Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Undergraduate
Undergraduate study
Undergraduate study in BCBio is jointly administered by the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, and the Department of Mathematics. The undergraduate B.S. degree is offered through the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology is an interdisciplinary science at the interfaces of the biological, informational and computational sciences. The science focuses on a variety of topics. These include gene identification, expression, and evolution; RNA, protein, and genome structure; and molecular and cellular systems and networks. The large group of participating faculty provides students with a multidimensional perspective on bioinformatics and computational biology and presents them with broad range of possibilities to get involved in research.
This major will prepare students for careers at the interfaces of biological, informational and computational sciences. BCBio graduates with a B.S. seeking direct employment will find ready markets for their talents in agricultural and medical biotechnology industries, as well as in academia, national laboratories, and clinics. Although some students find employment directly after their baccalaureate training, many students will continue their education in one of the many excellent graduate programs in bioinformatics and computational biology that now exist.
Participation in this field requires that students achieve a high level of competence not only in biology, but also in mathematics, computer science, and statistics. As a result, the program includes required courses from many different disciplines. Graduates demonstrate an above-average ability to synthesize methods from these different disciplines to solve problems.
In addition to basic degree requirements listed in the Curriculum in Liberal Arts and Sciences (www.las.iastate.edu/academics/generaleducation/), BCBio majors must satisfy the following requirements:
A. Complementary Courses for the BCBio Major (34 cr)
| One of the following | 12 | |
| General Chemistry I and Laboratory in General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II | ||
| Advanced General Chemistry and Laboratory in Advanced General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I | ||
| PHYS 221 | Introduction to Classical Physics I | 5 |
| STAT 330 | Probability and Statistics for Computer Science | 3 |
| or STAT 341 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics I | |
| STAT 430 | Empirical Methods for the Computational Sciences | 3 |
| BIOL 211 | Principles of Biology I | 3 |
| BIOL 211L | Principles of Biology Laboratory I | 1 |
| BIOL 212 | Principles of Biology II | 3 |
| BIOL 212L | Principles of Biology Laboratory II | 1 |
| BIOL 314 | Principles of Molecular Cell Biology | 3 |
| Total Credits | 34 | |
B. Core Courses Within the BCBio Major (48 cr)
| GEN 313 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| GEN 313L | Genetics Laboratory | 1 |
| GEN 409 | Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| COM S 227 | Introduction to Object-oriented Programming | 4 |
| COM S 228 | Introduction to Data Structures | 3 |
| COM S 363 | Introduction to Database Management Systems | 3 |
| COM S 330 | Discrete Computational Structures | 3 |
| or CPR E 310 | Theoretical Foundations of Computer Engineering | |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 265 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 307 | Matrices and Linear Algebra | 3 |
| or MATH 317 | Theory of Linear Algebra | |
| BCBIO 110 | BCBIO Orientation | 0.5 |
| BCBIO 211 | Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology | 3 |
| BCBIO 401 | Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology I | 3 |
| BCBIO 402 | Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology II | 3 |
| BCBIO 490 | Independent Study | 1-5 |
| or BCBIO 491 | Team Research Projects. | |
| Total Credits | 45.5-49.5 | |
C. Support Electives
3-9 credits to be chosen from the following list:
| BCB 593 | Workshop in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology | 1 |
| BCB 596 | Genomic Data Processing | 3 |
| PHYS 222 | Introduction to Classical Physics II | 5 |
| BBMB 404 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| BBMB 405 | Biochemistry II | 3 |
| BIOL 315 | Biological Evolution | 3 |
| BIOL 423 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 462 | Evolutionary Genetics | 3 |
| BIOL 465 | Morphometric Analysis | 4 |
| BIOL 472 | Community Ecology | 3 |
| GEN 340 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| GEN 410 | Analytical Genetics | 3 |
| STAT 342 | Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Statistics II | 3 |
| STAT 402 | Statistical Design and the Analysis of Experiments | 3 |
| STAT 416 | Statistical Design and Analysis of Gene Expression Experiments | 3 |
| STAT 432 | Applied Probability Models | 3 |
| STAT 480 | Statistical Computing Applications | 3 |
| MATH 266 | Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
| or MATH 267 | Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | |
| MATH 304 | Introductory Combinatorics | 3 |
| MATH 314 | Graphs and Networks | 3 |
| MATH 385 | Introduction to Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 481 | Numerical Methods for Differential Equations and Interpolation | 3 |
Com S and Cpr E courses at the 300 level and above.
