Short Term Course on Bioinformatics

Short Term Course on Bioinformatics in the Undergraduate Curricula

January 5-8, 2014

Venue:  National Centre for Biological Sciences, UAS-GKVK Campus, Bangalore 560065

Co-ordinators
Prof. Pramod Wangikar
Department of Chemical Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Powai, Mumbai – 400 076.

&

Prof. R. Sowdhamini
National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR)
UAS-GKVK Campus
Bangalore 560065.
 

Objective of the course
The tools and strategies involved in handling and analyzing biological sequences make up the field of bioinformatics. Most faculty and researchers in engineering / biotechnology now know that bioinformatics is a critical part of cutting-edge research and needs to be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum; however few of them had any training in bioinformatics during their own education. This course brings undergraduate teaching faculty and scientists together to further their understanding in bioinformatics and genomics.

Background
There has been an explosion of available biological information over the past 18 years, in the form of the entire DNA sequences of many organisms and their encoded proteins, and students need to learn why this information is important, how to work with it, and how to draw appropriate conclusions. During the course, participants learn the theoretical basis and the hands-on use of several bioinformatics tools, discussing how those tools could be incorporated into various courses or research projects, brainstorming with each other to come up with projects that can be implemented at their home institutions. Prior to the institute, we want faculty participants to reflect on their teaching and research and explain how the training will help them make changes in courses and/or their research projects with undergraduates. Post-institute, we expect the participants to continue working on their projects, keeping in contact with other participants and instructors, implementing different aspects of their training and their projects into their teaching and/or research.

Course outline

• Sequence searches
• Remote homology detection
• Domain finding
• Planning and designing projects for sequence analysis

Note: During the hands-on session, computers will be provided by the organisers.

GROUP PHOTO

Schedule

Target Audience
Faculty from the Engineering / Biotechnology / Life sciences curricula and M.Sc. students. This workshop teaches the basics of bioinformatics tools and genomic sequence data.

Instructors

• Pramod Wangikar, IIT Bombay

• Supreet Saini, IIT Bombay

• R. Sowdhamini, NCBS Bangalore.

• Brad Goodner, Hiram College, Hiram Ohio

• Tara Luke, Stockton College, Galloway, New Jersey

• Kathleen Scott, University of South Florida

• Steve Slater, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Seth Axen, JGI Bioinformatics Education Program, Walnut Creek,

• Timothy Beagly, Salk Lake Community College, Utah

Note: Travel of the instructors from the US is funded by National Science Foundation of USA.

There is a preceding part of the workshop planned to be held in IIT-Mumbai (http://tinyurl.com/lqqrnfu).

Faculty members and M.Sc. students of degree level engineering and science colleges are eligible to attend the course.

REGISTRATION
There is a registration fee of Rs. 10,000 for faculty members and Rs. 5000 for students to attend the course. All short-listed candidates are required to confirm their participation by sending a Demand Draft of the above-mentioned amount in the name of “NCBS Meetings and Workshop A/C”. In case a participant does not attend the course, the above amount cannot be returned.

BOARDING & LODGING
Accommodation will be provided in the students Hostels and we shall try to provide as much comfort as possible in the hostel. Since accommodation is limited, family members of the participants cannot be accommodated. Transport will be provided from the place of Accomodation to the place of workshop on the days of the workshop. In addition, please see here for regular bus timings to-and-fro IISc. and place of Accomodation (Mandara).

Completed registration forms duly forwarded by competent authorities with college seal (hardcopy and Softcopy) need to be sent to the Meetings coordinator at the following address with the following mentioned on the cover "Bioinformatics Workshop January 2014":

Ms. Nidhi Srivatsava
Course Co-Coordinator
National Centre for Biological Sciences (TIFR)
UAS-GKVK Campus
Bangalore 560065.
Phone: 044-23666001/019/018
E-mail: nidhisri@ncbs.res.in

Application Process

Step 1: Fill the attached registration form and send to the address given.

Step 2: Complete the following application in a single Microsoft Word document and send to Prof. R. Sowdhamini (email: bioinfo2014@ncbs.res.in) (direct your queries to this email address).

• Provide your contact information:  Name, Mailing Address and E-mail Address
• Provide a current resume' or curriculum vitae (maximum of 2 pages)
• Provide responses to the following:
  
  1.  Write an essay (10 lines) explaining why attending this workshop will benefit you and enhance your teaching and/or research?
  2.  In which course(s) will you use the material from this course.
  3.  How familiar are you with the bioinformatics programs PSI-BLAST, MODELLER, STRING, AUTODOCK (lack of familiarity does not preclude acceptance to the program)?  Rank your familiarity on a scale of 1 (no knowledge) to 5 (extensive use) for each program.

 Download Registration Form

For any further information regarding the course at NCBS, contact:

Ms. Nidhi Srivatsava, 080-23666337;
email: bioinfo2014@ncbs.res.in