Bioinformatics.Org will be running an on-line version of the well-received, "Introduction to Bioinformatics Programming: Perl & R for Biologists, Level 1" (Open Source Bioinformatics for Researchers), and we're also pleased to introduce an advanced and extended version of the course. Please see the course descriptions below.

ON-LINE COURSE: Introduction to Bioinformatics Programming: Perl & R for Biologists, Level 1

Note that this is not a static tutorial but live instruction using interactive "webinar" software and voice conferencing that will closely replicate the on-site version of the course.

LOCALE: On-line (instructions will be given)

DATES: January 8-12, 2007

OVERVIEW:

This is an on-line course on the fundamentals of open-source programming. It will help biologists understand how and when to use standard programming methods to solve computational biology problems, whether sequence analysis, gene expression, mass spectrometry, or systems biology.

TOPICS:

The first part of the course will cover the basics of Perl, including installing and running simple Perl scripts; variables (scalars, arrays); variable interpolation; printing; string operations; mathematical, conditional and logical operators; file input/output; loops (if-then-else, for, while); list operations; regular expressions; and functions. BioPerl will also be introduced. Afterward, students will be assigned a Perl project.

The second part of the course will cover the basics of R, including installing and running R; understanding the R interactive environment; creating, storing and manipulating R data objects; reading data from files; applying built-in functions on data; for-loops; if-then-else statements; scripts; functions; and packages. Bioconductor will also be introduced. Afterward, students will be assigned an R project.

SCHEDULE:

The course will run during the week of January 8 with about 3 hours of instruction starting at 16:30 UTC each day.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

To find out more information on the course, including the registration process, please see the course schedule page: http://edu.bioinformatics.org/AB

ON-SITE COURSE: Advanced Bioinformatics Programming: Perl & R for Biologists, Level 2

LOCALE: Cambridge, Massachusetts
DATES: January 16-19, 2007

OVERVIEW:

This a *30+ hour* intensive course that will help biologists learn how to use Perl as a scripting language to automate certain tasks in their research, and how to use R as a statistical scripting language for data analysis. It includes an introduction to Perl and R, so it may be taken instead of "Introduction to Bioinformatics Programming: Perl and R for Biologists, Level 1," or as a refresher course on the basics. The course also covers advanced topics and projects, all in the context of biological research.

TOPICS:

Students will learn how to write Perl and R scripts using various data structures, loops and file I/O constructs. They will also learn scripting with the Perl DBI and how to write multi-function scripts and convert them into Perl modules and packages. Examples will include high-throughput BLAST output, BioPerl, MySQL database packages for Perl, Bioconductor packages for R, and Affymetrix CEL files.

SCHEDULE:

This course will run January 16-19 and will be divided into 8 sessions of approximately 3.5 hours each. Instruction and exercises will begin at 8:30 AM and end at 5:00 PM.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

To find out more information on the course, including the registration process, please see the course schedule page: http://edu.bioinformatics.org/AC