TJHSST BioCode is an annual coding competition hosted by the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Bioinformatics Society. At BioCode, teams can participate in 1 of 2 categories: 1) an algorithmic competitive programming style competition to solve the most number of problems, within a wide range of difficulty (these problems are all related to biology but require no previous biological knowledge and only minimal CS experience), or 2) a project-based hackathon where students create and submit any bioinformatics-driven program or style. Participation in BioCode is completely free, and we have more than $1,500 in prizes. The competition will consist of an opening ceremony, programming time, workshops from knowledgeable TJ students, guest lectures from professors in the field, and an awards ceremony.

Where: TJHSST, 6560 Braddock Road, Alexandria, VA 22312

When: April 20, 10 AM - 7 PM EST

Structure

For each competition category (competitive programming or hackathon), there will be three divisions: beginner (ex; middle schoolers), intermediate (ex: have not taken AP Computer Science, in high school), and advanced (have taken AP Computer Science). Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 teams in each division, for each category. If you currently do not have a team, we will pair you with other students in your division if you’d like. More information will be released soon, and given during opening ceremonies.

For competitive programming, teams of up to four will receive problems to complete (anything as simple as "translate this DNA into RNA" to "model equilibrium in this population"). Problems will cover all the biology you need - essentially, you will solve coding problems that happen to be about biology. Problems are designed so even with simple knowledge of Java/Python/C++/other languages, you will be able to do a significant amount of the problems. Descriptions of the programming problems, test cases, and point values are given in a packet. More information about problem submission will be given during opening ceremonies.

For the hackathon, an overview direction/focus will be presented during the opening ceremony, and teams of up to 4 can design any program (ex; website, mobile app, machine learning model) which uses bioinformatics techniques, in the context of the focus. As an example, the focus might look like: How can computer science be used to help diseased people?

Workshops

If you finish early, cannot solve any more problems, or are interested in learning something new, BioCode will have numerous workshops hosted by knowledgeable TJ students. In these lectures and activities, you can learn a new programming language, get assistance with solving one of the competition problems, or learn about how bioinformatics is applied in the real world. More information about these sessions will be given during opening ceremonies.

Prizes

Each division will have individual prizes for the winners of their respective divisions. These prizes will include a cash prize and possible sponsored prizes (to be announced later).