Course Description
Please join us for this free webinar series where FAES faculty expand on topics they teach in their FAES courses.
FAES Educational Webinar Series: Where Genomes Meet Computers: Explore the World of Computational Genomics
May 22, 2025 from 12 - 12:30pm ET
Location: Live Online (The link to join the webinar will be sent to you via email at 11am on May 22, 2025)
Speaker: Dr. Amanda Kowalczyk (BIOF 450, STAT 101, STAT 515)
It took over $3 billion and 13 years to sequence the first human genome. Today, we can sequence a genome in a single day for less than $1,000. That incredible technological advancement has led to the generation of petabases of genomic data every year, equivalent to sequencing millions of human genomes annually. Computational genomics, the process of analyzing these massive datasets, is the essential link that transforms the flood of raw information into usable insights to address human health challenges, agricultural inefficiencies, wildlife conservation, and more. In this webinar, we will discuss the breadth of topics under the computational genomics umbrella and how they connect to real-world innovations. Those interested in learning more should enroll in the course BIOF450 I Concepts and Methods in Computational Genomics running in our summer term from June 11 - July 29, 2025.
Dr. Amanda Kowalczyk holds a PhD in computational biology with a focus in genomics. She currently operates a statistics consulting firm and is the CEO and co-founder of a genetic engineering biotechnology start-up. Previously, she led a computational biology team performing genomics analyses focused on de-extincting the woolly mammoth. Prior to her work in industry, Amanda was a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, where she used evolutionary genomics to study the genetic underpinnings of mammalian traits relevant to human health. Her work has been published in journals including Science, eLife, Molecular Biology and Evolution, and Bioinformatics and has been cited over 1,300 times. Dr. Kowalczyk is passionate about engaging with and supporting the FAES learners who take the bioinformatics and statistics courses she teaches, BIOF 450, STAT 101, STAT 515.
Click here to view an archive of our past webinars, many with full recordings.
Join FAES for the Following Upcoming Events:
Diagnosing and Managing Diabetes: Where the Clinical Lab Meets Patient Care
June 12, 2025 from 11:45 – 1:00 pm ET (must arrive by 12PM)
Location: FAES Learning Labs Classrooms
Speaker: David Sacks, MB ChB, FACP, FRCPath, Senior Investigator and Chief of Clinical Chemistry, Department of Lab Medicine, Clinical Center
Diabetes is estimated to affect more than 500 million adults, half of whom are not diagnosed. The integral role of the clinical laboratory in both the diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes will be addressed using evidence-based guidelines.
Antibody Engineering in Medicine: Phage Display and Nanobodies
July 8, 2025 from 11:45 – 1:00 pm ET (must arrive by 12PM)
Location: FAES Learning Labs Classrooms
Speaker: Mitchell Ho, Ph.D., Senior Investigator, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NCI/ CCR
The lecture will introduce phage display technology and its application in developing nanobodies. Phage display is a high-throughput, cost-effective method for drug discovery. The Ho Lab at the NCI has constructed nanobody phage display libraries derived from sharks and camels, which possess unique features valuable for developing therapeutics to treat cancer, infectious diseases, and other human illnesses.
Virtual Information Session: FAES Fall Programming
July 10, 2025 from 12:00pm – 12:30pm ET
Location: Online Synchronous
Join the FAES Academic Programs Team to learn more about our Fall courses, workshops, and our scholarship program.
The Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) at NIH seeks to foster education and research in the biomedical sciences by providing instruction at the cutting edge of biological science and its evolving applications. Our goals also include responding to the educational and cultural needs of the NIH community and projecting FAES educational assets globally. All courses and workshops are open to the public. NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS FAES admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin, sex, disability, or age in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and other school-administered programs.
