By Daniel Pye/pyed@gnnewspaper.com
While other students were worrying about getting a tan or going to the pool, Holy Angels Academy students Emily Deutschman and Katherine Spears were spending two weeks of their summer learning about the intricacies of computers.
The young women were two of 12 students to take part in the Eric Pittman Annual Summer Workshop in Computational Science, held at the University of Buffalo’s Center for Computational Research. The CCR is one of the nation’s leading academic supercomputing sites and a part of the university’s New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.
Deutschman, a junior from the Town of Tonawanda, said she learned about cutting-edge technologies she might have otherwise never been exposed to at Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus’ scientific facilities.
“The topics taught to us about genetics and technology were methods scientists have been using to crack some of the most difficult mysteries known to man,” Deutschman said. “When learning about genetics, we saw the importance of precision and accuracy.”
But no matter how precise the collected data is, it must be conveyed in a way that is useable. That’s where Web page design came into play, Deutschman said.
“As we continued to incorporate what we learned into making a Web page database, the complexity and different presentations of each group proved there were a plethora of ways of expressing the information.”
During the workshop, students learned the basics of bioinformatics, an emerging interdisciplinary research area dealing with the development of computer-driven approaches to aid in solving biological problems. In particular, they mastered Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), the major programming language used on the Internet.
Using HTML and other software, students learned the three components of bioinformatics: computer programming, database design and biology. Each group prepared a research project and presented it on the workshop’s last day.
“Participating in the workshop gave me an insight into the complexity of science and what I might be faced with if I choose to go into the field of medicine or another life science, “ Deutschman said.
Deutschman also gained a greater appreciation for the staff and facilities at UB, she said.
“The doctors and professors that taught us were genuine and unforgettable,” she said. “They truly cared about furthering our knowledge.”
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
