Today, I’d like to share a small tool that I’ve developed with the aim of making swine diet formulation education more accessible and straightforward. This app is simply about providing a practical solution for educators and learners alike. Developed using the Shiny library in R, it’s a practical resource designed to streamline the learning experience.
A Tool for Educators and Learners
Teaching swine diet formulation can be both exciting and challenging. However, there’s often a stumbling block in the form of software installations and compatibility issues. To overcome this hurdle and focus on what truly matters – learning – I’ve created this Swine Formulator App.
How It Works
To use the Swine Formulator App, simply follow the link [https://ramirez-camba.shinyapps.io/Formulator/]. You’ll encounter a straightforward interface designed for practicality. In case any errors or issues arise, a simple solution is to refresh the page. The app is set to generate diets based on the Nutrient Requirements of Swine as outlined in the Eleventh Revised Edition published by the National Research Council (NRC, 2012). With just a click, you can have a diet formulated based on these recommendations. If you want to experiment, you can double-click and input your values.
Practical Considerations
The nutritional data within the app was acquired using an R script, introducing the potential for minor inaccuracies in the nutritional information of different ingredients. It’s important to understand that this diet formulator was created exclusively for educational purposes. Consequently, I strongly discourage using the app for generating diets intended for animals’ consumption.
Let’s Learn Together
If you are an educator tasked with teaching students about diet formulation, I extend a warm invitation for you to make use of the app. If you don’t specifically teach diet formulation, I also encourage you to explore the app. It exemplifies the potential of data science education in creating similar tools for research, or extension purposes. Personally, I find joy in crafting these small tools. I’m eager to hear your thoughts and insights. If you have any ideas on additional tools that could enhance the learning experience, I welcome your feedback. Feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me on my LinkedIn page. Together, let’s foster simple ways of learning and teaching.
Warm regards,
Christian Ramirez-Camba