ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Dear Attendee,

As you prepare to travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for the 2015 ISCB-Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics, here are a few things to know.

Review the suggested and required vaccinations for your country:  The United Republic of Tanzania may require you to have a Yellow Fever vaccination and you must present this vaccination card when entering the country.

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SECURING YOUR VISA

Please check the United Republic of Tanzania’s website to see if you need to get a visa to travel into the country.  If you have not already done so, and need assistance, please contact Promise at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For letters of invitation, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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CURRENCY

The Republic of Tanzania’s currency is the Tanzanian Shilling. Please be advised that many taxi cabs will not accept a credit card.  Be prepared by having local currency in advance.

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CONFERENCE LOCATION

The White Sands, Resort & Conference Centre
Kunduchi, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Phone: +255 22 264 7620

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REGISTRATION DESK

Sunday, 8 March: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Monday, 9 March: 7:30 AM -  5:00 PM
Tuesday, 10 March: 7:30 AM -  5:00 PM
Wednesday, 11 March: 7:30 AM -  5:00 PM

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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

The conference schedule has been posted on the website - www.iscb.org/iscbafrica2015-program/iscbafrica2015-schedule-at-a-glance.  This schedule is subject to change.  In addition to the conference schedule, you may also view the poster presentations at www.iscb.org/cms_addon/conferences/africa2015/track/posters.php.

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WHAT TO KNOW IF PRESENTING

At times we may experience power outages in the area.  If this happens while you are presenting, please continue your presentation. The laptop will have battery back-up and we can gather near the front to see the slides.

For those who have been selected for oral presentations, each presentation is schedule for a total of 20 minutes (15 minutes to present the information, 3 minutes for questions, and 2 minutes to change to the next speaker).  The session moderator will keep the session on time.

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POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Poster presenters are asked to place their posters on the assigned boards by 10:00 AM on Monday, 9 March.  Please leave your posters up for the duration of the conference.  Presentations time are assigned in three groups.  Please be at your board by 12:30 PM on your assigned day.  Presenters we welcomed to stand by their boards on all days. Remove all posters at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, 11 March.  Posters left on the boards will be disposed.

The ideal poster size should be a maximum of 0.95 m (wide) x 1.30 m (high).

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DAILY POSTER PRESENTATIONS:

Monday, 9 March: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
(Group A:  Odd Numbers 1-31)

Tuesday, 10 March: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
(Group B: Even Numbers 18-30; Odd Numbers 33-47)

Wednesday, 11 March: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
(Group C: Even Numbers 2-16; Even Numbers 32-48)

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EXHIBITS

Visit the exhibit and sponsors tables open daily.

Monday, 9 March: 10:00 AM -  5:00 PM
Tuesday, 10 March: 10:00 AM -  5:00 PM
Wednesday, 11 March: 10:00 AM -  5:00 PM

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WIFI

Complimentary WiFi is available for all conference attendees.  Select the White Sands Hotel network in your browser.

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BREAKS AND LUNCHES

All breaks will be served outside of the Gilman Room.  Lunches are served daily from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM in the Mchanga Restaurant.

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CERTIFICATES OF ATTENDANCE

Certificates of Attendance can be picked up at the registration desk.  You can also receive your certificate electronically by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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CERTIFICATES OF PRESENTATION

Certificates of Presentation can be picked up at the registration desk.  You can also receive your certificate electronically by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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CURRENCY EXCHANGE

Currency can be exchanged at the front desk at the hotel.  Currently the hotel is exchanging at 1USD = TZS 1750.  This is subject to change per market situation.

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EXPLORING DAR ES SALAAM

For more information about the local area, to schedule excursions, or for recommendations while staying in Dar es Salaam, the concierge at the White Sands Hotel can assist.  

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CODE OF CONDUCT

The International Society for Computational Biology, Inc. (ISCB) and the African Society for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB) assumes that most people are intelligent and well-intended, and we're not inclined to tell people what to do. However, we want every conference to be a safe and productive environment for everyone. Attendees should respect common sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, common courtesy, and respect for private property.

ISCB and ASBCB doesn’t condone harassment or offensive behavior, at our conference venues or anywhere. It is a counter to our organization values. More importantly, it's counter to our values as human beings.

