An Introduction to the World of Meaningful Scientific Data

Join us for a free, five-day series about the booming field of bioinformatics. Every day this week we will dive into a key topic in the industry during a live-online, one-hour webinar. Designed to give you a sense of what it takes to begin a bioinformatics career, you will hear from Silicon Valley bioinformaticians about the different tools and technologies used to make meaning from the vast trove of amassed health data. This specialized data serves as the foundation for cures and vaccines being discovered each day. You may attend one or all of the five one-hour, stand-alone sessions.


The series begins with a very brief overview of upcoming courses in the Bioinformatics certificate program at UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Extension and then jumps right into the technologies and tools every bioinformatician needs to get started.

Who This Is For

No experience necessary. These live lectures are designed for anyone interested in learning about a possible career in the fascinating field of bioinformatics. You’ll get to see if merging your interest in science with programming makes sense to you. The demand is enormous for trained professionals in the bioinformatics field. Help save lives!

What You Will Learn

• Sequencing-related tools used in bioinformatics
• Linear regression
• Introduction to R programming
• BioPython and other Python tools for biology for preliminary analyses of genomic sequence, such as the SARS-CoV-2 genome
• Bioinformatics certificate program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

The Week’s Agenda

Monday, April 6, 5:30–6:30 p.m. (PST)

Welcome to the World of Bioinformatics

A brief introduction to the field of bioinformatics and an overview of the UCSC Silicon Valley Extension Bioinformatics certificate program. Merging the best of biology and computer programming technology, this year-long program prepares you to analyze and interpret today’s deluge of biological information. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our courses are currently only available fully remotely in a live-online format.

Featuring: JANANI RANGARAJAN, M.S. teaches: Bioinformatics Tools, Databases and Methods

Part I - Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools

Next-generation Sequencing (NGS): The first step in learning bioinformatics—A survey of the technology underlying NGS nucleic acid sequencing and how it can be used to generate bioinformatics for research and medical applications. We will examine how data is processed from raw sequencer output to interpretable information.


Featuring: PAUL SAUNDERS, Ph.D.
Teaches: Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools—A Hands-On Approach



Tuesday, April 7, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. (PST)

Part II - Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools

Next-generation Sequencing (NGS): The first step in learning bioinformatics—A survey of the technology underlying NGS nucleic acid sequencing and how it can be used to generate bioinformatics for research and medical applications. We will examine how data is processed from raw sequencer output to interpretable information. Note: You do not have to attend Part I of this course to benefit from this discussion.


Featuring: PAUL SAUNDERS, Ph.D.
Teaches: Next-Gen Sequence Analysis Tools—A Hands-On Approach

Wednesday, April 8, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. (PST)

Statistical Analysis and Modeling for Bioinformatics 

Linear regression is one of the go-to modeling choices for many types of problems today and heavily used in biology. In this hour-long workshop, students will learn the fundamental theory behind linear regression and assumptions underlying this common modeling approach as well as how to properly use and interpret these models

Featuring: LAURYNAS KALESINSKAS, doctoral candidate in the Stanford University program of Biomedical Informatics.
Teaches: Statistical Analysis and Modeling for Bioinformatics and Biomedical Applications
 

Thursday, April 9, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. (PST)

Learn to Apply Python tools to Bioscience Data

This lecture will demonstrate how to utilize Biopython and other Python tools for biology to do a preliminary analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Basic familiarity with Python is recommended but not required.


Featuring: ADAM LAVERTU, doctoral candidate in the Stanford University program of Biomedical Informatics.


Friday, April 10, 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. (PST)

Introduction to R Programming

R is a powerful tool for statistical computing and is widely used to analyze several types of biomedical datasets. In both industrial and academic research, basic R programming skill is usually the first step and a prerequisite for downstream analytical tasks. In this lecture, we will look at some examples of how the R environment can be used in the real world. We will then explore some of the essential concepts necessary to begin an introductory journey in that direction.


Featuring: BIBEK PAUDEL, PH.D.

Sign Up for the Free Bioinformatics Webinar.