* Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Undergraduate Major

04/11/23 Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Undergraduate Major

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Iowa State UniversityCollege of Liberal Arts and SciencesBioinformatics & Computational Biology Undergraduate Major (BCBIO)

BCBIO


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Intro to BCBIO major New Major. The new B.S. program in Bioinformatics and

Computational Biology offered by Iowa State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences was approved by the Board of Regents in summer 2007.

Motivation

Growing demand for individuals trained in bioinformatics and computational biology.

Success of ISU graduate program in BCB.

Administration. The three LAS academic departments involved in the new major are Computer Science; Genetics, Development and Cell Biology; and Mathematics.


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What is “bioinformatics”?

Study how DNA is used by living organisms

Study how DNA can be utilized to solve problems


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Sample ultimate problems What is the role of a particular gene? Does a particular gene help cause a

disease? How does a drug affect a cell? Can we insert a gene into corn to protect it

against diseases or pests? Can we design a drug to accomplish a

particular purpose? Can we build a cell that eats pollution?


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Why would a student choose this major? (A) To prepare for graduate study in Bioinformatics or Computational

Biology. Graduate programs in this field typically recruit students with dual majors at the undergraduate level, or a degree in computer science, biology, or mathematics with a documented interest in one of the other fields. Such approaches to BCB graduate study (1) typically take longer, (2) provide little introduction to the actual discipline and little practice translating between two very different languages of science. An undergraduate degree in BCBIO should make students attractive to the many bioinformatics Ph.D. programs around the country.

To prepare for certain jobs in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries. The future is hard to predict. There are jobs related to high-tech agriculture (new varieties of plants), industrial organisms, biofuels, pharmaceuticals (designer drugs). Some of these jobs are in Iowa.


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Why would a student choose this major? (B) Interests matching the discipline. Genome analysis, genome

annotation, comparative genomics, computational evolutionary biology, analysis of gene expression, prediction of molecular structure, modeling molecular and cellular networks/systems, data mining/synthesis of disparate data.

To combine two interests in one degree. There are many students interested in biology and a second discipline, such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, or engineering. BCBIO is one way for students to avoid surrendering either interest.

For a diverse learning experience. The large group of participating faculty provides students with a multidimensional perspective and a broad range of possibilities to get involved in research.


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What type of student would probably be successful? The student should have an interest and competence in a quantitative

science--computer science, mathematics, statistics, or engineering.

The student must hold a fascination with biology, for it is biology that motivates all the problems of bioinformatics.

Good communication skills and patience are essential because the student will need to communicate with both quantitative scientists and biologists, who speak very distinct languages. It can take years to build an interdisciplinary team able to solve one bioinformatics problem.

The student must be a strong problem-solver and be creative, as s/he will need to make connections between disciplines that traditionally don’t overlap and are largely taught in isolation. Most courses in the program are pure discipline courses.


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What are the requirements?In addition to degree requirements in the LAS Curriculum, BCBIO majors must satisfy the following

requirements:• Complementary Courses for the BCBIO Major (34 cr)

1. Chemistry (177, 177L, 178) or (201, 201L) and 331.2. Physics 221.3. Statistics (330 or 341) and 430.4. Biology 211, 211L, 212, 212L and 314.

• Core Courses within the BCBIO Major (48 cr)1. Genetics 313, 313L and 409.2. Computer Science 227, 228, 363, and 330 (or Cpr E 310).3. Mathematics 165, 166, 265 and (307 or 317).4. BCBIO 110, 211, 401, 402.5. BCBIO 490 or 491 (3 cr)

• Bioinformatics Support Electives: 3-9 credits to be chosen from:BCB 495, 539, 542, 548, 549, 550, 551, 593, 594, 596, 597Physics 222BBMB 404, 405Biology 315, 423, 462, 465, 472Genetics 340, 410Statistics 342, 402, 416, 432, 480Computer Science and Cpr E courses at the 300 level and aboveMathematics 266, 304, 314, 385, 471, 481.


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LAS College Requirements Foreign language Library 160 English composition: 150, 250, (312 or 314) Arts and Humanities (12 cr) Social Sciences (9 cr) Courses must include one satisfying a U.S. Diversity and

one satisfying an International Perspective requirement


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What courses are good for “sampling” this major?The program is fully aware that many students do not know what BCBIO

really is. Built into the requirements is an orientation course. It also brings together students who may not otherwise share many courses together.

BCBIO 110. BCBIO Orientation (1-0) Cr. 0.5. F. First 8 weeks. Orientation to the area of bioinformatics and computational biology. For students considering a major in BCBIO. Specializations and career opportunities. Offered on a satisfactory-fail grading basis only.

BCBIO 211. Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. (3-0) Cr. 3. S. Overview of bioinformatics and computational biology. Database searching, sequence alignment, gene prediction, RNA and protein structure prediction, construction of phylogenetic trees, comparative and functional genomics.


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Graduate Study in BioinformaticsMany students will continue to graduate school, whether for a masters or

a doctoral degree.

There seems to be a fair demand for M.S. level bioinformaticians in industry.

The highest paying jobs often are for people with a Ph.D.


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What are the career possibilities for graduates? Academia. There is increasing demand for bioinformaticians in

academia. To prepare for such careers, students would continue to graduate school for a Ph.D.

Biotechnology industry. There is particular demand in biotechnology pertaining particularly to personal care, industrial organisms, and agriculture. This includes jobs in Iowa.

Pharmaceutical industry. Designer drugs and predicting the in vivo effect of drugs in silico are two major, and still largely untapped possibilities for the pharmaceutical industry where bioinformaticians could have a role to play.


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Medzilla.com Biospace.com Jobsonline.com Bioplanet.com Bioinformatics.fr Biohealthmatics.com

Job Search Webpages


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Biological knowledge Database: SQL server, Oracle, Sybase,

Mybase, CORBA, Perl, Java, C, C++, web scripting

Genomic sequence analysis Molecular modeling tools Good bridge between molecular

scientists and computer scientists Filter information, data mining

What do current job ads seek?


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Is there a minor?

No. Not yet.


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Summary and Conclusion

Bioinformatics is an exciting, relatively new discipline (10 B.S. programs in 2003) that many believe will be part of the foundation for the “century of biology.”

Students are required to show skills in mathematics, statistics, computer science, and biology.

Documents

* Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Undergraduate Major