Students at II year

This course is designed as a brief practical introduction to the Python programming language, specifically for students with a biological background. It consists of four lectures covering the basics of the programming language, followed by hands-on exercises aimed at understanding specific simple examples of usage and analysis. No prior experience in programming is required; however, the course is intended for students genuinely interested in using Python in their research work. Deliverables: provide students with basic knowledge and a working methodology to further explore programming through more advanced courses and studies. 

This course is taught by a native speaker instructor specialized in medical-scientific university training with many years of experience as a researcher, principal investigator (PI), and professor of pharmacology, immunology, and molecular biology at Italian and American universities.

This course is aimed at second-year Ph.D. students with at least a B1 (intermediate) level of English who wish to improve their academic writing skills for publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals and submitting project proposals for national and international fellowships (MSCA, AIRC, Cariplo, etc.).

The course is divided into 2 modules:

i) How to write a research paper:

• Outlining, the language of research paper, academic language;

• Paragraphing: structure of paragraph, descriptive and process paragraph, opinion paragraph, comparison/contrast paragraph, problem/solution paragraph, introduction, and conclusion;

• Effective utilization of sentence connectors and conjunctions to improve readability;

• Writing an effective cover letter, title, keywords, abstract, introduction, results, figure legends, and discussion/conclusion;

• In-text citations, editing a paper, avoiding plagiarism;

• Finding a suitable peer-reviewed Journal;

• Submission process;

• Writing a convincing rebuttal: point-by-point reply to the reviewers’ comments.

ii) How to write a fellowship:

• Understanding the goals and requirements of the chosen fellowship (e.g., MSCA);

• Eligibility and proposal guidelines: overview of applicant and host criteria, and proposal structure;

• Research project development: formulating a compelling, innovative research proposal, including title, background, preliminary results, specific aims, research plan, pitfalls and alternatives, deliverables, milestones, and timeline;

• Training and career development: planning for skill development and career progression;

• Impact and dissemination: articulating research impact and communication strategies;

• Ethics and data management: addressing ethical issues and data handling;

• Host institution support: role and commitment of the host institution and supervisor;

• Significance, innovation, impact, and dissemination;

Evaluation and certificate of merit

This basic course includes the following end points:

• A final written test to assess grammatical and writing skills (with a maximum score of 110/110, pass = 72);

• Issuance of a certificate of merit (Certificate of Achievement) in Scientific English Writing, level C1.