BNFO 301 
Introduction to Bioinformatics
Topic: Introduction to Personal Programming
Spring 2015 

Rationale

  • Computer programming is necessary for creative genomic analysis, a major focus of this course
  • It's necessary to make significant progress in the upcoming research project
  • It's necessary for serious bioinformatics of any sort
  • Very few people, starting from scratch, could make much progress in one semester in a research project using a conventional programming languages (e.g. Java or Python)

Resources
    BioBIKE Portal - Access to various BioBIKE environments

    BioBIKE log template

  • Use it to log each interaction you have with BioBIKE
  • It is NOT a way of keeping track of your time
  • It will provide the developers of BioBIKE with the benefit of your experience -- what difficulties you encountered and what went right

Readings, Tours, and Investigations
    Article: BioBIKE: A Web-based, programmable, integrated biological knowledge base
                A brief description of how BioBIKE works
                (click Print PDF for a large file or Screen PDF for a smaller file)
    Primer: VPL user interface - Also accessible from any BioBIKE instance, under HELP (red button), VPL Tutorial
                (overlaps somewhat with below)
    Tour: What Is a Gene? (Introduces BioBIKE within context of biological problem)
    Tour: BioBIKE syntax and conventions (overlaps somewhat with above)
    Primer: Basic Syntax (A.1. and A.2.) - Also accessible from any BioBIKE instance, under HELP (red button), General Help
    Investigation: What is a Gene? and companion
    Notes: Introduction to mapping
    Notes: Elements of a loop
    Notes: Pattern matching
    Examples: Go to BioBIKE Portal
                     Click Guided tours of BioBIKE
                     Click a tour on the left (newer ones on top)

Problem Sets
    Problem Set 2: Molecular Investigations
    Problem Set 3: Practice with loops and mapping

To Hand In
      19 Jan, end of day*: Responses to questions from What is a Gene?
      23 Jan, end of day*: Problem Set 2
      13 Feb, end of day*: Problem Set 3
      Periodically: BioBIKE log

      * (however you care to define it, within reason)