The Human Genome Project has transformed molecular biology into an exciting information science. New methods of computation are essential to obtain useful information from newly emerging data banks and resoursces. Content-based searches for proteins, genes, and other elements require large-scale modeling analysis and algorithm design.
The sharp rise in the biotechnology industry has stimulated a robust growth in occupational opportunites in Colorado and around the globe. The Center for Computational Biology (CCB) was formed to meet the challenges of this scientific frontier, which requires knowledge of biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and statistics. The center encompasses top faculty and resources devoted from the University fo Colorado to develop leadership in this field.
There is a growing need in biotechnology companies for professionals who can translate science into mathematics and computation, and the converse. Bio-scientists often are not familiar with computer technology at the depth needed for new discovery, and compu-technical people may not have an intense undersatnding of biology and other sciences. A translator like the Certificate in Computational Biology is needed to provide these skills.
Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Options for Bachelor Degree programs in Biology, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics are currently being developed and coordinated with the UCCS Ph.D. in Computer Science. Dr. Karen Newell on the Colorado Springs campus is the director of the Institute of Bioenergetics and director of the Undergraduate Certificate Program in Computational Biology.
CCB began in April 2001 and has grown in participants and in program development. The timing could not be better because the state of Colorado has issued its plan to "make the biosciences a key driver of Colorado's technology economy." CCB provides the academic base necessary for this growth, and we collaborate with key organizations: International Society for Computational Biology, Colorado Alliance for Bioengineering, Colorado BioScience Association, and the Colorado Institute for Technology.
