Postgraduate Course: Bioinformatics 1 (INFR11016)
Course Outline
| School | School of Informatics |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | A primary requisite for relevant, and efficient, research in Bioinformatics is that scientists from both
fields (biology and informatics) are involved, or consulted. Team work can only be successful if all
parties have a basic ground knowledge of the respective other field and, most importantly, that they can
communicate with each other.
The aims of the course are to help you overcome both of these difficulties in your future careers. The course
will cover topics that include core biology concepts that relate to bioinformatics, biological data and their
source and structure as well as common tools for their analysis.
The course will also involve group-based practical work on using and developing bioinformatics solutions. |
| Course description |
The course will cover the following:
Essential Biology
* DNA/proteins
* Evolution
* Chromosomes and Cells
* Molecular structures
Note that students with a higher education in biology can be exempted from this part of the course
Modern Biology
* Computational assembly of genomic sequence (including a site visit to see automated sequencing technology at work)
* Expression profiling (including a site visit to the Scottish Centre for Genomics and Informatics Technology, GTI)
* Polymorphisms and Phylogenetics (e.g. RFLP)
* Structure Determination (Crystallography/NMR)
* Proteomics (various techniques)
There will be two written homework assignments which each carries 15% of the course marks; the exam will carry 70%
Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections: Databases, Developing Technologies
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is open to all Informatics students including those on joint degrees. For external students where this course is not listed in your DPT, please seek special permission from the course organiser.
Parts of this course assume a basic knowledge in biology beyond general high school standards (i.e. is suitable for everyone with a University education in a biology-related field).
Students with a higher education in a biology-related field can ask to be exempted from the first half of the course (excluding assessed coursework and exam). |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
76 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework is assessed though two reports on using/deploying the students own bioinformatics services and the remainder through a final examination.
You should expect to spend approximately 30 hours on the coursework for this course.
If delivered in semester 1, this course will have an option for semester 1 only visiting undergraduate students, providing assessment prior to the end of the calendar year. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Bioinformatics 1 | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
1. Communicate about essential and modern biology and how it relates to Informatics
2. Describe basic biotechnology in the context of its underlying theoretical basis with an emphasis on the technologies routinely used in modern biological sciences.
3. Implement a suite of core bioinformatics services and describe their application.
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Reading List
Artifical Intelligence and Molecular Biology - Chapter 1. Molecular Biology for Computer Scientists. http://www.aaai.org//Library/Books/Hunter/01-Hunter.pdf, * L.Hunter (1999).
Dealing with Genes. University Science Books. ISBN 0-935702-69-5, P. Berg & M. Singer (1992),
* G.M. Cooper (2000). The Cell: A Molecular Approach. ASM Press
Life - The Science of Biology, Volume 1, The Cell and Heredity, Pruves, Orians, Heller & Sadava |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Douglas Armstrong
Tel: (0131 6)50 4492
Email: Douglas.Armstrong@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Katey Lee
Tel: (0131 6)50 2701
Email: Katey.Lee@ed.ac.uk |
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