Studying at the University of Verona
Here you can find information on the organisational aspects of the Programme, lecture timetables, learning activities and useful contact details for your time at the University, from enrolment to graduation.
Academic calendar
The academic calendar shows the deadlines and scheduled events that are relevant to students, teaching and technical-administrative staff of the University. Public holidays and University closures are also indicated. The academic year normally begins on 1 October each year and ends on 30 September of the following year.
Course calendar
The Academic Calendar sets out the degree programme lecture and exam timetables, as well as the relevant university closure dates..
Period | From | To |
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Primo semestre | Oct 4, 2021 | Jan 28, 2022 |
Secondo semestre | Mar 7, 2022 | Jun 10, 2022 |
Session | From | To |
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Sessione invernale d'esame | Jan 31, 2022 | Mar 4, 2022 |
Sessione estiva d'esame | Jun 13, 2022 | Jul 29, 2022 |
Sessione autunnale d'esame | Sep 1, 2022 | Sep 30, 2022 |
Session | From | To |
---|---|---|
Sessione Estiva | Jul 15, 2022 | Jul 15, 2022 |
Sessione Autunnale | Oct 14, 2022 | Oct 14, 2022 |
Sessione Invernale | Mar 14, 2023 | Mar 14, 2023 |
Period | From | To |
---|---|---|
Festa di Tutti i Santi | Nov 1, 2021 | Nov 1, 2021 |
Festa dell'Immacolata Concezione | Dec 8, 2021 | Dec 8, 2021 |
Festività natalizie | Dec 24, 2021 | Jan 2, 2022 |
Festa dell'Epifania | Jan 6, 2022 | Jan 7, 2022 |
Festività pasquali | Apr 15, 2022 | Apr 19, 2022 |
Festa della Liberazione | Apr 25, 2022 | Apr 25, 2022 |
Festività Santo Patrono di Verona | May 21, 2022 | May 21, 2022 |
Festa della Repubblica | Jun 2, 2022 | Jun 2, 2022 |
Chiusura estiva | Aug 15, 2022 | Aug 20, 2022 |
Exam calendar
Exam dates and rounds are managed by the relevant Science and Engineering Teaching and Student Services Unit.
To view all the exam sessions available, please use the Exam dashboard on ESSE3.
If you forgot your login details or have problems logging in, please contact the relevant IT HelpDesk, or check the login details recovery web page.
Academic staff
Study Plan
The Study Plan includes all modules, teaching and learning activities that each student will need to undertake during their time at the University.
Please select your Study Plan based on your enrollment year.
1° Year
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2° Year activated in the A.Y. 2022/2023
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Legend | Type of training activity (TTA)
TAF (Type of Educational Activity) All courses and activities are classified into different types of educational activities, indicated by a letter.
Computational Analysis of Genome-Scale Sequences (2022/2023)
Teaching code
4S009834
Teacher
Coordinator
Credits
6
Language
English
Scientific Disciplinary Sector (SSD)
INF/01 - INFORMATICS
Period
Semester 1 dal Oct 3, 2022 al Jan 27, 2023.
Learning objectives
In this course we study advanced data structures for the analysis of genomic sequences, and in general, of textual data. Knowledge and understanding The course provides an understanding of the basic challenges and fundamental issues in processing textual data such as genomic sequences; knowledge of some of the most common computational problems on strings and sequences in genomic data analysis and other applications; familiarity with the most important text indices and their use in solving these problems, including complexity analysis (time and space). Applying knowledge and understanding At the end of the course the student will be able to translate typical problems of genomic sequence analysis in operations and algorithms on textual data and evaluate the computational cost incurred. Making judgements At the end of the course the student will be able to judge whether a given algorithm or data structure is appropriate for the problem at hand, including the evaluation of the computational cost incurred. Communication At the end of the course the student will be able to correctly formalize algorithms on sequences with or without the use of advanced text data structures. Lifelong learning skills At the end of the course the student will be able to read and understand independently scientific articles and specialized texts which use advanced string data structures for the analysis of genomic sequences or other textual data.
Prerequisites and basic notions
Algorithms and data structures. No knowledge of biology is necessary for following the course.
Program
In recent years, we have seen vast progress of research in computational biology, in which the use of dedicated data structures for genomic sequences, and other types of biological sequence data, has been decisive. At the same time, these methods can be, and are being, applied to all other kinds of textual data.
The explosion of the amounts of data available ("big data") is one of the major challenges for computer science today. Much of this data is in form of text (or can be easily rendered in textual form): genomic sequences and other biological sequences, webpages, emails, scanned books, musical data, and many others. In order to be able to efficiently store, process, and extract information from this data, we need dedicated data structures and algorithms, i.e. data structures specifically developed for strings, also referred to as text indexes.