Abusive, racist, sexist, harassing, or threatening behavior towards any other participant or directed at any organizer, student volunteer, ISCB/ASBCB staff, convention center staff, or security will not be tolerated.

We invite you to help us make each conference a place that is welcoming and respectful to all participants, regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, national origin, ethnicity, or religion. This allows everyone the opportunity to focus on the conference itself, and the great networking and community richness that happens when we get together in person. Please report any incidents in which an attendee of the meeting is abusive, insulting, intimidating, bothersome, or acting in an unsafe or illegal manner to conference staff or security immediately.

Sincerely,

The Steering Committee

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ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

CONFERENCE SPONSORS

Updated Mar 17, 2015

SILVER SPONSOR


www.inqababiotec.co.za

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BRONZE SPONSOR

www.h3abionet.org/
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BEST PAPER AWARD SPONSOR

www.springer.com/?SGWID=0-102-0-0-0

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BEST POSTER AWARD SPONSOR

http://f1000.com/

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GENERAL SPONSOR


www.pyramidpharma.com/

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ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

TRAVEL FELLOWSHIPS - Submission Deadline 10 February 2015

We are raising funds to provide travel fellowships for African students to attend the ISCB Africa ASBCB 2015 Conference on Bioinformatics.

The Aim is to bring African students together to introduce them to a variety of research projects in computational biology, increase their awareness of the broad range of opportunities that exist in the field, and introduce them to some of the people leading this research internationally. The conference provides a great opportunity for students as it is preceded by bioinformatics workshops.

Funding and Eligibility

• Funding will support the registration, travel and accommodation of students. It will not cover visa fees, meals or subsistence.
• The applicant must work at an African-based Institution.
• The applicant must be a current member of ISCB and/or ASBCB.
• Applicants need to have submitted a poster or paper for this conference; only accepted student poster and paper submitters will be eligible for funding (acceptance notification will be sent on the same day as the award notification).

Travel Fellowship Application Form

ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

SUBMISSIONS FOR LATE-BREAKING HIGHLIGHTS - SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. 

LATE-BREAKING HIGHLIGHTS SUBMISSION FORM (click here)

Highlight submissions may cover any area of computational biology, but preferably within one of the topic areas listed below:

• Host/pathogen systems biology
• Bioinformatics of human genetics
• Molecular epidemiology and evolution
• Functional, structural and comparative genomics
• Database and resource development
• Search and design of vaccines and drugs

A group of experts will select the papers to be presented at the meeting considering the impact of the work on the field, the likelihood that the work will make a good presentation, and the relevance to biomedical research, in general. 

Accepted presenters for the Highlights Track are required to make the presentation themselves, and must register and pay to attend the conference.

Submissions should include a 250-word Scientific Justification (abstract-like argument) that explains how the work of the submitted paper(s) is impacting the field. 

Highlights Track: Submission Guidelines

PDF files of the papers, the 250-word Scientific Justification (support abstract) and a 150-word presentation description must be submitted through the automated system by December 6, 2014 (midnight by any time zone). No exceptions will be allowed.

Submissions should include the following:

• For each presenter only one submission to the Highlights Track will be reviewed (the LAST will be taken by default). The same limitation applies for the last author (group). Publications can be grouped if it becomes clear how different publications will be combined in a talk. The maximal number of submissions per author/co-author is 5.

• Name/affiliation/email of submitter (assumed to be the presenter; note that the presenter cannot be changed because the identity and ability to present of that person will be an essential selection criterion).

• Names/affiliations/email of ALL coauthors (note: any name appearing on a published paper has to be added here). Note that all co-authors have to agree to the submission. It is the responsibility of the submitter to guarantee that all co-author email addresses are correct (email notifications of the submission will be sent to all co-authors).

• 150 word description of the presentation for promotion on conference website.

• Additional contact information (for presenter).

• 250-word limited abstract-like argument that explains the impact and importance of this work.

• Sources of original publication(s) (Year, Journal, Vol., pages).

• PDF with paper(s) (note: in case of the submission of 2 papers, both should be merged into one single PDF; all reviews will be based on the content of this PDF).

