Bioinformatics Education
From GSAF
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[edit] Graduate Program in Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is a specialty track in the graduate program of Pathology and Microbiology Department at the University of Nebraska Medical Center(UNMC). It is offered in conjunction with the College of Information Science and Technology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO).
[edit] Admission Information
To enroll in the BioInformatics specialty track, you need to be admitted to the Graduate Studies Program of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, not at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. At UNMC, you will need to apply for enrollment in the graduate program of the Pathology and Microbiology Department. Admission and graduation criteria for the UNMC graduate programs can be found on the Graduate Studies Website.
[edit] Course Requirements
[edit] Required Courses in Bioinformatics
- 1000 Introduction to Bioinformatics (3) Bioinformatics is a new scientific discipline that combines computer science and mathematics to help solve problems in molecular biology. The field is growing rapidly in response to the explosion of data generated by the sequence, proteomics, and protein structural tools of modern biology. This course will provide a broad overview of the field and selected topics of fundamental importance to it. Specific topics will include the scope and range of bioinformatics, career opportunities, an introduction to the molecular biology, chemistry, and mathematics needed to understand the problems examined in bioinformatics, and the tools used by bioinformaticians to address these problems (FALL)
- 3000 Applied Bioinformatics (3) This course will provide students basic knowledge and practical skills needed for bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics analyses and research. The topics covered include biological databases, molecular biology tools (e.g., primer design, contig assembly), gene prediction and mining, database searches, genome comparison, pairwise and multiple alignments, phylogenetic inference, RNA secondary structure, microarray data analyses, functional annotation of protein sequences, protein structure and modeling. Both commonly used and specialized software (e.g., GCG, Vector NTI, Entrez, BLAST, ClustalX, Phylip, PyMOL, and SwissPDBviewer) will be illustrated and exercised in class. At the end of this course, students will be able to apply the knowledge learned in class to solve practical problems in bioinformatics Prereq: BIOI 1000, BIOL 1450, and CIST 1400; or permission of instructor (SPRING)
- 4860 Bioinformatics Algorithms (3) The main objective of this seminar is to provide an organized forum for learning about recent developments in Bioinformatics, particularly, from the algorithmic standpoint. The course will present basic algorithmic concepts in computational biology and show how they are connected to molecular biology and biotechnology. Standard topics in the field such as restriction mapping, map assembly, sequence comparison and database search will be covered. The course will also address Bioinformatics related problems such as sequencing, clustering and gene prediction. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the field, students from different, but related, backgrounds are encouraged to enroll. Student projects will be important parts of the learning process in the course. Prereq: CSCI 3320 and BIOL 1450; or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with BIOI-8866.)(FALL)
- 4870 Database Search and Pattern Discovery in Bioinformatics (3) The course provides students basic knowledge on database aspects related to bioinformatics. In order to make this course self-contained, it starts with a brief introduction on key concepts in computational molecular biology, as well as a review of database management systems, artificial intelligence and related aspects in computer science. The major part of this course will cover various issues related to biodatabase search and pattern discovery. Prereq: CSCI 3320. (Cross-listed with BIOI-8876.)(SPRING)
- 4960 Seminar in Bioinformatics (1) This senior-level course intended for undergraduate Bioinformatics students will focus on various topics and course contents from one semester to the next. Topics that will be covered are those that are not normally covered in the Bioinformatics degree program but those suitable for upper-level students. Prereq: Senior level status in the Bioinformatics program; or permission of instructor (FALL, SPRING)
- 4970 Senior Project in Bioinformatics (3) This course is intended for senior-level Bioinformatics undergraduate students. It encompasses individual research and study by focusing on a selected topic or area related to Bioinformatics. The project of choice will be approved by the department and will require a written report and oral presentation, if applicable. Prereq: Senior level standing in the Bioinformatics program and a departmentally approved proposal (FALL, SPRING)
[edit] Recommended Elective for Bioinformmatics Majors
- BIOI-8896, BIOI-4890, PAMM873: Genetic Sequence Analysis (3 Cr):
The goal of this course is to introduce students to major topics in the analysis of genetic sequences. In particular the class will allow students to become familiar with the computational tools and software that aid in the modern molecular biology experiments and analysis of experimental results. Following the completion of this course, it is expected that the students will have a basic understanding of the theoretical foundations of the sequence analysis tools and develop competence in evaluating the output from these tools in a biological context. This course will emphasize hands-on experience with the programs for nucleotide and amino acid sequence analysis and molecular phylogeny
- Meeting Times: Thursdays 5:30-8.10 pm
- E-mail: dkbastola@mail.unomaha.edu
- Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-4 pm
- Pre-requisites: permission from the instructor
- Permission: email me with what classes you have already taken
