Ed Himelblau was a cartoonist before he learnt to write code. Now, the geneticist hopes his drawings will help others who embrace bioinformatics later in their careers.
My career began in the early 1990s, when computers were just a convenience in the biological sciences. Now, they’re an indispensable tool of discovery. The final year of my PhD in plant genetics, in 2000, saw the publication of the, and the sudden availability of a trove of information that could be accessed only through a computer terminal.
I’m often asked: what is the best way to make progress? My answer is, stand next to someone who knows what they are doing.Imagine it: you stand a metre behind a colleague who is staring intently at their monitor. They sense you, look up from their work and warmly say, “You seem to want some help. Take a seat!” Actually, this never happens. Nevertheless, nothing increases your likelihood of making progress more than proximity to someone with more coding experience than you.
It’s a nice goal to work towards code that is refined to be concise and comprehensible, will work on others’ computers and will avoid redundant computational operations. However, while you’re learning, worrying too much about beauty can hold you back. Most of my code is cobbled together.In 2013, I did an internship with a plant-evolution research group that was entirely computational — no pipettes, bottles or plants — and it was an exciting experience.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Op-Ed: After 2021 tumult, here’s what it will take to protect American democracy'Those who would tear down our democratic traditions are a minority in this country, but a focused one. To defend against this deepening threat, Americans, regardless of party, will have to respond with greater fervor and dedication,” writes Nils Gilman.
Read more »
Radio Astronomers Spot Bipolar Outflow from Centaurus A’s Supermassive Black Hole | Sci-News.comAstronomers using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope have produced the most comprehensive image of radio emission from 'bubbles' ejected by an actively feeding black hole in Centaurus A.
Read more »
The Devastating Decline of a Brilliant Young CoderSubscriber Exclusive: Lee Holloway's personality was consistent for decades—until it wasn't. It took years of detective work to figure out why he became unrecognizable. (From 2020)
Read more »
Instagram’s Favorite New Yorker Cartoons of 2021As the year winds down, I’m noticing that I encountered several topics that we touched upon in our most popular cartoons. This is all quite suspicious.
Read more »
Get Referrals for your SaaS Product Easily by Following this Guide | Hacker NoonGet referrals for your product without asking by leveraging word of mouth marketing. Focus on creating customer evangelists.
Read more »