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June 21, 2007

New major in bioinformatics and computational biology approved by Regents

Demand has exploded in recent years for individuals trained in bioinformatics and computational biology as huge amounts of data has been created through the advances of genome sequencing.

The number of trained individuals entering the job market in both the public and private sectors however hasn't come close to meeting the demand.

A new B.S. program in bioinformatics and computational biology (BCB) offered by Iowa State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will attempt to meet some of that demand.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, approved the new major this summer. The program, which will begin this fall, will be administered jointly by the Departments of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology; Computer Science; and Mathematics, and is one of the few such undergraduate academic programs in the nation.

"Iowa State has a tremendous reputation in bioinformatics and computational biology," said Martin Spalding, professor and chair of the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology. "This major will continue to attract students because of that reputation."

Iowa State currently offers a graduate degree in bioinformatics and computational biology, an interdisciplinary science at the interfaces of the biological, informational and computational sciences. The science focuses on a variety of topics including gene identification, expression and evolution; RNA, protein, and genome structure; and molecular and cellular systems and networks.

Stephen Willson, professor of mathematics and chair of the BCB Curriculum Committee said that in the past, students usually didn't study all the subjects which were needed for the graduate degree. Instead, they would study biology and then tried to learn the mathematics, computer science and statistics separately.

"We think it is easier for students to learn about computational sciences and biology at the same time instead of training a biologist to become a computational scientist," Spalding said. "The way people in these areas talk, and think, is very different.

"It's going to be a lot easier to learn two disciplines together instead of being retrained."

The three LAS academic departments involved in the new major have discussed creating the program in the past. The success of Iowa State's graduate program in BCB led naturally to the idea of establishing an undergraduate program as well.

Like its graduate counterpart, the new B.S. in bioinformatics and computational biology, is one of the few in the country. The three academic departments anticipate the major will attract students nationwide.

Student demand has also been on the increase and organizers anticipate between 100-150 majors will be enrolled in the program within five years.

Students enrolling in the program will take required coursework that will provide them with the foundation in basic life sciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics, chemistry and physics that is essential for professions involving modern biological/biomedical sciences.

Willson says students will develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, writing, and research-related activities in the biological sciences.

Graduates of the program will be trained to solve biological problems using techniques that include applied math, informatics, statistics, computer science, chemistry, artificial intelligence and biochemistry.