Course Organization
Professor
-
Prof. Sorin Istrail (CIT 523)
- 401-863-6196
Teaching Assistants
- TA: Fumei Lam
- TA: Ryan Tarpine
Office Hours
- Sorin – Thursdays 2-3pm (CIT 523) or by appointment
- Fumei – Tuesdays 1-2pm (CIT 507) or by appointment
Contacting Us
Structure of the Course (tentative)
Homework
Homeworks will be assigned every other week. Towards the second half of the courses, homeworks will be assigned less frequently but will also be more involved. Homework problems will consist of a mix of general problems, programming assignments, problems related to the class project, and critical readings of research articles. Homeworks must be turned in on time and late submissions may be subject to penalties.
Programming may be done in Matlab, C/C++, Java, Mathematica, Python, or R.
Scribing/Class Notes
Each student is expected to scribe two lectures of class notes in LaTeX. The template for the scribe notes is located in the Class Notes section.
Projects
The list of suggested projects will become available on the project page.
There will be two presentations for the class projects, one during the middle of the term and one at the end of the term.
Grading
- Projects – 50%
- Homeworks – 25%
- Presentation – 15%
- Scribe Notes – 10%
Extra credit will be given for original contributions to research projects.
Course Resources
Web Site
Nearly everything you will need will be made available through the course web site, including TA notes, slides, homework assignments, tests, etc. Please check the web site regularly. The web site is located at: http://www.cs.brown.edu/courses/csci2950-l/
Books
- Principles of Population Genetics (Fourth Edition, 2007) Daniel L. Hartl and Andrew G. Clark
Prerequisites
The course is designed for graduate students and upper-level undergraduates. It is also open to Computer Science and Math students, as well as biological and medical students. Since the class will be comprised of students with a diverse background, homework and tests will involve general questions for all students as well as more in-depth questions, which you will be able to choose from in accordance with your particular background. While there are no formal prerequisites for the courses, you should have a strong background in at least one of these two areas. Please contact the professor if you are unclear as to whether you have the necessary prerequisites for the course.
Collaboration Policy
You may discuss the homework problems with other students or use other resources such as textbooks or the Internet. However, you must not obtain answers directly from anyone else. All homeworks will be submitted individually.
