Course Description

Course Name:	C4 - Software Development in the Life Sciences Domain
Time & Date:	6:00 - 9:00 PM, Monday , March 26
Location:	Holiday Inn Select Hotel, 15 Middlesex Canal Park Road, Woburn, MA
Speaker:	John Battles

Overview

This course/lecture is designed to provide software engineers with the basic principles needed to be successful when working in the science domain. This is not a sciences primer course, rather a course designed to enable the engineer to better understand the domain they are working in.

Proposed Course/Lecture Outline

Understanding how scientists work

The scientific method
A day in the life of a scientist
Example experiments

How software is impacting the lab today

Electronic Notebooks
LIMS
Registration Systems
Inventory Systems
Robotic Automation
Database Systems

Working with Scientists

Engineering for the unknown
Understanding data relationships

DNA -> Genes -> RNA -> Protein -> Phenotype

Cells -> Drug (Chemical Compound)-> Toxicity ->

Enzymology

Metabolic Pathways

Classification & Population Studies

Chemistry

Methods vs Results
Exceptions are the rule

What to do with the data

Visualization
Measurement
Interpretation
Tracking
Storage
Mining

Regulations

FDA (21 CFR)
GLP
Discovery vs. Clinical

Working with open source tools & government databases

The software

Tools vs. product
Software life cycle management
Performance
Security

Conclusion

Lessons learned
What makes a successful product
How to get started
What to do if you’re stuck

John Battles Biography:

John Battles holds a MS in biochemistry from Purdue University and has 15 years of experience as a software development leader. John’s career has been centered on the creation of software systems in the area of scientific software. During his career John has lead the development of software systems which aid in the identification of gene drug targets, speed up the human genome project, help scientists use laboratory robotics in coordinated systems to automate experiments, and facilitate the move of scientists from using paper to document their work using electronic notebooks. John has a solid understanding of life science and the SDLC. John has experience around how laboratory scientists work to generate and analyze scientific data and the development of software to support and further this work. Currently John is working on developing software to support next generation whole genome research as a software development manager at Knome, Inc.

Decision (Run/Cancel) Date for this Courses is Thursday, March 15, 2012

FEES

Payment received by March 12: IEEE Members $75

Payment received by March 12: Non-members $85

Payment received after March 12: IEEE Members $85

Payment received after March 12: Non-members $95