Gentle hands-on introduction to Python programming
General context
This course is organised over two full days. With the help of plenty hands-on exercises, you will get introduced into the different types of variables in python, the peculiarities of python and good programming habits. This course will provide you an ideal stepping stone for further developing programming skills in Python.
- Learning the basics of Python programming: different variables, reading files, writing files, conditional statements
- Being able to write a basic Python script from scratch
Aimed for people with no programming skills whatsoever. If you want to follow a more advanced training (e.g. machine learning) and you have little/no experience with Python, please register for this training.
Trainers
Alexander Botzki
Alexander Botzki is heading the Technology training unit at VIB, the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology, Belgium. The main mission of this unit is providing technology training in domains of VIB Technologies, Bioinformatics & AI, Software Development, and Research Data Management. Between 2014 and 2022, he was head of the VIB Bioinformatics Core. From September 2009 to July 2014, he was responsible for the roll-out of E-Notebook (electronic lab notebook) to VIB's researchers within 75 research groups.
Before joining VIB, Alexander worked on various computational biology projects for Algonomics (bought by Lonza, 2008-2009) and DevGen (now Syngenta, from 2006-2008). During Alexander's PostDoc at Sanofi Aventis in Strasbourg, he executed various virtual screening campaigns on the compound selection of the merged enterprise. He received his doctoral degree with the group of Prof. Dr. Armin Buschauer (University of Regensburg, Germany) on 'Structure-based design of hyaluronidase inhibitors'.
Program
- Short introduction to programming and Python
- Print statement - showing what your program does.
- Variables and operators - how to do math
- Conditions - deciding what to do
- Loops - doing the same thing with different information
- Lists and tuples - how to handle a range of variables
- File reading and writing - getting hold of data and dumping your results
- Functions - re-using the same bit of code
- Imports - what functions does Python provide?
- Dictionaries - organising your variables
- Assert - stop before things go wrong
- Classes - get the most out of Python
Throughout the course we'll stress the importance of 'good programming practice', such as clear variable names and adding comments to your code.
Practical info
09 January 2020 - 10 January 2020
Leuven - Park Inn by Radisson
Martelarenlaan 36
3010 Leuven
Belgium
09 January 2020 - 10 January 2020
Leuven - Park Inn by Radisson
The hotel is located 300m from Leuven Central Station. The hotel connects to Leuven Central Station by a pedestrian bridge.
09 January 2020 - 10 January 2020
Leuven - Park Inn by Radisson
Park Inn hotel has no own parking. It is possible to park underground in P1-Parking Station Leuven, Martelarenlaan 4, 3010 Leuven or in parking De Bond, Martelarenlaan 18, 3010 Leuven.
09 January 2020 - 10 January 2020
Leuven - Park Inn by Radisson
+32 16 61 66 02
sales.leuven@parkinn.com