22  Collaborating on your first app

Author
Affiliation

Dr Randy Johnson

Hood College

Published

January 29, 2026

Aim

In this exercise, you will collaborate with a coding agent to enhance the Streamlit app we created last week. The goal is to improve the app’s functionality and user experience by leveraging the capabilities of an AI coding assistant.

After completing these new features, you will issue a pull request to merge your changes into the main branch of the GitHub repository.

Instructions

  • Create a new branch in your git repository from last week

  • Plan and implement at least two new features or improvements to the Blast app. Some suggestions include:

    • Add input validation for the DNA sequence
    • Add support for RNA and/or protein sequences
    • Displaying results in a more user-friendly format (e.g. tables, charts)
  • Commit your changes with clear and descriptive messages as you work on the new features

  • Once you have completed the new features, push your branch to GitHub

  • Open a pull request to merge your changes into the main branch. In the pull request description, summarize the changes you made and the new features you implemented

  • Submit the pull request link on Blackboard for grading

Grading

For full credit:

  • Submit a link to your pull request on time
  • The pull request should include at least two new features or improvements to the app
  • Commit messages should be clear and descriptive