Biopython 1.84 has been released and is available from our website and PyPI. This contains about 5 months worth of updates, so the change-log in the news file is longer than usual. There have also been a few deprecations, most noteworthy this may be our last release with Python 3.9 support. Many thanks to the Biopython developers and community for making this release possible, especially the following contributors: Anil Tuncel (first contribution) David Cain Fabio Zanini (first contribution) Joao Rodrigues Judith Bernett (first contribution) Luca Monari (first contribution) Meridia Jane Bryant (first contribution) Manuel Lera-Ramirez Michael M. [Read More]

The call for applications for the OBF Event Fellowship 2024, round 2, is now open. The deadline for this round is 1 August 2024. Applications should be submitted via this Google Form. We have provided a Word template to help you draft the application locally before filling out the form – make a copy of this template. The OBF Event Fellowship program aims to increase diverse participation at events that promote open-source bioinformatics and/or open science. [Read More]

This year will mark the 15th edition of the BOSC-associated CollaborationFest, or CoFest for short. At these events, participants work together on code, documentation, training materials, use cases, and analyses. CoFest 2024 will take place on July 17-18, right after ISMB and BOSC 2024. This will be a hybrid event, hosted at UQAM | Université du Québec à Montréal and online. Many thanks to Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo , BF Francis Ouellette, and Karen Reynard for finding and donating the use of this venue! [Read More]

BOSC is an entirely volunteer-run event. We have an organizing committee of 8 people (see /events/bosc-2024/), and we are assisted by a larger review committee. The review committee is responsible for reading all the submitted abstracts and assessing them for quality and appropriateness to BOSC. You can read more about our review process here. Our tentative review committee for 2024 is listed below. If you have any concerns about anyone on the list, please contact us at bosc@open-bio. [Read More]

A PhD student’s perspective on attending the 17th Annual International Biocuration Conference in Faridabad, India The Open Bioinformatics Foundation (OBF) Event Fellowship program aims to promote diverse participation at events promoting open-source bioinformatics software development and open science practices in the biological research community. Thea Fennell, a PhD Researcher at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, was awarded an OBF Event Fellowship to attend the 17th Annual International Biocuration Conference. [Read More]

The call for applications for the OBF Event Fellowship 2024, round 1, is now open. The deadline for this round is 1 April 2024. Applications should be submitted via this Google Form. We have provided a Word template to help you draft the application locally before filling out the form – make a copy of this template. The OBF Event Fellowship program aims to increase diverse participation at events that promote open-source bioinformatics and/or open science. [Read More]

Abstract submission for BOSC 2024 is now open! Since some people can’t get conference travel approval from their institution until they get confirmation that their abstract has been accepted for a presentation, we started offering Early Poster Acceptance last year, and we are continuing the experiment this year. If you submit your abstract by March 21, 2024, we will notify you by March 29 whether it has been accepted or not for (at least) a poster. [Read More]

Gemma Turon, PhD (CEO and co-founder at Ersilia Open Source Initiative) will present on March 5 BOSC and the OBF will host an ISCBacademy webinar on March 5, 2024, at 8am PST (16:00 UTC). Gemma Turon (see bio below) will speak about “Ersilia, open source AI/ML for (antimicrobial) drug discovery”. Abstract The Ersilia Open-Source Initiative is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to equip laboratories, clinics and universities in lower and middle income countries (LMICs) with artificial intelligence (AI) tools for infectious disease research. [Read More]

We asked our community to nominate potential BOSC keynote speakers, and we were pleased with the great suggestions! In the next phase of our process, we’re giving you a chance to let us know if there is anything that makes any of the nominated individuals NOT appropriate as BOSC keynote speakers. Our invited speaker process and rubric gives examples of some possible reasons for exclusion. If you have concerns about any of the people on our list, please let us know (with as much specificity as you feel comfortable providing) via this anonymous form no later than Thursday 2024-01-25. [Read More]