Dear all, I hereby want to draw your attention to two of the Edinburgh Genomics workshops that are currently open for registration. Both workshop are aimed at absolute beginners and provide a good introduction into bioinformatics and programming, respectively: *Linux for Genomics, 25 January 2016* Genomic studies produce vast amounts of data, usually in the form of very large text files. Linux is particularly suited to working with such files, and is therefore arguably one of the most important tools in a bioinformatician’s toolkit. The Linux command line enables one to view, filter and manipulate large text files that are difficult or impossible to handle with applications like Word or Excel, write pipelines to perform certain tasks and run bioinformatics software for which no web interface is available. In this workshop we will provide a basic introduction to Linux, covering the most used commands, followed by an introduction to several popular command-line tools that were especially developed for genomics (e.g. samtools and bedtools). The workshop will be mostly hands-on. In the tutorials genomic data and file formats commonly used in genomics (e.g. BED, FASTA, FASTQ, GFF/GTF, SAM/BAM, VCF) will be used. For more information: https://genomics.ed.ac.uk/linux-genomics *Introduction to Python for Biologists, 15-19 February 2016* Python is a dynamic, readable language that is a popular platform for all types of bioinformatics work, from simple one-off scripts to large, complex software projects. This workshop is aimed at complete beginners and assumes no prior programming experience. It gives an overview of the language with an emphasis on practical problem-solving, using examples and exercises drawn from various aspects of bioinformatics work. The workshop is structured so that the parts of the language most useful for bioinformatics are introduced as early as possible, and that students can start writing plausibly-useful programs after the first few sessions. After completing the workshop, students should be in a position to (1) apply the skills they have learned to tackling problems in their own research and (2) continue their Python education in a self-directed way. For more information: https://genomics.ed.ac.uk/introduction-python-biologists Cheers, Bert -- Bert Overduin, PhD TRAINING AND OUTREACH BIOINFORMATICIAN Bert.Overduin@ed.ac.uk EDINBURGH GENOMICS The University of Edinburgh Ashworth Laboratories The King's Buildings Charlotte Auerbach Road Edinburgh EH9 3FL Scotland, United Kingdom tel. +44(0)1316507403 http://genomics.ed.ac.uk The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336.