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Course Overview

Course Description

A series of 6 stand-alone lessons introducing learners to various aspects of bioinformatics. Lessons will be held on Tuesdays at 1 PM in June and July 2023. You can attend any class, just one class, or all classes. Lessons will not be hands on, and thus, no software installation is necessary.

Lesson Topics

  1. Introduction to Bioinformatics Resources at NCI (06/13, Instructor Amy Stonelake, PhD (BTEP))

    In this lesson, attendees will be introduced to the different bioinformatics resources available to them at NCI. This includes:

    1. Bioinformatics Training Classes and Events
    2. Online Learning Platforms Licenses (Coursera and Dataquest)
    3. Using the NIH High Performance Compute Cluster Biowulf
    4. Next-Gen Sequencing software purchased by the Office of Science Technology and Resources (OSTR)
    5. Available Cloud Resources

  2. Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: Analyzing DNA, RNA, and Proteins (Rescheduled 06/29, Instructor Amy Stonelake, PhD (BTEP))

    Starting with the classic Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, we will look at how each of the components (DNA, RNA, protein) is measured and analyzed. Next-Gen Sequencing (NGS) techniques, analysis tools available, and some history of how it all started with the Human Genome Project will be discussed.

  3. Keeping your Data FAIR: Organizing, Managing, and Sharing your Data (06/27, Instructor Peter FitzGerald, PhD (GAU))

    Participants will learn about FAIR principles (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) and how they apply to scientific data. Given the NIH Data Sharing Policy for intramural scientists, methods for organizing, managing, and sharing data in bioinformatics projects will be discussed.

  4. Introduction to High Performance Computing at NIH: Biowulf (07/11, Instructor Alex Emmons, PhD (BTEP))

    Attendees will learn about high performance computing (HPC) with the NIH cluster Biowulf. This resource contains hundreds of open source bioinformatics tools and biological databases. Participants will understand why it's important to be able to work on an HPC cluster for Next-Gen Sequencing data analyses.

  5. Introduction to R and Python Programming Languages (07/18, Instructor Alex Emmons, PhD (BTEP))

    In this class, participants will learn about the R and Python programming languages, and how each is used in bioinformatics research. The advantages of each language will be discussed, and how to choose which is most applicable to your data analyses. Learning resources for beginners will be provided and questions answered.

  6. Managing Bioinformatics Projects with Jupyter Notebook (07/25, Instructor Amy Stonelake, PhD (BTEP))

    Participants will learn how Jupyter Lab Notebooks can be used to organize, manage, and share their bioinformatics analyses projects. The instructor will demonstrate how to install, launch, and interact with Jupyter Lab Notebooks. This will include managing code, data, and visualizations, which are kept all in one place within the Notebook. A great class for those starting a new bioinformatics project.

Classes will be recorded and made available within 48 hours of the event on the BTEP Video Archive.