This CPATH Conceptual Development and Planning project integrates concepts from biology and computer science to create a new track in biological computing. It includes 23 faculty members from 14 academic disciplines with a vision for nurturing future leaders in biological computing. The track recognizes the importance of computing concepts and practice to current thinking in biology as well as the potential for biological processes to inform the development of computer science. The project involves institutional transformation and includes outreach to secondary schools and broader communities.
The intellectual merit of the project lies in the importance and currency of the topic and clear need for such changes in computing education to prepare the upcoming generation of computing professionals. The project team includes researchers with significant expertise in both the computing discipline research that underlies the implementation and in educational innovation. The project has the potential for national impact and to provide new models for computing education of the future.
The broader impacts of the project lie in the potential to address changing demands on computing professionals and to attract a diverse audience of students. The project includes outreach to high school students and broader communities. The project has the potential to provide quality research-based resources for the preparation of undergraduates for careers in biological computing.
