CSC 590: Special Topics, Introduction to Bioinformatics

Course Description 

Bioinformatics is a rapidly evolving field that studies biological systems and biological data (such as DNA/protein sequences, macromolecular structures and functional genomics data) using analytic theory and practical tools of computer science, mathematics and statistics. The topics include concepts of molecular genetics, biological databases, database searching, sequence alignments, phylogenetic trees, structure prediction, and microarray data analysis.

Prerequisite

This course is designed for computer science students who have the desire and abilty to learn basic molecular biology. They should also possess strong background in algorithms and numerical mathematics.

Textbook

Introduction to Bioinformatics 4e. Arthur M. Lesk.  http://global.oup.com/uk/orc/xedition/leskbioinf4exe/

Course Schedule   (Tentative schedule, slides will be uploaded, more topics will be added)

• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Genome organization and evolution
• Chapter 3: Scientific publications and archives: media, content, and access
• Chapter 4: Archives and information retrieval
• Chapter 5: Alignments and phylogenetic trees   

Grade distribution:

• Project 40%
• Midterm 20%   
• Final 40%

Exams

11/6/2017  Midterm grades are available on Blackboard (LMS)

Project

11/7/2017: Projects are now available on Blackboard. Projects 1 and 2 to be completed by groups of 4. Project 3 to be completed by a group of 2. Projects are distributed on first come first severved basis. Please send me your group members and project title by Wednesday November 8th. 
Phase 1: Due November 29, 2017 by class time. 
Phase 2: Proposal due November 22, 2017 by class time and final project due January 2, 2018 by midnight.