BEST Virtual Summer Institute 2020: Topics in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics

Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center

July 27 – 29, 2020

PSC’s 14th Annual BEST Summer Institute will go virtual for 2020. It will be held Monday July 27 through Wednesday July 29 using the Zoom platform.

The BEST curriculum was developed in collaboration with teachers as an introduction to bioinformatics and is now being offered in over 15 local high schools. The purpose of this workshop is to present critical topics and new tools in the field. Teachers will receive useable lessons and classroom activities that can be used as curriculum supplements for any Biology classroom, including AP Biology, as well as updates to the current BEST curriculum.

We invite all secondary science, math and technology teachers to attend. As an actively evolving STEM area, course materials are updated every year.

Workshop Overview

Day 1 – DNA/Protein structure and function

  • Intro to Bioinformatics and overview of BEST curriculum
  • DNA structure and function tools
  • Protein production, structure and function

Day 2 – Intro to NCBI; Evolution, Genomics

  • General overview of NCBI
  • Introduction to Genome Data Viewer
  • Genomics topics

Day 3 – Sequence Analysis, Clinical Relevance

  • Application of the tools in real life
  • Sequence analysis
  • Evolution topics
  • Classroom exercises

Daily schedule:

8:00 – 10:00 Instruction and material review
10:00 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 12:30 Instruction and material review
1:00 – 3:00 Hands-on Exploration on your own with instructors available for questions

Registration

Registration is now closed.

Workshop Details

All materials are free to workshop participants. Teachers new to BEST will have access to the full BEST Bioinformatics curriculum. You will need a computer and internet access to participate.

ACT 48 hours will be provided to participants.

Questions?

Send email to eotinfo@psc.edu.