Do you wonder how cancer researchers use computational tools in their search to prevent cancer and find cures?
Computational skills are increasingly important in nearly all fields of biomedical research at the Hutch and beyond. Coding for Cancer connects students with computational biologists, teaches hands-on skills, and show how coding and computational tools are used in cancer research. No prior coding experience is necessary. Participants will receive a $1000 award upon completion of the program. Participants will also receive a Credly badge to showcase the work they do during the program to learn the R coding language.
This program is a collaboration among science education staff and scientists who are active computational biology researchers.
Application Process
The application for the 2024 Coding for Cancer Program is closed.
The application must be submitted by 11:59 pm PT on March 31st, 2024. Recommendation forms will be due by 11:59 pm PT on April 5th 2024. Please apply early. A PDF preview of the application can be found here. Do not fill out the preview PDF, it will not count as an application submission.
Applicants Should
- Be entering 11th or 12th grade in the fall.
- Preferably live in Washington state.
- Be available for all of the program dates.
- Apply even if they have no coding experience.
This course will teach the R programming language and environment. The program will accommodate a range of prior knowledge, including those with no coding experience. We will work with students who do not have access to technology to gain the necessary equipment and internet for the duration of the program. Students will receive a $1000 award upon completion of the program.
The program is open to all students. We especially encourage applications from individuals furthest from opportunity, as described by NIH's Notice of Interest in Diversity.
Details
When: Monday - Friday, July 29th - August 23rd, 2024 from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm PT.
The first half of the program will have small-group and individual activities to learn the coding language and some cancer biology. The second half of the program will be focused on each students' research project.
Where: 100% virtual.
Why: You’ll have fun, learn a coding language, do hands-on activities, and meet great people!
How: Submit an application online. For the 2024 session, we have added a short Recommendation Form that your recommender/reference will be asked to submit on your behalf. We recommend students look over the Application Preview PDF before starting the application. Please do not fill out the Application Preview PDF, it will not count as an application submission.
Program Team
Katherine Brower
Lead Instructor
Katherine is from Seattle, WA, and graduated from the University of Washington where she majored in Microbiology and Japanese. She is currently a staff scientist in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington in the Wei Lab (Northwest Genomics Center). Her work collaborates with the All of Us program which focuses on increasing diversity in health database data by sequencing and genotyping 1 million Americans from different ethnic groups. This data aims to find potential disease-causing variants, develop treatments, and potential disease prevention in the future. In her free time, she enjoys skiing, hiking, and biking.
Matthew Chan
Lead Instructor
Matthew is a postdoctoral fellow at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center. His research involves using biophysical, genomic, and computational techniques to investigate protein structure and dynamics and its implication to human diseases. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois where he did his graduate research in computational biophysics and molecular modeling. Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing piano, badminton, and biking.
Coding for Cancer is made possible in part by Pathways to Cancer Research (R25CA221770), a Youth Enjoy Science Award (YES/CURE), from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)