// Program archive

SciCoW 2026

July 13–August 6 online · August 12 in person at the University of Iowa.

SciCoW 2026 resources

The 2026 cohort learned introductory Python through a four-week virtual program combining live Zoom meetings, self-paced CodeHS lessons, peer teams, office hours, biological coding challenges, and Friday speakers. These links preserve the public course materials and student work.

Syllabus2026 SciCoW syllabus ↗Schedule, expectations, learning goals, and program structure. Virtual challenge 01PHO84 sequence challenge ↗A Google Colab exercise connecting Python fundamentals with biological sequences. Virtual challenge 02Carriers challenge ↗A second Google Colab challenge from the virtual program. Student workShow & Tell gallery ↗Student products shared during the virtual program. Capstone exercisePython in Biology notebook →The Google Colab activity used during the in-person workshop. Capstone programWorkshop-day schedule →The sequence of activities for the August 12 capstone.

SciCoW 2026 speakers

Three invited speakers shared complementary paths through biology, computational research, biotechnology, industry, and computer science education.

Courtney Ries Muhammad Elsadany, PhD Erik Krohn, PhD

Meet the 2026 speakers →

SciCoW 2026 in numbers

The 2026 workshop welcomed students from the University of Iowa and other institutions, including six students from Grinnell College. Of the 30 students accepted, 25 completed the virtual program. Twelve people joined the capstone: nine SciCoW cohort members and three students from the organizer’s research laboratory.

49registrations
30students accepted
25virtual completers
83%completion rate
16first-generation students
12capstone participants

SciCoW 2026 in pictures

Students brought newly learned Python concepts into an in-person, collaborative analysis of fungal protein sequences during the August capstone.

SciCoW students and instructors gathered for a group photograph after the 2026 capstone
The 2026 in-person capstone group.
An instructor demonstrates Python while students work together around classroom tables
Moving from shared instruction into team problem-solving.
Students collaborate around a table with laptops during the capstone
Working through the protein-sequence notebook together.
A second team of students discusses code around a table
Comparing approaches and troubleshooting code as a team.
An instructor checks in with a student team during a coding exercise
An instructor check-in during the capstone challenge.