Bioinformatics = the combination of biology and computer science.
If that interests you as a student, then go see Hershchell Emery, director of undergraduate curricula for life sciences, in the Eugene P. and Lois E. Trani Center for the Life Sciences.
“It’s the first undergraduate major in bioinformatics in Virginia,” Emery said. “There are probably about a dozen of these majors scattered around the U.S. It’s like biology in terms of careers that it might prepare you for. It’s a good way to prepare for a research career because you will actually have skills that traditional biology majors won’t have.”
After being approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in March 2004, four students are studying in the bioinformatics program, and Emery remains confident that more students will join the program.
Why?
Because bioinformatics represents the convergence of such traditional majors as biology and computer science or medicine and chemistry. Future students, he said, will need to be cross-trained in many areas of life sciences to perform their jobs well.
Since the term bioinformatics combines biology and computer science, the first three semesters of coursework closely resemble the biology major that consists primarily of sciences courses. Later, students are required to study courses in math, computer science and general electives.
Emery urges students to try the program if they are interested in any of the three bioinformatics tracks: biological/genomics, computational science, or quantitative/ statistics.
“For an undergrad they can get their bachelor’s,” he said. “If they really like it, and they want to get deeper into it the second semester in the junior year they can apply into the combined program. Then you can get both your bachelor’s and master’s in bioinformatics.”
Daniela Gregory, environmental studies graduate student, suggested that this program could help students prepare for the real world.
“It is very beneficial to offer it to students and have that option available for them,” Gregory said. “It will allow them to get their schooling out of the way and get on to a job right away.”
On the other hand, Jacqueline Norman, sophomore biology major, expressed mixed thoughts about the program.
“It’s a good idea as far as learning because you could never learn too much. But I think it would be a lot more challenging,” Norman said. “… I could see my grades going down in a couple of classes. Biology itself is very hard. Then they’re adding more to it, so I could see maybe it’s going to have its ups and downs.”
Nonetheless, Emery said the major prepares students for possible jobs in the biotechnological industry or the teaching field. He recommends that students unsure about the major enroll in the first bioinformatics course, an introductory course where they experience the subject in a basic and comprehensive manner.
Summer students can enroll in VCU’s Bioengineering and Bioinformatics Summer Institute, one of nine in the United States open to college students across the nation.