Achievement

IGERT trainees, Eric Franzosa and Jignesh Parikh co-taught BF527 (Applications in Bioinformatics) in Fall 2009. The course is an introduction to bioinformatics for non-majors and an opportunity for IGERT trainee instructional experience. The class is very diverse with undergraduates, graduate students, and medical fellows. Franzosa and Parikh had full autonomy in course design and instruction. They developed the curriculum, created material for and instructed each lecture and lab, wrote and graded all exams and assignments, and mentored students during office hours. Both IGERT trainees are interested in teaching, and as Franzosa stated, "preparing this course and holding primary instructional responsibility were major learning experiences which cemented my interest in a future career in education, preferably at the college level." One undergraduate from the class was accepted to the Bioinformatics Masters program, another is actively using methods from the course in her research.