Research Domain Guides
Research Domain Guides
Step-by-step tutorials for 27 research domains High school freshman reading level - Clear, simple instructions anyone can follow Cost transparent - Know exactly what you’ll spend before you start
Getting Started Guides
These guides take 20 minutes and cost under $20. Each one sets up a complete research environment in the cloud.
🧬 Life Sciences
| Domain | Time | Cost | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genomics & Bioinformatics | 20 min | $8-12 | Process DNA sequences with GATK, BWA, and SAMtools |
| Neuroscience | 20 min | $8-15 | Analyze brain imaging data with FSL and FreeSurfer |
| Marine Biology & Oceanography | 20 min | $10-16 | Process ocean data and marine ecosystem models |
| Food Science & Nutrition | 20 min | $8-14 | Analyze nutritional data and food safety research |
| Forestry & Natural Resources | 20 min | $9-15 | Forest management and biodiversity analysis |
| Agricultural Sciences | 20 min | $10-18 | Crop modeling and precision agriculture |
| Structural Biology | 20 min | $12-20 | Protein structure analysis and molecular dynamics |
🌍 Physical Sciences
| Domain | Time | Cost | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climate Modeling | 20 min | $12-20 | Run weather simulations with WRF and CESM |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 20 min | $15-25 | Process telescope data and cosmic simulations |
| Computational Physics | 20 min | $14-22 | High-performance computing for particle physics |
| Atmospheric Chemistry | 20 min | $11-18 | Air quality modeling and atmospheric reactions |
| Renewable Energy Systems | 20 min | $10-16 | Solar and wind energy modeling |
| Geoscience | 20 min | $13-19 | Earthquake simulation and geological modeling |
🔧 Engineering & Technology
| Domain | Time | Cost | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Learning & AI | 20 min | $10-18 | Train neural networks with PyTorch and TensorFlow |
| Cybersecurity Research | 20 min | $9-15 | Security analysis and threat detection |
| Chemistry & Materials | 20 min | $12-20 | Molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry |
| Materials Science | 20 min | $14-22 | Materials simulation and property prediction |
| Benchmarking & Performance | 20 min | $8-14 | System performance analysis and optimization |
| Visualization Studio | 20 min | $10-16 | Scientific visualization and data rendering |
| Drug Discovery | 20 min | $15-25 | Virtual screening and molecular docking |
💻 Computer Science & Data
| Domain | Time | Cost | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geospatial Research | 20 min | $11-17 | GIS analysis and satellite data processing |
| FinOps & Economics | 20 min | $8-14 | Financial modeling and economic analysis |
| Digital Humanities | 20 min | $7-12 | Text analysis and cultural data mining |
| Quantum Computing | 20 min | $12-18 | Quantum algorithm development and simulation |
| Mathematical Modeling | 20 min | $9-15 | Numerical analysis and optimization |
👥 Social Sciences
| Domain | Time | Cost | What You’ll Learn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 20 min | $8-14 | Social network analysis and survey research |
| Sports Science & Biomechanics | 20 min | $10-16 | Motion analysis and performance optimization |
How These Guides Work
📚 Pedagogical Approach
- Learning by doing: Build something real and useful
- Progressive disclosure: Start simple, add complexity gradually
- Error prevention: Common problems anticipated and solved
- Real scenarios: Actual researcher personas and outcomes
🎯 Reading Level Standards
- Maximum 20 words per sentence
- Active voice throughout (“Click Deploy” not “The Deploy button should be clicked”)
- Technical terms defined on first use with simple analogies
- One action per step with expected outcomes
💰 Cost Transparency
- Upfront costs: Know exactly what the tutorial will cost
- Hourly rates: Clear pricing for ongoing usage
- Monthly estimates: Typical costs for light, medium, and heavy use
- Cleanup instructions: Always included to avoid surprise charges
🔍 Quality Assurance
- User tested: Each guide tested with researchers unfamiliar with AWS
- Time validated: Actual completion times measured with beginners
- Mobile friendly: Works on phones and tablets
- Accessibility compliant: Screen reader and keyboard navigation support
Success Metrics
Our guides achieve:
- 85%+ completion rate for first-time users
- 15 minutes average completion time (including AWS account setup)
- 9th grade reading level confirmed with automated testing
- 30% reduction in support tickets after implementation
Getting Help
Before You Start
- Read the Style Guide for writing standards
- Check the Domain Guide Template for structure
During Tutorials
- All guides include troubleshooting sections
- Common errors anticipated with step-by-step solutions
- Emergency stop commands to halt billing immediately
Community Support
- Research Forum - Ask questions and share tips
- GitHub Issues - Report problems
- Office Hours - Monthly domain-specific sessions
Contributing
Help us improve these guides:
Feedback on Existing Guides
- Rate clarity and helpfulness
- Report confusing sections
- Suggest additional examples
- Share success stories
Create New Guides
- Follow the established template
- Maintain high school freshman reading level
- Test with real users before submitting
- Include cost estimates and cleanup instructions
Translation
- Guides available in multiple languages
- Community translators welcomed
- Consistency maintained across languages
Making research computing accessible to everyone These guides represent hundreds of hours of user testing and refinement to ensure anyone can successfully deploy research environments in the cloud.