4273π: bioinformatics education on low cost ARM hardware

Daniel Barker; DEK Ferrier; Peter W H Holland; JBO Mitchell; Heleen Plaisier; MG Ritchie; SD Smart

doi:10.1186/1471-2105-14-243

4273π: bioinformatics education on low cost ARM hardware

Daniel Barker, DEK Ferrier, Peter W H Holland, JBO Mitchell, Heleen Plaisier, MG Ritchie, SD Smart

School of Biological Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Background
Teaching bioinformatics at universities is complicated by typical computer classroom settings. As well as running software locally and online, students should gain experience of systems administration. For a future career in biology or bioinformatics, the installation of software is a useful skill. We propose that this may be taught by running the course on GNU/Linux running on inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer hardware, for which students may be granted full administrator access.

Results
We release 4273π, an operating system image for Raspberry Pi based on Raspbian Linux. This includes minor customisations for classroom use and includes our Open Access bioinformatics course, 4273π Bioinformatics for Biologists. This is based on the final-year undergraduate module BL4273, run on Raspberry Pi computers at the University of St Andrews, Semester 1, academic year 2012-2013.

Conclusions
4273π is a means to teach bioinformatics, including systems administration tasks, to undergraduates at low cost.

Original language	English
Article number	243
Number of pages	6
Journal	BMC Bioinformatics
Volume	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-14-243
Publication status	Published - 12 Aug 2013

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

BIOINFORMATICS
Raspberry Pi
Bioinformatics education
Teaching material
Linux

Access to Document

10.1186/1471-2105-14-243Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

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title = "4273π: bioinformatics education on low cost ARM hardware",

abstract = "BackgroundTeaching bioinformatics at universities is complicated by typical computer classroom settings. As well as running software locally and online, students should gain experience of systems administration. For a future career in biology or bioinformatics, the installation of software is a useful skill. We propose that this may be taught by running the course on GNU/Linux running on inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer hardware, for which students may be granted full administrator access.ResultsWe release 4273π, an operating system image for Raspberry Pi based on Raspbian Linux. This includes minor customisations for classroom use and includes our Open Access bioinformatics course, 4273π Bioinformatics for Biologists. This is based on the final-year undergraduate module BL4273, run on Raspberry Pi computers at the University of St Andrews, Semester 1, academic year 2012-2013.Conclusions4273π is a means to teach bioinformatics, including systems administration tasks, to undergraduates at low cost.",

keywords = "BIOINFORMATICS, Raspberry Pi, Bioinformatics education, Teaching material, Linux",

author = "Daniel Barker and DEK Ferrier and Holland, {Peter W H} and JBO Mitchell and Heleen Plaisier and MG Ritchie and SD Smart",

year = "2013",

month = aug,

day = "12",

doi = "10.1186/1471-2105-14-243",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

journal = "BMC Bioinformatics",

issn = "1471-2105",

publisher = "BioMed Central",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - 4273π: bioinformatics education on low cost ARM hardware

AU - Barker, Daniel

AU - Ferrier, DEK

AU - Holland, Peter W H

AU - Mitchell, JBO

AU - Plaisier, Heleen

AU - Ritchie, MG

AU - Smart, SD

PY - 2013/8/12

Y1 - 2013/8/12

N2 - BackgroundTeaching bioinformatics at universities is complicated by typical computer classroom settings. As well as running software locally and online, students should gain experience of systems administration. For a future career in biology or bioinformatics, the installation of software is a useful skill. We propose that this may be taught by running the course on GNU/Linux running on inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer hardware, for which students may be granted full administrator access.ResultsWe release 4273π, an operating system image for Raspberry Pi based on Raspbian Linux. This includes minor customisations for classroom use and includes our Open Access bioinformatics course, 4273π Bioinformatics for Biologists. This is based on the final-year undergraduate module BL4273, run on Raspberry Pi computers at the University of St Andrews, Semester 1, academic year 2012-2013.Conclusions4273π is a means to teach bioinformatics, including systems administration tasks, to undergraduates at low cost.

AB - BackgroundTeaching bioinformatics at universities is complicated by typical computer classroom settings. As well as running software locally and online, students should gain experience of systems administration. For a future career in biology or bioinformatics, the installation of software is a useful skill. We propose that this may be taught by running the course on GNU/Linux running on inexpensive Raspberry Pi computer hardware, for which students may be granted full administrator access.ResultsWe release 4273π, an operating system image for Raspberry Pi based on Raspbian Linux. This includes minor customisations for classroom use and includes our Open Access bioinformatics course, 4273π Bioinformatics for Biologists. This is based on the final-year undergraduate module BL4273, run on Raspberry Pi computers at the University of St Andrews, Semester 1, academic year 2012-2013.Conclusions4273π is a means to teach bioinformatics, including systems administration tasks, to undergraduates at low cost.

KW - BIOINFORMATICS

KW - Raspberry Pi

KW - Bioinformatics education

KW - Teaching material

KW - Linux

U2 - 10.1186/1471-2105-14-243

DO - 10.1186/1471-2105-14-243

M3 - Article

SN - 1471-2105

VL - 14

JO - BMC Bioinformatics

JF - BMC Bioinformatics

M1 - 243

ER -

4273π: bioinformatics education on low cost ARM hardware

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

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