Program of the course:
1) introduction to strings (sequences), their basic properties and fundamental issues: alphabet size, character comparison, string sorting
2) classical exact pattern matching algorithms (non index-based): Knuth-Morris-Pratt, Boyer-Moore, Rabin-Karp, Aho-Corasick
3) Text indexes I:
- tries
- suffix trees
4) Text indexes II:
- suffix arrays, enhanced suffix arrays
- Burrows-Wheeler Transform (BWT), FM-index
For each of these text indexes, we will study their properties, efficient construction, and applications to specific string problems.
No previous knowledge of biology is necessary for following the course.
Bibliography
Didactic methods
Lectures, exercise sessions, homework with discussion in class. In special cases it is possible to access the online streaming.
Learning assessment procedures
Final exam: written and oral. In the written exam, both theoretical questions will be asked (running times and storage space of algorithms, properties of the data structures studied), and concrete examples will have to be solved (compute the suffix tree, suffix array, BWT etc. of a given string, apply certain algorithms). In the oral exam, the student will have the opportunity to explain in detail his/her solution and show to what extent he/she has understood the topics studied.
The exam is the same for all students (whether or not they followed the lectures).
Evaluation criteria
The exam will show that the student
- has acquired sufficient understanding of the most important issues with respect to handling large textual data (alphabet type, comparison of strings, string sorting, size of textual data)
- can apply, explain, and analyze the algorithms studied for non-index based pattern matching
- can apply, explain, and analyze the data structures studied, in particular construction algorithms for and storage space required by these data structures (inverted index, trie, suffix tree, suffix array, BWT)
- can apply, explain, and analyze some applications of these data structures to problems on strings, such as pattern matching, matching statistics, palindromes, etc.
Criteria for the composition of the final grade
complete grade based on the written and the oral exam
Exam language
inglese
Type D and Type F activities
Le attività formative di tipologia D sono a scelta dello studente, quelle di tipologia F sono ulteriori conoscenze utili all’inserimento nel mondo del lavoro (tirocini, competenze trasversali, project works, ecc.). In base al Regolamento Didattico del Corso, alcune attività possono essere scelte e inserite autonomamente a libretto, altre devono essere approvate da apposita commissione per verificarne la coerenza con il piano di studio. Le attività formative di tipologia D o F possono essere ricoperte dalle seguenti attività.
1. Insegnamenti impartiti presso l'Università di Verona
Comprendono gli insegnamenti sotto riportati e/o nel Catalogo degli insegnamenti (che può essere filtrato anche per lingua di erogazione tramite la Ricerca avanzata).
Modalità di inserimento a libretto: se l'insegnamento è compreso tra quelli sottoelencati, lo studente può inserirlo autonomamente durante il periodo in cui il piano di studi è aperto; in caso contrario, lo studente deve fare richiesta alla Segreteria, inviando a carriere.scienze@ateneo.univr.it il modulo nel periodo indicato.
2. Attestato o equipollenza linguistica CLA
Oltre a quelle richieste dal piano di studi, per gli immatricolati dall'A.A. 2021/2022 vengono riconosciute:
- Lingua inglese: vengono riconosciuti 3 CFU per ogni livello di competenza superiore a quello richiesto dal corso di studio (se non già riconosciuto nel ciclo di studi precedente).
- Altre lingue e italiano per stranieri: vengono riconosciuti 3 CFU per ogni livello di competenza a partire da A2 (se non già riconosciuto nel ciclo di studi precedente).
Tali cfu saranno riconosciuti, fino ad un massimo di 6 cfu complessivi, di tipologia F se il piano didattico lo consente, oppure di tipologia D. Ulteriori crediti a scelta per conoscenze linguistiche potranno essere riconosciuti solo se coerenti con il progetto formativo dello studente e se adeguatamente motivati.
Gli immatricolati fino all'A.A. 2020/2021 devono consultare le informazioni che si trovano qui.
Modalità di inserimento a libretto: richiedere l’attestato o l'equipollenza al CLA e inviarlo alla Segreteria Studenti - Carriere per l’inserimento dell’esame in carriera, tramite mail: carriere.scienze@ateneo.univr.it
3. Competenze trasversali
Scopri i percorsi formativi promossi dal TALC - Teaching and learning center dell'Ateneo, destinati agli studenti regolarmente iscritti all'anno accademico di erogazione del corso https://talc.univr.it/it/competenze-trasversali
Modalità di inserimento a libretto: non è previsto l'inserimento dell'insegnamento nel piano di studi. Solo in seguito all'ottenimento dell'Open Badge verranno automaticamente convalidati i CFU a libretto. La registrazione dei CFU in carriera non è istantanea, ma ci saranno da attendere dei tempi tecnici.
4. Periodo di stage/tirocinio
Oltre ai CFU previsti dal piano di studi (verificare attentamente quanto indicato sul Regolamento Didattico): qui informazioni su come attivare lo stage.
