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Title: Connecting the Dots: Using Programming to Foster Systems Thinking in Life Sciences Education
Track: Systems Thinking
Presenter: Rosie Dutt

In the life sciences, breakthroughs increasingly rely on the ability to connect concepts, tools, and methods from multiple disciplines. Yet, many students encounter programming and data science as isolated skill sets, detached from their scientific studies. This session demonstrates how programming education can be intentionally designed to cultivate systems thinking, enabling students to view biology, computation, and data analysis as interconnected parts of a larger scientific ecosystem. Drawing on examples from an introductory Python and R programming course in biomedical informatics, I will showcase bioinformatics-focused exercises that bridge foundational coding skills to advanced applications in research. Through tiered problem sets, real-world datasets, and interdisciplinary case studies, students learn not just how to code, but how to think across systems. Attendees will leave with adaptable strategies for embedding systems thinking into their own courses, along with practical examples that increase student engagement, deepen understanding, and prepare learners for complex, cross-disciplinary challenges.

Session Format:
Intro (5 min) – Role of systems thinking in life sciences.
Case Study (15 min) – Bridging computation and biology with bioinformatics datasets.
Strategies (10 min) – Tiered problems, interdisciplinary framing, real-world links.
Discussion (10 min) – Sharing ideas for embedding systems thinking.
Q&A (5 min) – Takeaways and resources.

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