Interdisciplinary project

Hands-on experience in bioinformatics and genomics data processing using real-world data and addressing real world scientific questions is essential for any future computational biologist. Likewise, a computational biologist needs to be able to interface between two rather different disciplines: computer science and (molecular) biology. For this reason, it is important that a computational biologist is capable to communicate applied methodologies and research findings in a clear and concise manner to audiences of diverse backgrounds, both in oral and written form. Indeed, apart from being able to present the own work in a clear manner, it is also important to correctly describe it (e.g., in form of research articles, technical reports, dissertations, oral presentations at conferences, etc.).
Therefore, one objective of the course is to accompany the students during their practical experience with a scientific project in an interdisciplinary environment and provide a platform to practice the verbal and written communication skills required for scientific work. The students shall be supported in learning to effectively communicate methodological details of their work and obtained (intermediate) results, as well as discuss about further improvements and ideas. Both oral presentations and short written summaries of their work will help the students to prepare for writing and orally defending their Master's theses in the best way, which can improve their final grade.
Ideally, this course is thought to accompany the scientific project that the participants are executing (or will be executing) for their Master's theses, so that (apart from the preparation of a few oral presentations and short written summaries, thought and organized to be then reusable for the Master's thesis and its presentation) no additional practical work is required. Feedback provided on oral presentations and written communications will help the student to improve the final quality of his/her Master's thesis and of its defense. [Note: for its characteristics and aims, this course can be well associated with the extension of the Master's thesis; in this case it provides only the assessment of the corresponding 6 CFU, without requiring any request to, and approval by, the Study Plan Committee.]
For participants who instead wish to work on a project other than their thesis work, small alternative projects (possibly as group work) will be available (or can be developed jointly) during the course.

The objective of the course is to provide the scientific communication skills necessary for scientific work in an interdisciplinary environment, including both the verbal and the written communication of methodological details and obtained results of research projects, as well as the scientific discussion of possible research improvements.