Objectives of course

1. Understand how bioinformatics lets us view biology in a new light

"Introduction to Bioinformatics"... You've no doubt taken many courses called Introduction to X where you've learned the basic concepts of X, enabling you to move on to Advanced X. You have a pretty good idea what X is going into the course, perhaps through colleagues who are X majors or a high school X course or perhaps even a hard-hitting TV show with a dashing Xologist as the main character.

That's fine when X is a mature field with a well-defined body of knowledge.
X is not bioinformatics.

Some courses focus on how to use state-of-the-art (also known as soon-to-be-extinct) programs.
Not this one.

Some focus on the timeless precepts behind bioinformatic tools.
That's a different course.

We will focus instead on the basic tools of bioinformatics that will never go out of style, addressing them in the same way you might in twenty years: as a way to solve a new problem. From the start, you will solve actual scientific problems using the tools of bioinformatics. The background necessary to understand the problem and the solution will be provided as needed. (click here for more on the critical role of problem sets in this course).

2. Computer programming, the most basic tool