• Optional: link to Google Video demonstrating presentation skills of presenter.

• Only PDF submissions are acceptable. The submission system is currently unable to handle ASCII, Word, LaTeX, or anything other than standard PDF. It is the responsibility of the submitter to verify that the PDF is completely viewable/printable by all major operating systems (LINUX, MacOS, Windows)

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ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

SUBMISSIONS FOR LATE-BREAKING RESEARCH POSTERS

Deadline 6 February 2015

LATE-BREAKING RESEARCH POSTER SUBMISSION FORM (click here)

ISCB-Africa ASBCB Bioinformatics Conference welcomes late-breaking original research poster submissions! 

Posters are intended to convey a scientific result that is original work, and are not advertisements for commercial software packages. Posters may cover any area of computational biology, but preferably within one of the topic areas listed below:

• Host/pathogen systems biology
• Bioinformatics of human genetics
• Molecular epidemiology and evolution
• Functional, structural and comparative genomics
• Database and resource development
• Search and design of vaccines and drugs

Late-Breaking Research Posters Submission Guidelines

All abstracts must be a maximum of 250 words (to appear in the conference booklet) and should provide at the least the following information within them: background information, approach/methods, results and conclusions (actual headings within the abstract are not necessary). For paper submissions, authors are required to submit an additional paragraph of up to 250 words stating the relevance of the work for the purpose of convincing reviewers of the scientific content/validity; these additional 250 words will not be published and are for reviewing purposes only.

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Welcome ISCB Africa ASBCB 2015 Conference on Bioinformatics!

Program Now Available!

Conference Agenda Now Available!

The International Society for Computational Biology and the African Society for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology are pleased to once again join together to host the ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania March 09 -11, 2015. This meeting constitutes the fourth joint meeting of ISCB and ASBCB, and the fifth conference of the ASBCB on Bioinformatics of African pathogens, hosts and vectors.

The ISCB-Africa ASBCB conference features a broad bioinformatics scope that include a special focus on infectious diseases relevant to Africa. Please consider submitting your best research for presentation at the conference as a talk or poster. Samples of topics of interest include the following (although other computational biology topics are welcome as we ultimately seek the best, most interesting and novel presentations for this conference):

• Bioinformatics of human genetics
• Host/pathogen systems biology
• Database and resource development
• Molecular epidemiology and evolution
• Search and design of vaccines and drugs
• Functional, structural, and comparative genomics
• Other Computational Biology Area

Mark your calendar now to be sure to attend this meeting in March of 2015. The organizers look forward to welcoming you to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania!

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Matthew Berriman The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute	M Thomas P Gilbert Natural History Museum of Denmark	Roderic Guigo Centre de Regualció Genòmica Barcelona	Michal Linial Hebrew University of Jerusalem	Michèle Ramsay University of the Witwatersrand

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ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

ORIGINAL RESEARCH SUBMISSIONS - SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED.  LATE-BREAKING RESEARCH POSTERS ARE AVAILABLE.

ISCB-Africa ASBCB Bioinformatics Conference welcomes original research submissions for papers and posters.

Papers and posters are intended to convey a scientific result that is original work, and are not advertisements for commercial software packages. Papers and posters may cover any area of computational biology, but preferably within one of the topic areas listed below:

• Host/pathogen systems biology
• Bioinformatics of human genetics
• Molecular epidemiology and evolution
• Functional, structural and comparative genomics
• Database and resource development
• Search and design of vaccines and drugs

Original Research Submission Guidelines

All abstracts must be a maximum of 250 words (to appear in the conference booklet) and should provide at the least the following information within them: background information, approach/methods, results and conclusions (actual headings within the abstract are not necessary). For paper submissions, authors are required to submit an additional paragraph of up to 250 words stating the relevance of the work for the purpose of convincing reviewers of the scientific content/validity; these additional 250 words will not be published and are for reviewing purposes only.

Original Paper Submissions for Oral Presentation Deadline is 30 November 2014.

Poster Submission Deadline is 6 December 2014.

All notifications will be received in January 2015.

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ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics 2015

SUBMISSIONS

Please check back for updates.