Cohort Five
February 2022 - May 2022
Participants
Alunga Maxwell Booker
Bachelor of Science Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology
The Bioinformatics Incubation program offered a well-detailed introduction to Bioinformatics. Interacting with successful scientists has motivated me to keep moving forward as a scientist. This program has been a great learning experience, the skills I have gained can attest to the expectations I had at the beginning, and the tools and resources are all up to date and easily accessible. The hands-free approach to teaching has allowed me to work within an HPC, understand some Programming languages, and Making use of Biological Databases, and so on. I have also learned how to communicate effectively, work in a team collaboratively, exchange ideas, and gain new insights from my supervisors and colleagues. I did a mini-project on the analysis of data Sequenced using Next Generation Sequencing Techniques in which I applied most of the above skills. Working on this project was an opportunity for me to obtain a hands-on experience in NGS data analysis. I would like to thank everyone who participated in creating this opportunity, it is a door to career growth for young scientists in the future and a wonderful program with no faults. I thank Dr. Caleb Kibet, Ruth Nanjala, Pauline Karega, and other trainers for their dedication to training and mentoring us.
Rodney Omukuti
Bachelor of Science Biology (Zoology)
Pwani University
With a background in biology, I was exposed to the broad disciplines of plant and animal sciences which endowed me with theoretical understanding and practical skills in routine microbiology, genetics, and molecular biology. I consequently developed a passion for these fields and invested time in online courses on bioinformatics e.g., Introduction to Linux for Biologists (Future Learn), and Introduction to R among others, which made me apply for the Bioinformatics Internship and Incubation Program at ICIPE. The program is well structured offering a good mastery of concepts, personal and professional growth, hands-on experience through mini-projects, and scientific communication. Following the engagements during the internship, I have resolved to pursue a career utilizing genomic approaches to understand and conserve the environment and biodiversity. Many thanks to the organizers, trainers, and the MBBU at large.
Sharon Watiri
Bachelor of Science Biology (Zoology)
Pwani University
The Bioinformatics incubation and mentorship program was educative and very informative. The exposure, the skills, and the lessons learned are very useful in my career journey as a budding scientist. The mode of learning was perfect for capturing the students’ curiosity and the recourses provided made self-study a smooth ride as well. Through the program, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of various topics I had challenges with, and access to a wide range of resources and technical support made learning easy. My sincere gratitude to the organizers for giving me an opportunity to be part of the training. I now have a clearer picture of the career path I want to embark on and would definitely recommend this program to aspiring Computational biologists and Bioinformaticians. Special thanks to Dr. Caleb Kibet and the whole Bioinformatics team for their generous support and contribution to the success of the program.
Dennis Kinyugo
Bachelor of Science Computer Science
Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology
Coming from a Computer Science background, the Bioinformatics Internship program gave me a unique chance to learn how computation is applied in biological sciences. I got to the opportunity to work on exciting projects ranging from phylogenetics to pangenomic analysis. The hands-on quality training offered by well experienced trainers gave me the necessary knowledge to familiarise with biological computation. From the internship I gained professional skills that will further my career and propel me towards my goal of become an AI research scientist. My deepest gratitude goes to the entire MBBU department for granting me that unique opportunity and for their mentorship and unwavering support throughout the internship.
Audrey Oronda
BSc. Biotechnology
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
My expectations from this program was to gain basic practical skills on bioinformatics and form collaborations with other scientists. Coming from a biotechnology background which is a very diverse course, I approached this program with a diverse mindset and get to know how i can align my scientific interests with biotechnology. I learnt on specific biology areas like phylogenetics, next generation sequencing just to mention a few. Also, I got to explore more on computational biology(R, Python and Bash) which was a plus from my side as I had very little knowledge on this area. I was able to analyse real data using computer knowledge. Something I greatly appreciate about the program is the ability to develop us theoritically and hands on so that we may be able to experience what life as a bioinformatician really is in terms of challenges and achievements too. I also cannot fail to mention the soft skills gained during this program which will be of help as a young scientist. Now I can say I got a pretty clear path on what I would love to focus as I got to understand how my interests (malaria genomics, transgenics) could blend with bioniformatics. Thank you to the entire MBBU and the head Dr. Caleb Kibet for the patience and the guidance throughout thie program.
Projects
Mining Arboviruses sequences from East Africa
This project aims to fetch arbovirus data from East Africa and analyze trends by mapping the sequence data and research...
Breast Cancer ONT and WES data analysis
Evaluate the combined use of whole-exome sequencing (WES) and nanopore sequencing to comprehensively screen for BRCA1/2 germline mutations.