Exploring Patterns in Our DNA [F-18-26]

This presentation is a brief introduction to “bioinformatics.” Over the last 20 years, improvements in DNA-sequencing technologies have led to a flood of DNA sequence data generated by research labs, as well as from commercial personal genomics services such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com. In response to this influx of data, we have seen the rise of the field of “bioinformatics,” combining elements of biology and computer science. Our topics are: DNA and genome sequences in general; how bioinformatics approaches are used to explore those sequences; and ultimately, what they can tell us about who we are, and about the other species that share our world.

Susan Bailey is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Clarkson University, specializing in evolutionary biology and bioinformatics. She uses experiments with microbes and statistical comparisons of DNA sequences with computers to explore fundamental questions about how evolution has shaped the diversity of life we see in the world around us.

Cap: 50