Centre for Molecular and Biomolecular Informatics Radboud University, Toernooiveld 1, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, +31 (0)24-3653391, postmaster@cmbi.ru.nl

Between August 16 - 27 2004 the CMBI organizes an "introduction to bioinformatics" course. This course is intended for AIOs (or soon to be AIOs) who work or intend to start working in bioinformatics, or in genomics or related projects with a large bioinformatics component. The course will have a strong emphasis on protein sequences. It takes 10 full working days. This course is intended as a prelude to many other courses that are being organised in the Netherlands to teach students practical skills in the bioinformatical aspects of genomics. The following topics will be discussed:

• properties of amino acids and their relation to sequence characteristics
• sequence alignment
• sequence analysis
• multiple sequence alignment
• analysis of (multiple) sequence alignments
• secondary structure prediction
• sequence/structure/function relations
• phylogeny.

The purpose of the course is not to teach the students how to use software (except BLAST, CLUSTAL and SRS), but rather to explain principles needed to understand how software in the protein sequence field works. The course is available on an international basis. A clear understanding of the basic biological principles of protein sequences is required: DNA -> RNA -> protein; intron-exon; point mutations; protein trafficking; transcription; regulation; translation; post-translational modification; etc. Participants do not need to be computer whizzkids, but understanding WWW browsers and some experience with the Windows or Unix operating system is desirable.

The course is free, but students will have to pay for their own food, travel, and lodging. The course will be held at the CMBI in Nijmegen. Course teachers will be Gert Vriend and Celia van Gelder. Guest speakers will be announced later. A (100 page) course book will be made available when the course starts.

Course Material:

The course material is available on: http://www.cmbi.kun.nl/gvteach/bioinformatica1/summer.shtml

Dates:

Every day from Monday August 16, 2004 untill Friday August 27, 2004.
Hours: 10.00-18.00 hr, except for Monday 16 (start at 13.00 hrs) and Friday 27 (end at about 1500 hrs).

Reservations:

Reservations can be made preferably by electronic mail to our secretary, Barbara van Kampen bvkampen@cmbi.kun.nl.
Please provide her with the following information:

• Name.
• Address at work.
• E-mail address, phone and FAX number.
• A 10 line explanation why you want to participate.
• Your background (PhD student, manager in industry, etc.) and your field (molecular biology, pharmacology, etc.)
• The URL of your home page (if you have one).
• A list of five questions that you would like to be able to answer yourself after the course.

Location:

The CMBI is housed at the University of Nijmegen, Faculty of Science, along the Heyendaalseweg, near the Nijmegen Heyendaal railway station. Please notice that the campus is under construction. This map shows you the building area that is closed and how you can get to our building A1. The lecture room is "TK12" (N0009) in the faculty's main building (the large building facing you, when you enter the `Toernooiveld' square). Follow the signs "TK12" and "Summercourse Bioinformatics".

Hotel & Travel Information

List of Summer School Participants 2001

List of Summer School Participants 2002

List of Summer School Participants 2003

List of Summer School Participants 2004