Introduction to programming in Life Science using Python

• understand the basic philosophy behind programming and apply it when considering possibilities in the language and in structuring code.
• analyze a simple (programming) problem and ascertain its components.
• design the structure of a program.
• implement a worked out design.
• analyze a program and based on its behavior, locate and eradicate errors.
• demonstrate and explain basic python syntax, basic data structures and 30-40 Python methods/functions.
• recognize patterns in data files for the purpose of extracting information.
• understand the purpose and value of comments in the program, and apply (write) them in all code.
• adhere to basic principles in good programming practice, like evaluating the appropriateness of variable/object names and avoiding obfuscating code.
• explain how some common life science concepts and methods translate into programming.
• be familiar with and able to parse common file formats used in life science.
• implement some common algorithms used in life science.

This course provides an introduction to programming in life science using the Python language following basic programming principles and good programming practices. Various looping and control structures, built-in data and container types (lists and dictionaries) and basic pattern recognition are covered. As an example, common file formats in life science are parsed and manipulated. A large part of the course is spent on peer-evaluated exercises which are integrated with the lectures.

Lectures with weekly exercises