Insegnamenti e altre attività che si possono inserire autonomamente a libretto
years | Modules | TAF | Teacher |
---|---|---|---|
1° | The fashion lab (1 ECTS) | D |
Caterina Fratea
(Coordinator)
|
years | Modules | TAF | Teacher |
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1° 2° | Data Analysis for Biomedical Sciences | D |
Gloria Menegaz
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | Introduction to Robotics for students of scientific courses. | D |
Paolo Fiorini
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | Matlab-Simulink programming | D |
Bogdan Mihai Maris
(Coordinator)
|
years | Modules | TAF | Teacher |
---|---|---|---|
1° | The fashion lab (1 ECTS) | D |
Caterina Fratea
(Coordinator)
|
years | Modules | TAF | Teacher |
---|---|---|---|
1° 2° | Introduction to Robotics for students of scientific courses. | D |
Paolo Fiorini
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | Introduction to 3D printing | D |
Franco Fummi
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | HW components design on FPGA | D |
Franco Fummi
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | Rapid prototyping on Arduino | D |
Franco Fummi
(Coordinator)
|
1° 2° | Protection of intangible assets (SW and invention)between industrial law and copyright | D |
Roberto Giacobazzi
(Coordinator)
|
years | Modules | TAF | Teacher |
---|---|---|---|
1° 2° | Python programming language | D |
Giulio Mazzi
(Coordinator)
|
Career prospects
Module/Programme news
News for students
There you will find information, resources and services useful during your time at the University (Student’s exam record, your study plan on ESSE3, Distance Learning courses, university email account, office forms, administrative procedures, etc.). You can log into MyUnivr with your GIA login details: only in this way will you be able to receive notification of all the notices from your teachers and your secretariat via email and also via the Univr app.
Graduation
Deadlines and administrative fulfilments
For deadlines, administrative fulfilments and notices on graduation sessions, please refer to the Graduation Sessions - Science and Engineering service.
Need to activate a thesis internship
For thesis-related internships, it is not always necessary to activate an internship through the Internship Office. For further information, please consult the dedicated document, which can be found in the 'Documents' section of the Internships and work orientation - Science e Engineering service.
Final examination regulations
Upon completion of the Master’s degree dissertation, students are awarded 24 CFU, which equates to no more than 4-5 months of full-time work. The dissertation may be written and presented in English or Italian, also using multimedia tools such as presentations and videos.
Goals
The primary goal of a dissertation is to develop an original study that may include an application project or a theoretical topic related to specific design issues, or a critical review of the most recent developments in a given field of study. During the preparation of the dissertation, under the guidance of the Supervisor and co-supervisors (if any), the student is expected to conduct an in-depth study of the chosen topic, while gaining the ability to summarise and creatively apply the knowledge acquired. The dissertation should focus on topics of bioinformatics and medical informatics, or closely related areas of study. The work shall consist in the written presentation of activities that may be structured as follows:
- design and development of applications or systems;
- critical analysis of contributions from the scientific literature;
- original research contributions.
The dissertation may be written either in English or in Italian, and can be presented either in English or in Italian, also relying on multimedia tools such as presentations and videos. Should the dissertation be written in Italian, the work will need to include an abstract in English.
Assessment methods and examination procedures
The final examination consists in writing a Master’s degree dissertation, which will engage the student in a work of research, formalisation, design or development, thus contributing to complete their technical and scientific training. Each dissertation can be either internal or external, depending on whether it is carried out at the University of Verona or in collaboration with another institution. For each dissertation a Supervisor, one or more co-supervisors (optional) and an Examiner will be appointed. The Examiner is appointed by the Computer Science Teaching Committee at least 20 days before the presentation of the dissertation, once the student's eligibility to take the Master's degree examination has been verified. With regard to the legal aspects related to the dissertation and its scientific outcomes (e.g. intellectual property of research outcomes), please refer to the relevant legislation and the University Regulations.
Evaluation of the dissertation
The Supervisor, the co-supervisor/s (if any) and the Examiner will evaluate the dissertation based on the following criteria:
- level of in-depth analysis carried out, in relation to the most recent developments in the areas related to information technology, with a focus on medical and biological applications;
- scientific and/or technological outcomes of the dissertation;
- student’s critical thinking;
- student’s experimental and/or formal development;
- student’s ability to carry out independent work (this point will not be assessed by the Examiner);
- value of the methodologies used;
- accuracy in planning and writing the dissertation.
