spring 2024
FSK-2053 Data science and bioinformatics for fisheries and aquaculture - 10 ECTS

Type of course

This is an elective course in the bachelor’s programme in Fisheries and Aquaculture science. The course is also available as a singular course.

Admission requirements

Higher Education Entrance Qualification (generell studiekompetanse) or prior learning and work experience (realkompetanse).

Application code (Nordic applicants): 9199

Recommended prerequisite: Broad knowledge about fisheries, aquaculture production and the biology related to these industries, e.g. from the FHV, or general biology from a biology programme, is an advantage. Some previous experience in programming languages (e.g. R) and as a user of Linux systems is also an advantage, but it is not required.


Course content

The objective of this course is to give students an understanding of how modern data science tools can be used to solve problems and provide solutions for fisheries, aquaculture, and biology. Practical knowledge and experience with data science tools are key in today’s science, industry, and management and a valuable skill to obtain. The course provides basic training in programming languages (R and BASH) and statistics. The students acquire skills and competence in the use of remote computing environments and online data resources.

The course focuses on illustrating how science, industry, and management can utilize data science to solve problems related to human impact and changing ecosystems. We will also introduce molecular genetics and ecological problems that can be solved with bioinformatics. The course will also include traditional statistical methods used in data science and we will learn ways to visualize results. The use and data mining from open-data platforms, such as BarentsWatch, NCBI Genbank and the BOLD database, will also be covered and used throughout the course to solve relevant problems.

The course is divided into two main modules: Data science and bioinformatics and includes theory and extensive hands-on practical sessions.


Objectives of the course

A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The candidate

  • understands the foundations of data science and its potential applications in biology, fisheries, and aquaculture
  • has broad knowledge of the importance of genetic and biodiversity information for the management of natural ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture
  • has knowledge on organizing and structuring different kinds of data to facilitate the analysis and inferring useful information

Skills:

The candidate

  • can write simple scripts to analyze and visualize data
  • can retrieve public data from on-line data repositories
  • can analyze genetic sequences using bioinformatics tools
  • can access remote servers and computing resources

Competence:

The candidate

  • can implement data science approaches to solve practical problems
  • can apply data science as a leveraging tool to address current societal challenges
  • can exchange opinions and experiences with others with a background in the field, thereby contributing to the development of good practice

Language of instruction and examination

Given the importance of English for data science and bioinformatics, the course will be taught in English. Some international public resources, databases and software tools will be used which are exclusively available in English. The students can use either English or Norwegian for writing their exercises and written home exam.

Teaching methods

The teaching will be a combination of theoretical lectures and extensive hands-on practical exercises, with seminars to discuss the applications of data science and bioinformatics to address the practical problems in aquaculture and fisheries. An important part of the sessions will be taught in the computing classroom, so the students can have access to online resources and tools. The course will also focus on learning academic methods in a student friendly environment.

Information to incoming exchange students

This course is available for inbound exchange students.

This course has academic prerequisites. Please see the «Admission requirements» section for more information.

Do you have questions about this module? Please check the following website to contact the course coordinator for exchange students at the faculty: INBOUND STUDENT MOBILITY: COURSE COORDINATORS AT THE FACULTIES | UiT


Schedule

Examination

Examination: Date: Weighting: Duration: Grade scale:
Off campus exam 24.05.2024 09:00 (Hand out)
31.05.2024 14:00 (Hand in)
1/2 7 Days A–E, fail F
Oral exam 1/2 30 Minutes A–E, fail F

Coursework requirements:

To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:

Assignments Approved – not approved
UiT Exams homepage

More info about the coursework requirements

Delivery of 8 assignments (individual submissions) in digital format, either the development of a short script or the result of a data analysis steps. Approved is required to write and defend Off campus exam.

More info about the oral exam

The written home exam will consist of a short report solving practical problems (as a group of two persons). The individual oral exam entails explaining the concepts used to solve the home exam and interpretations of scripts learned during the course.

Re-sit examination

There will not be a re-sit exam in this course.
  • About the course
  • Campus: Tromsø |
  • ECTS: 10
  • Course code: FSK-2053