Introduction to Scientific Computing

Catalog description

This course will introduce students to basic data analysis, scripting and computational skills. SYBB 402 is designed for those with little or no prior programming experience. However, advanced programmers can still learn the tools and resources available to conduct scientific research. Students will gain hands-on experience working with data science software, Linux operating system, R/python packages, and functions designed for bioinformatics applications. At the end of the class, the students will complete a small-scale project/final, where they analyze a publicly available dataset and produce a short report. This course will prepare students for the SYBB Survey Series, which is composed of the following course sequence: (A) Technologies in Bioinformatics, (B) Data Integration in Bioinformatics, (C) Translational Bioinformatics, and (D) Programming for Bioinformatics. Each standalone section of this course series introduces students to an aspect of a bioinformatics project - from data collection ( SYBB 311 /411A) to data integration ( SYBB 311 /411B), to research applications ( SYBB 311 /411C), with a fourth module ( SYBB 412 ) introducing basic bioinformatics programming skills.