PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Recent successes in structural and computational biology have led to an increasingly deep understanding of the diversity of states in which molecular complexes can exist. In the cell, we know that molecular complexes are constantly in motion, and that these dynamics are often crucial for function. In recent years, my group and others have successfully used 3D animation tools to visualize diverse complex and dynamic molecular processes. From this experience, we have seen that 3D animation software can be used to synthesize spatial and dynamic information from a variety of experimental modalities, and that this process can provide important scientific insights. Unfortunately, creating these molecular visualizations requires extensive training in 3D animation techniques, and as a result, these techniques have not been widely adopted within the research community. We propose to develop open-source tools and publish workflows to enable molecular biologists to create and share dynamic molecular models. Using our tools, we envision that researchers will be able to create animated models by completing two major tasks. As a first step, users will define a series of molecular states in which the molecular complex (or single molecule) is proposed to exist. These states may be defined by a change in conformation or association of one or more component molecules, for instance. Next, the user defines a trajectory through these defined states in order to create an animated model. We will test and validate these tools through a series of case studies of specific molecular systems that have relatively well- defined structural and dynamic states. In parallel with developing animation tools, we will also develop standards and methods for researchers to share, annotate, and archive dynamic molecular models. Overall, our goal is to provide new methods and tools for researchers to visualize and model dynamic molecular processes, and to make these completed models accessible, reusable, and transparent.