Evolutionary Tree Demonstration

Exploring Computational Phylogeny through a hands-on activity.

Bioinformatics is an underrepresented career and field of study in my school, especially among those interested in computer science and machine learning. As someone who has been running a computational biology blog for over 2 years, I organized a seminar to teach people about the rise in high throughput data collection and the applications of computer science within biology. Hands-on learning was emphasized through a coding activity that had participants work with sequencing data.

More than 60 kids created their own animals and explored their evolutionary histories when we brought the demo to Hammarskjold Upper Elementary School. Our demo was accessible through a QR code which allowed for greater interactivity. 100% of parents said their children were highly engaged and learned something new when interviewed.

All the code used is accessible here: Evolutionary Tree App

About

Impact

Bioinformatics Career Seminar

Opportunities in biotechnology for high schoolers interested in computer science

Computational Phylogeny is a field that centers around using computers to determine the relationships between organisms. Animals are recognizable and evolutionary trees provide an amazing visual for young learners to visualize algorithms. Therefore, we designed an evolutionary tree demo to help middle school and elementary school students explore the intersection of technology and science.

About

Impact

Around 15 students attended the in-person seminar after school and countless students completed the bioinformatics coding activity. Teachers and students were highly engaged and remarked that the seminar was insightful.