Bioinformatics Capstone: Big Data in Biology

In this course, you will learn how to use the BaseSpace cloud platform developed by Illumina (our industry partner) to apply several standard bioinformatics software approaches to real biological data. In particular, in a series of Application Challenges will see how genome assembly can be used to track the source of a food poisoning outbreak, how RNA-Sequencing can help us analyze gene expression data on the tissue level, and compare the pros and cons of whole genome vs. whole exome sequencing for finding potentially harmful mutations in a human sample. Plus, hacker track students will have the option to build their own genome assembler and apply it to real data!

• Use BaseSpace cloud platform to apply bioinformatics tools
• Apply genome assembly to trace food poisoning sources
• Analyze gene expression data with RNA-Sequencing
• Compare whole genome and exome sequencing for mutation detection
• Build and apply custom genome assembler on real data

• Basic familiarity with bioinformatics concepts and terminology
• Willingness to engage in applied exercises or case-based work