As the East European Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics School (EEBG) 2024 approaches (the application deadline is May 15, so hurry if you’re interested!), we wanted to reflect on the transformative journey of Bioinformatics For Ukraine members at last year’s school in Chișinău, Moldova.
Over the course of two truly remarkable weeks, our participants attended inspiring keynote lectures by bioinformatic experts and engaged in various hands-on seminars on NGS data analysis, research best practices, and more. A notable highlight for many was working on collaborative projects: under the guidance of expert mentors Viorel Munteanu, Alexander Zelikovsky and others, the students were able to explore their chosen topics in depth. This dedication culminated in an impressive presentation of their project results at the closing ceremony, where the best teams were recognized with awards.
One particularly notable project involved an exploration into the intricate world of single-cell RNA sequencing data analysis. Our young scientists tackled a crucial step in the process: the selection of highly variable features. This step significantly impacts further clustering and visualization, yet there are few studies comparing the commonly used tools and methods. After the end of the school, the participants remained enthusiastic about the topic. 5 young researchers decided to collaborate, although 3 of them never met in person due to restrictions on the Ukrainian border that were invoked by the Russian invasion. Despite this major challenge, the development of the project resulted in a publication at the Scopus-indexed 11th International Conference on Applied Innovations in IT (ICAIIT) under the title “Scrutinised and Compared: HVG Identification Methods in Terms of Common Metrics”. We are immensely proud of our enthusiastic researchers and their ongoing contributions to science!
Now, here’s the exciting part: registration for EEBG 2024 is still open! This year’s event, hosted at Ștefan cel Mare University of Suceava (USV) from July 1st to 14th, promises to be even more spectacular. With 27 speakers from top universities worldwide, comprehensive training in bioinformatics skills, and a special focus on Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), EEBG 2024 is the place to be for learning and collaboration!
Do not miss this chance to advance your bioinformatics skills, work on fascinating projects, and collaborate with peers from around the world. Join us at EEBG 2024 for an unforgettable experience where education, innovation, and collaboration converge! See you there!