Community of Coders and Researchers 

We are a group of students, faculty and staff spanning all levels of proficiency, organized around the common goal of sharing experience and expertise at computational, statistical, and general analysis approaches (we have fun too!).

Our regular meetings serve as drop-in support for anyone who is trying to reach that “next step,” including those just starting out: office hours for DSCI classes (and others) are merged into our meetings.

Leveling Up on Computing

Research in all areas, especially the biosciences, increasingly relies on data science. Modern researchers must expand their expertise beyond the bench, which requires learning how to use computers at a deeper level. This not only entails learning software, scripting and programming languages, but also practical aspects of dealing with large data, workflow and project organization challenges, and in general, just learning how to use your computer better in a world that is increasingly digital. 

The “Missing Semester” of bioinformatics

Researchers and educators at MIT coined the term “Missing Semester” to describe all off the practical and applied techniques of working with their tools, gaining proficiency with the computing environments that run them, and in general, handling the operational aspects of computing.

Building on the previous section of “leveling up on computing,” we strive to provide aspects of the “Missing Semester” for bioinformatics and bioscience researchers who use computers to analyze their data. This differs from MIT’s concept only in that students are taking classes on sophisticated topics, such RNA-seq or Microbiome analysis, but are given a minimal and accelerated entry into implementing the workflows that underly them.

Topics include command-line proficiency, software installation, using remote computers and operating systems (usually linux), shell scripting, High Performance Computing concepts and approaches, file formats and data wrangling, data visualization, and details that are specific to specific software applications that are common in bioinformatics, such as NGS aligners, differential expression analysis (like DESeq2) and the many aligners, assemblers, and multifaceted workflows that exist in our field.

Explore our resources, discussion, and make connections with students, faculty and staff who have expertise in these subjects!