#109 Programming, Bioinformatics and the Future of Computer Programming with Ken Youens-Clark – Senior Scientific Programmer
Ken is a senior-level programmer with over 23 years of experience developing software in industry and research environments. Ken is a self-taught computer programmer, software engineer, hacker and teacher. What started off as developing websites in the early 90’s turned into an extensive and fruitful career in bioinformatics and eventually teaching and mentorship. Ken is also the author of Tiny Python Projects published by Manning Publications.
In this episode, Ken opens up by sharing the story of his improbable start in bioinformatics. Ken actually went to university to study music and English, which would go on to greatly influence the way he engages with teaching and programming later in life. In his first job, Ken was running a company website and working on its databases. At the time, there was a great need for a better understanding of programming and managing databases. Ken started teaching himself about the early computer languages and processes in his free time. Eventually, Ken’s proficiency paid off, and he started doing consulting work and working for the New York Times digital department.
As a student, Ken hated biology, but his work with databases and programming guided him toward bioinformatics. One of his first jobs was developing software for comparative plant genomics. Although he did not have an advanced degree or a background in science, Ken established himself in the field and paved a lucrative and meaningful career in bioinformatics. After working remotely for over a decade, Ken made the leap from the industry to academia and took positions at Coldspring Harbor and eventually the University of Arizona.
Ken’s book, Tiny Python Projects, represents his diverse experiences. The format of the book is based on Ken’s own experience learning to play different instruments. Ken also leans heavily on children’s rhymes and games as a way of teaching. For example, the book ends with tic-tac-toe, which initially sounds silly. What does tic-tac-toe have to do with programming? Ken figures out ways to explain complex ideas, like higher-order programs, functions, and command lines, using basic and familiar concepts. This method, starting with something simple and familiar, then adding layers of complexity, is essential if we are going to build capacity in the data space.
We wrap up our episode with a conversation about the early days of computer science, databases and data processing, and Ken’s next book. Initially, Ken was frustrated by the inflexible nature of computer science. Programs were bound to the machine running the programming itself, as opposed to the open, internet-based software accessible to many different people and not confined to any particular hardware we experience today. It was Ken’s background in English that gave him hope. If computer science could have the flexibility of language, with infinite combinations of words like spoken language, it would be much more exciting. This disposition impacts the way Ken works now and is the inspiration for his next book. Ken aims for everything he does to be reproducible and is intentional about documenting how he organizes and runs his databases. His next book will delve deeper into the idea of reproducible and scaled data. He is interested in looking into parallel processing, making code reproducible, and moving beyond hard coding.
Enjoy the show!
We speak about:
[00:30] About Ken Youens Clark
[02:00] Ken’s Work and COVID-19
[03:15] How did you get into the bioinformatics field?
[13:00] Ken’s first job in bioinformatics
[25:20] How did the design of your book come about?
[35:30] How did you keep going despite your frustration with the technology available in early computer programming?
[40:35] What are your thoughts on hard coding and data processing?
[46:00] What will your next book be about?
Resources:
Ken’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/KenYouensClark
Tiny Python Projects (For 40% off use code poddatafuturology19).
Check out other books from Manning Publications, use code poddatafuturology19 for a 40% discount.
Quotes:
“[After COVID-19], the first thing I had to do was become a YouTuber.”
“I’m hoping that anyone who is stuck at home right now can watch my lectures, go through the materials, and teach themselves python at home for free.”
“That’s all computing is, transforming one thing into another.”
“How did you get into that field?”, “A completely random series of mistakes and not knowing what I’m doing”
“Anything that [my boss] asked me to do he could have done in half the time and twice as good, but he had the patience to wait for me to catch up”
“I fell in love with programming - I was like finally I’ve figured out something that’s interesting, that I truly enjoy doing”
“What I see over and over again, especially in science, especially with novice programmers is that everything about the program is hard-coded“
“I haven’t touched a windows computer … since 1999”
“[in science/academia] no one teaches programming … you just generally kinda figure it out along the way”
“I think people should be taught the basics of command lines; piping, redirecting, those basic kinds of things“
Thank you to our sponsors:
Fyrebox - Make Your Own Quiz!
We are RUBIX. - one of Australia’s leading pure data consulting companies delivering project outcomes for some of the world’s leading brands.
And as always, we appreciate your Reviews, Follows, Likes, Shares and Ratings. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy the show!