Genome Canada
APPLIED COMPUTATIONAL GENOMICS COURSE (ACGC)
Led by Dr. Brian Fristensky

WESTERN CANADA- JULY 14 TO JULY 20, 2009 -
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

EASTERN CANADA- AUGUST 25 TO AUGUST 31, 2009 -
Montreal, Quebec, Canada

www.gcbioinformatics.ca/training

Since 2003, the ACGC courses have helped laboratory biologists become power users of the latest software tools. Through mastery of fundamental bioinformatics skills, this week-long course enables working biologists to take charge of their data and their projects. The ACGC course utilizes a wide array of popular software, within the context of a portable and comprehensive bioinformatics system.

1. BIRCH (Biological Research Computer Heirarchy) (http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~psgendb):

o         Provides a complete bioinformatics suite for analysis of sequences, molecular markers, phylogenetic trees, mircoarrays, and data mining and management.

o         Automates use of a wide range of programs (for example, BLAST, FASTA, clustalw, Phylip and many others) through a highly accessible graphic interface.

o         Fosters a unique environment for experimentation with data.

2. The Bluejay genome browser (http://bluejay.ucalgary.ca/)

o         Creates a means for visualization of the wealth of information hidden within the complexity of the genomes.

o         Permits comparisons of the organization of two or more chromosomes.

o         Allows for visualization of hot spots of gene expression.

o         Facilitates the annotation of new genomes.

3. Genome Canada Bioinformatics Help Desk (http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/)

o         Beginner-level introduction to Perl scripting .

o         Gives consultation on bioinformatics problems on a fee-for-service basis.

o         Offers a repository of software.

o         Provides web tools, including BASys (Bacterial Annotation System), PlasMapper, BacMap CGView and others.

4. BioMoby (http://www.biomoby.org/)

o         Automatically discovers web services worldwide that work with almost any kind of biological data.

o         Facilitates the learning of Perl Scripts for leveraging web services for maximizing research outcomes.

o         Creates high-throughput data pipelines through implementation of the Taverna workbench.

Proficiency with bioinformatics tools raises the bar with success in pure and applied research activity, thesis supervisory roles, publication potential, career placement opportunities, and the viability of funding avenues.

After the course, attendees of the ACGC will have FREE internet access to all the Bioinformatics Platform tools and databases used in this course. All software is also freely downloadable.

Faculty

Faculty for the ACGC include some of the best recognized bioinformaticians from across Canada, including Drs. Christoph Sensen, Brian Fristensky, David Wishart, and Mark Wilkinson. Dr. Christoph Sensen was recently featured in international media for his breakthrough research on degenerative disorders linked to chronic wasting disease (CWD) in elk and Mad Cow Disease. Dr. Mark Wilkinson has recently been profiled in publications from a diverse range of international research organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Microsoft Research, and the National E-Science Centre of the UK for his groundbreaking work into data and knowledge representation in the biological sciences, and in cardiovascular research in particular. Dr. David Wishart has been actively involved in teaching and developing bioinformatics training programs across Canada and the United States for more than 10 years. He has published more than 150 papers on bioinformatics and various "omics!
 " technologies. Dr. Fristensky has been a contributor to the fields of bioinformatics and plant molecular biology since the early 1980's. Publications span a range of interests, including resistance to biotic and abiotic stress in crops, software for DNA and protein sequence analysis, management of biological databases, and improving software usability in bioinformatics.

Registration and further information

Early Bird enrolment in the week-long course extends now to June 1, 2009 for the Calgary course and to July 1, 2009 for the Montreal course, at a reduced fee of $1,250 Cdn. for Canadian participants and $1,500 Cdn. for international participants.

To register, and for further information, please visit our website at www.gcbioinformatics.ca/training

Enquiries can be made to Susanne Cardwell in Canada at 403-210-6661, email smcar...@ucalgary.ca

Also, it would be greatly appreciated by BIP if you would consider sending out this message to your mailing lists and/or posting the information on your websites (a sponsorship agreement can be arranged for interested parties).