Computing for Biomedical Scientists
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this course on applying computer science fundamentals to biomedical problems. Lessons cover abstraction as a tool for problem decomposition, computer representation and storage of biomedical data, and the effect of programming paradigm choice on problem-solving approaches. The course introduces data structures and algorithms, knowledge representation schemes for capturing the complexity of biomedical domains, and principles of data modeling for efficient storage and retrieval. Early lectures build the computer science foundation needed for later material and for the assigned homework. The course culminates in a final project requiring students to build a working medical information system that integrates the concepts taught throughout, from data structures to knowledge representation. Materials include lecture notes, assignments, and project specifications, all free to access under MIT's open license, with no certificate offered.