To learn informational biology at Ochanomizu University. Informational biology education for Ochanomizu University Postgraduate students. At Ochanomizu University from 2005, we started specifically to promote an activity to educate informational biology. This activity still continues as postgraduate school education program called "Human resource cultivation of women who can use informational biology". Any Ochanomizu University Postgraduate students are able to take this program. By taking this program, students can practice basics in informational biology and able to know the frontier research in informational biology.

Informational biology related laboratories at Ochanomizu University
At Ochanomizu University, there are some laboratories, which develop informational biology related researches. In Kei Yura laboratory that belongs in Life science major, which started from 2008, they use information on protein structures and information for genome base sequences to develop post-genome biology. In Jun Sese laboratory that belongs to Natural sciences major, which started from 2005, they advance a research on ways to extract useful information from a huge amount of measured data in molecular biology.

Researches in informational biology do not only use computers. At Etsuko Matuura laboratory and Rumi Kondo laboratory that belong in Life science major, they use their own hands to analyze their own experimental data by the usage of molecular evolution and evolving population. In Haruko Ogawa laboratory, who is not a member of CIB, however, they develop researches on protein modification of sugar molecules by combination of experiments and techniques in informational biology. In Keiko Takano laboratory, also not a member of CIB, they develop researches that link with biological molecule designing, such as electronic state calculations of biologically-relevant molecules by using computer simulation. In Michiko Konno laboratory, they observe three dimensional protein structures using X-ray crystallographic analyses, and make clear how proteins perform biotic functions by atomic resolution. Analysis of results gained by X-ray crystallography is possible for the first time by the usage of computers.

Ochanomizu University President, Michiko Goh is a pioneering female researcher of informational biology, and she lectures about informational biology in many places. To know how researches of informational biology is carried out as a female researcher, for a student in Ochanomizu University, this may give some help for when thinking about their own future aspect.

Informational biology education for Ochanomizu University undergraduate students
Informational biology education for undergraduate students in Ochanomizu University started officially from 2008. In the past, senior students could belong in above laboratories, gain educations in informational biology, and they were able to start researches, though there were not many chances for undergraduate students to learn about informational biology. However, classes for undergraduate students started from 2008. In university syllabus, try searching for classes by full text search each word "informational biology", "bioinformatics analysis" and "bioinformatics". There may be a fewer classes than you imagine. Its reason is easy.

Informational biology is an interdisciplinary area, which is difficult to express in usual academic classifications. An interdisciplinary area means a boundary area between one subject and another. When a word "boundary" is used, it may seem like a "bridge" for things. However, classification of a natural world such as "this is a physical phenomenon", "it is a chemical phenomenon", or "this is mathematics" is only to suit humans. Nature is never classified like that. For this reason, to seek after questions in life process, it is obvious to run into an interdisciplinary area of usual academic classification system.

When an outline for informational biology can be understood by "Introduction to informational biology", "bioinformatics analysis" and "bioinformatics", from there onwards, one can take lectures by other departments and other divisions to build systems in an interdisciplinary area by oneself. By knowing what one really want to do, and make clear what needs to be learnt, one will know which classes need to be taken. Members of CIB will support any students who are thinking of learning Informational biology. Students will be able to gain systematic education and be able to develop researches in informational biology by taking classes related to informational biology before the senior year, and when senior, assign to above laboratories in laboratory-assignment.