Unique Interdisciplinary Features of the Curriculum

COB Research Seminar: The four-semester COB Research Seminar course is a distinctive educational experience. This course is flexible in structure and adaptive in its content reflecting the fluid and multifaceted nature of contemporary computational biology. Each of the four semesters contains two to four modules, each focusing on one of the key research themes of the program. To build an in-depth understanding of the topic, the modules begin with reading/discussion of an introductory-level article on a cutting-edge topic featuring an integrated look at the basic biological/chemical/neural and computational concepts underlying the topic, followed by more advanced research reading and discussion. These fundamental concepts and computational methodologies may recur across research themes. Consideration of such commonalities is used to develop a rich understanding of the breadth of computational biology.

Crossover Courses: Students are required to take two courses from partner departments other than their own home department. These crossover courses are intended to broaden the interdisciplinary training of COB students.

Laboratory Rotations and Faculty-Guided Independent Study: Rotations provide a firsthand experience with cutting-edge research in computational biology and help students identify faculty with whom they may wish to work on their dissertation. Partner departments that do not offer laboratory rotations attain the same goal with independent study credits focused on cutting-edge topics relevant to computational biology. These rotations/guided studies provide a direct experience of ongoing research in computational biology.

COB Colloquium/Student Seminar: The COB Colloquium series comprises approximately seven 90-minute presentations per semester by COB faculty, COB students, and invited external speakers. Each speaker provides an article title (either upon which the presentation is based or a background article) that COB students are required to read prior to the colloquium. In addition, the speaker is paired with a host. The one-hour presentation is followed by a half-hour discussion among the students and the speaker, coordinated by the speaker’s host. The colloquium provides COB students with a survey of research across the COB program and in the broader community.