The 2022 BioExcel School included lectures and hands-on sessions on topics such as biomolecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations. In this blog, Gustavo Enrique Olivos Ramirez talks about the experience at the course.
Gustavo Enrique Olivos Ramirez
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
The Bioexcel School on Biomolecular Simulations (25 March – 1 April 2022) was a virtual event with the most prominent experts in this field. We took lectures on molecular docking, biomolecular simulation, QM/MM, enhanced sampling methods, and free energy calculations; all of these were done by specialists and some of them were the actual developers of these methods. Something that I really liked was the platform to access the theoretical presentations, where it is very intuitive to follow the presentations. Also, the practical sessions were very easy to access and understand, thanks to the computer support that was provided prior and during the course. On this last aspect, we had remote connection to a virtual machine and access to the ARCHER2 supercomputer by ssh. This made it easy to run the in silico assays.
In addition, the organization was very good and we had their support at all times. I would like to emphasize that the host of this event was very kind and encouraged the confidence of all participants. Finally, this course has given me the opportunity to meet other students and researchers linked to the field of biomolecular simulation. Through the poster session I was able to learn about the work they are doing and other new approaches applied to this field. In conclusion, the course in my view has been very fruitful and profitable, in the theoretical, practical and humanistic aspects. I recommend it to all students who want to learn from experts.
