Success in a bioinformatics course requires a base of skills and background knowledge. Although most third-year biology students should have this base, most students could benefit from a little review. The links on this page refer you to introductory materials on subjects we believe are critical prerequisites for this course. We have carefully selected these teaching materials for their quality and relevance.

Part of the design of BIOL 497 this semester is to do some diagnostic testing at the beginning of the course, then allow participants time to review material that they have forgotten, or didn't have an earlier opportunity to learn. The tutorials on this page are part of that process. And of course, feel free to return to these tutorials at any time during the semester if you feel the need to brush up on one of these subjects.

U. Arizona chemistry tutorial

Biochemistry/basic chemistry tutorials.

Protein structure tutorials - Curtin University

Solid introduction to amino acids and proteins.

Peptide Bond Tutorial - U. Kansas

Uses RASMOL or Protein Explorer software to display 3D molecules.

Protein Structure Tutorials - Massey U.

From New Zealand.

Chemistry Hypermedia Project

Very student friendly general chemistry introduction.

Organic Chemistry Resources Worldwide

More advanced, includes tutorials on nucleic acid biochemistry.

The Wired Chemist

Organic chemistry European style.

Basics of Using a Computer - Virginia Tech

Very well designed.

Intro to Basic Computing - downloadable pdf

Excellent introductions for Mac or PC. Other stuff, too.

Online Source for Simulations in Evolution

Outstanding site.

Kimball’s Biology Pages

For a more basic introduction.

Bare Bones 101

Excellent tutorial by a librarian.

Basic Boolean

Nicely illustrated primer on searching with Boolean operators.

Medical informatics at NLM

Overview of week-long medical informatics course.

Journal of Online Mathematics & its Applications

Links to tutorials at all levels.

Statistics tutorial - Alan Dix

Introduction to statistics and probability.

Stat intro - NASA

Not rocket science despite the name.

Probability Tutorials

Excellent tutorials for teachers.

DNA from the Beginning - Cold Spring Harbor Lab

Outstanding primer.

MIT's Biology Hypertextbook

Comprehensive and useful throughout the course.

Ergito Online Publisher

Commercial textbook site. Has been free with registration.
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