Graduation mark
The graduation mark (based on a 110-point scale) is a whole value between 66/110 and 110/110 and is calculated by adding together the following elements (then rounding the result to the nearest whole number, e.g. 93.50 => 94; 86.49 => 86):
- 1) the average of the marks gained in the modules, weighted according to CFU, converted to a 110-point scale;
- 2) evaluation of the dissertation and the oral presentation during the final examination, based on the following methods:
- a) each of the points 1-7 listed above will be assigned a coefficient between 0 and 1 (fractional coefficient with one decimal place);
- b) the quality of the presentation will be assessed by awarding a coefficient between 0 and 1 (fractional coefficient with one decimal place);
- c) the sum of the points resulting from (a) and (b).
The Graduation Committee may award one extra point in the following cases: cum laude honours obtained in the exams taken during the degree programme; participation in internships officially recognised by the Computer Science Teaching Committee; taking extra modules; and the achievement of the degree in a time that is shorter than the normal duration of the degree programme. If the final score is 110/110, the Graduation Committee may award cum laude honours by unanimous decision.
External dissertations
An external dissertation is a work carried out in collaboration with an institution/body other than the University of Verona. In this case, the topic of the dissertation must be agreed in advance with a Supervisor from the University of Verona. In addition, the student must indicate at least one co- supervisor belonging to the external institution/body, who will support the student during the work on the dissertation. The Supervisor and the co- supervisors must be indicated in the online graduation application. The insurance aspects relating to the student's stay at the external institution are regulated by the regulations in force at the University of Verona. If the dissertation involves a period of training at the external institution/body, then it is necessary that the University of Verona enters into a specific agreement with such institution/body. The scientific outcomes of the dissertation will be available to all parties involved. In particular, the contents and results of the dissertation are to be considered public. For all matters not strictly scientific (e.g. agreements, insurance) the resolution of the Academic Senate of 12 January 1999 shall be taken as a reference.
Supervisor, co-supervisors, examiners
The dissertation presentation is introduced by the Supervisor. Professors belonging to the Master’s degree programme in Medical Bioinformatics, the Department of Computer Science, and any associated departments may be appointed as Supervisors, as well as any lecturers from the University of Verona whose area of interest is included in the Scientific-disciplinary Sectors (SSD) ING/INF/05 and INF/01. In addition to those who have the above requirements to be appointed as Supervisor, the following individuals may be appointed as co-supervisors: researchers working in external research institutes, research grant holders, post-doctoral fellowship holders, PhD students, technical staff of the Department, external experts appointed by an Italian University, corporate officers who have a remarkable experience in the field relevant to the topic of the dissertation. Examiners may be appointed among professors of the University of Verona, working in the Scientific- disciplinary Sectors (SSD) included in the educational offer of the Master’s degree programme in Medical Bioinformatics, and experts in the specific field of the dissertation topic.
Procedures and deadlines
The student who is about to complete their studies must identify a dissertation topic, proposed or approved by a Supervisor or co-supervisor/s (if any). When the work is nearing completion, the student must submit to the Teaching and Student Services Unit the graduation application, which must contain the title of the dissertation (even provisional), the name of the Supervisor, co-supervisor/s (only for external dissertations) and Examiner. Subsequently, on dates established by the Teaching and Student Services Unit, and in any case no later than 20 days before the graduation, the student must submit the graduation application form with the final title of the dissertation, which must be signed by the Supervisor. These documents must be delivered in accordance with the terms established by the Teaching and Student Services Unit.
The student will need to:
- i) upload a copy of their dissertation on ESSE3;
- ii) send a copy of their dissertation in PDF format to their Examiner.
In order to be admitted to the final examination, the student must have acquired the CFU in the SSD (Scientific-Disciplinary Sectors) set out in the Master’s degree regulations and teaching plan, and be up to date with the payment of their tuition fees. The Teaching and Student Services Unit of the Master's degree programme will invite all the Supervisors and co-supervisors involved, providing them with information about the date and time of the final examination.
Graduation Committee
The Graduation Committee shall include five members, of which at least four are professors in the Master's degree programme in Medical Bioinformatics. Based on the number of graduates, the Computer Science Teaching Committee will identify the most appropriate organisational methods for administering the examination, and it shall make available the calendar of tests at least one week before the examination itself. The procedures and deadlines for the submission of the graduation application are established by the Computer Science Teaching Committee and by the relevant offices.
Career management
Student login and resources
Erasmus+ and other experiences abroad
Tutoring faculty members
Attendance modes and venues
As stated in the Teaching Regulations, attendance at the course of study is not mandatory.
Part-time enrolment is permitted. Find out more on the Part-time enrolment possibilities page.
The course's teaching activities take place in the Science and Engineering area, which consists of the buildings of Ca‘ Vignal 1, Ca’ Vignal 2, Ca' Vignal 3 and Piramide, located in the Borgo Roma campus.
Lectures are held in the classrooms of Ca‘ Vignal 1, Ca’ Vignal 2 and Ca' Vignal 3, while practical exercises take place in the teaching laboratories dedicated to the various activities.