Syllabus
Course Info
Course Code: BISC 195 Course Title: Essential Skills for Computational Biology
Instructor
| Name: | Kevin Bonham, PhD | Danielle Peterson ('20) |
|---|---|---|
| Role: | Instructor | TA |
| E-mail: | kbonham@wellesley.edu | dpeterso@wellesley.edu |
| Github: | kescobo | danielle-peterson |
Course Run Info - Wellesley SRP Summer 2020
June 8th - July 17th
Course Meeting Times
- Tu/Th 10am - 11am: Reserved for lecture
- M/W 10am - 12pm: Lab / Office Hours
- Tu/Th 1pm - 3pm: Lab / Office Hours
Description
Modern biology depends on computing. At the same time, many biologists are intimidated by the prospect of programming. In an era of high-throughput assays and datasets with thousands of samples containing millions of molecular sequences, a basic knowledge of computational methods is critical. Many tools for analyzing vast quantities of molecular data have only command-line interfaces, and performing statistical tests or plotting these large datasets is impossible with excel or other software with a graphical user interface. This course will provide an introduction to essential computational techniques for biological data analysis using a modern programming language, focusing on strategies for solving problems rather than specific syntax.
Learning Objectives
After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Navigate their computer and manipulate files using a command line interface.
- Write a script to perform statistical analyses on and plot a large numerical dataset.
- Find, download, and process large biological sequence datasets from an online source.
- Search for a solution to a novel error or software bug and implement it in code.
- Use a version control system to keep track of changes to their code.
Prerequisites
This course is an introduction to programming, but examples will be rooted in molecular and evolutionary biology problems. Students without prior coursework in biology should be able to succeed with additional effort.
Recommended: Molecular and/or Cell Biology.
Course Materials
Online textbook (free): Think Julia: How to think like a computer scientist
Lessons
- Lesson 1 - Getting started
- Lesson 2 - Data Types and Functions
- Lesson 3 - Functions, conditions, recursion, Oh My!