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NUS Life Science Module Review: LSM2241 Introductory Bioinformatics

Contents:

Search methods(AND, OR… frequently used databases)

Sequence Alignment (Dynamic programming: global, semi-global, local)

Blast ( psi-blast being extremely important and frequently tested. Need to know the basic programming methodology behind. The standardised bit-score can be a source for calculation questions when it’s related to the amount of information provided.)

Sequence profiles

Molecular Phylogenetics(transition and transversion: a source for calculation questions. Character-based and distance-based methods: UPGMA is the most important one. Need to understand everyone of them.)

protein(Newman projection, Pymol(can write some simple Python programs for it, quite interesting))

basic homology modelling(RMSD calculation, Swiss Modeling)

pathways(notations on the pathway map)

Personal Genetics(maybe I can have my genome sequenced someday as well)

Assessment:

CA: easy to score

Practical Participation mark: be sure to come to the practicals every week. Plan your summer school, volunteer work and intern well to ensure that you can come back to Singapore before the first practical.

Personal essay: extremely hard. I spent days and nights on it for nearly a week.

Group essay: extremely hard. I spent days and nights on it for nearly a week.

Final: Open book:) Need to write very fast. Questions aren’t difficult but it’s hard to explain things in English. Can find good notes on Paperbaton.

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