Arabidopsis

C. elegans

Haverford College is fortunate to have been the recipient of a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to fund a development program for the faculty. The topic for the Fall 2001 semester was Bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics is the science of developing computer databases and algorithms for the purpose of speeding up and enhancing biological research. Bioinformatics is being used most noticeably in the Human Genome Project, the effort to identify the 35,000 genes in human DNA. New academic programs are training students in Bioinformatics by providing them with backgrounds in molecular biology and in computer science, including database design and analytical approaches.

The format of the course consisted of a Tuesday afternoon seminar for eleven weeks. Beginning October 9 the afternoon lectures were followed by hands-on workshops*. The afternoon seminars were open to the general public, while the evening workshops were limited to the seven enrolled faculty (the same seven people each week). The enrolled faculty came from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science. Expertise varied, which enhanced the opportunity to teach each other. The enrolled faculty continue to meet to develop course modules, research projects, and so on.

*The evening workshops are reserved for enrolled faculty.