cytoskeleton through fast-paced, interdisciplinary teamwork. Participants from biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics collaborated to explore real-world research questions using the open-source simulation software Cytosim. With just two hours
of guided instruction, and 2-3 days of hands-on experience students became independently capable of designing, running, and analysing simulations—and presenting their findings. The event structure fosters transdisciplinary collaboration, peer-led mentoring, and exposure to modern scientific practices like AI-assisted coding and version control.
The format is fully transferable, requiring minimal infrastructure and easily adaptable to other computational tools. All materials and guidelines are open-source and ready to use across the ENLIGHT network.
Contact: Yoav G. Pollack, y