D. The communications and English proficiency requirements of the LAS college are met by:
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| or ENGL 250H | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition, Honors | |
| And one of the following: | ||
| Report and Proposal Writing | ||
| Biological Communication | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
The lowest grade acceptable in ENGL 150 Critical Thinking and Communication, ENGL 250 Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition or ENGL 250H Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition, Honors is C-.
Courses primarily for undergraduate students
BCBIO 110. BCBIO Orientation.
(1-0) Cr. 0.5.
F.
First 8 weeks. Orientation to the area of bioinformatics and computational biology. For students considering a major in BCBIO. Specializations and career opportunities.
Offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only.
BCBIO 211. Introduction to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.
(3-0) Cr. 3.
S.
Perl programming, molecular biology, biological databases, sequence alignment, homology search, identification of sequence patterns, construction of phylogenetic trees, gene function prediction, gene structure prediction, genomic annotation and comparative genomics.
BCBIO 401. Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology I.
(3-0) Cr. 3.
F.
Prereq: 211 and basic programming experience (e.g. COM S 207, 208, 227 or permission of instructor)
Application of computer science to molecular biology. String algorithms, sequence alignments, indexing data structures, homology search methods, pattern recognition, fragment assembly, genome annotation, construction of bioinformatics databases, and gathering and distribution of biological information with the Internet.
BCBIO 402. Fundamentals of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology II.
(3-0) Cr. 3.
S.
Prereq: BCBIO 401
Genomics: Gene structure prediction, gene function prediction and comparative genomics. Post-genomics: Gene expression studies, DNA microarrays, next-generation sequencing of transcriptome. Structural biology: Protein and RNA structure predictions, structure representation, comparison and visualization. Systems biology: Signal transduction pathway inference, biological networks and systems.
BCBIO 442. Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Techniques.
(0.2-0.5) Cr. 0.5.
Repeatable, maximum of 2 credits. S.SS.
Prereq: BIOL 314 recommended
Modular minicourses consisting of guided tutorials and hands-on computer software exercises focused on fundamental problems, approaches, and software applications in bioinformatics and computational biology.
Offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only. Nonmajor graduate credit.
A. Sequence Database Searching (Module
A.
B. Protein Structure Databases, Visualization, and Prediction (Module
B.
C. Phylogenetic Analysis (Module
C.
D. Microarray Analysis Analysis (Module D)
BCBIO 444. Introduction to Bioinformatics.
(Cross-listed with BCB, CPR E, BIOL, COM S, GEN). (4-0) Cr. 4.
F.
Prereq: MATH 165 or STAT 401 or equivalent
Broad overview of bioinformatics with a significant problem-solving component, including hands-on practice using computational tools to solve a variety of biological problems. Topics include: database searching, sequence alignment, gene prediction, RNA and protein structure prediction, construction of phylogenetic trees, comparative and functional genomics, systems biology.
Nonmajor graduate credit.
BCBIO 490. Independent Study.
Cr. 1-5.
Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits. F.S.SS.
Prereq: BCBIO 211, junior or senior classification, permission of instructor
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may use no more than 9 credits of BCBIO 490 and 491 toward graduation.
BCBIO 491. Team Research Projects..
Cr. 1-5.
Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits.
Prereq: BCBIO 211, junior or senior classification, permission of instructor
Research projects in bioinformatics and computational biology done by teams of students.
Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences may use no more than 9 credits of BCBIO 490 and 491 toward graduation.