Bioinformatics is the study of biology using computational methods. Typically, it analyzes biological studies that have generated large quantities of data, like expression levels of genes in a human tumor sample.

The UC Santa Cruz Treehouse Undergraduate Bioinformatics Immersion (TUBI) is a pediatric genomics research group for undergraduate students, run out of the Vaske lab as part of the Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. TUBI researchers work on bioinformatics projects related to finding novel drug targets for pediatric cancer patients by using gene expression analysis.

Many previous TUBI participants have had little or no prior experience in coding or biological research. In TUBI, they learned the basics of Unix and contributed new results to a project assessing Treehouse’s ability to detect mutations.

TUBI is directed at diverse populations to address underrepresentation in STEM. It creates enriching experiential learning and research opportunities in bioinformatics that will benefit any students who are exploring different scientific career paths, especially those who are seeking to do translational research in pediatric cancer.