Programming in Biology I is an introduction to programming from a Biology perspective. Programming in Biology II continues with applications to different aspects of modern biology, including examples from recent research.
There are no grades at the end, but you will be expected to write and hand in a number of programs, and participate in class discussions throughout. Full attendance is required to complete the course.
Programming in Biology I will run on May 26th and May 27th in KOL G 217 (main building), and on June 2nd and June 3rd in SOE-E-02 (Schoenberggasse 11).
Programming in Biology II will run on June 16th, 17th, 23th and 24th in SOE-E-02 (Schoenberggasse 11).The times on each day are 9:15-17:15 with a lunch break from 12:45-13:45.
You will need your own laptop for the course. You will use it most of the time, so please don’t forget your power supply.
Please install the necessary software (details here) in advance, as there will be not be enough time during the course. All the software needed is free.
For programming in Biology I, no previous programming experience is required. For this introductory course we strongly recommend that you purchase the Hello World book in advance. That is the only recommended purchase. For programming in Biology II this purchase is not needed.
Our textbook for programming will be Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners. Do not be fooled by the title and appearance of this book. As an introduction to programming concepts, Hello World is as thorough as any text being used for introductory computer science. The first one-third of Hello World explains Python beautifully, and we will not repeat any of it in these pages. Instead, we will just add a few more examples and problems, to help gain a little more experience and prepare for the biology problems that come later.
Specifically, we will work with chapters 1-5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 13 during the course. Chapter 21, 22, and 23 are for reference and chapter 14 and 15 are recommended for future reading for those who plan to construct more elaborate programs.
There are many programming introductions using Python. Two well-known books, available free online, are The Art and Craft of Programming and Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist. The official Python Tutorial is not advised as an introduction, as it written for programmers experienced with other languages.
This course also has an OLAT site. It contains for example some presentations.
A forum is available to discuss programming in Biology. Feel free to post in English or German. You are also welcome to contact either of us.