How to make bioinformatics tools more accessible for students and non-coders

[kensmith]

Lately, I’ve been mentoring a few undergraduate students who are interested in genomics but don’t have much experience with coding. I’ve noticed how intimidating most bioinformatics tools can be for newcomers. Many of them require knowledge of R, Python, or Linux environments just to get started. It made me wonder — what are the best ways to introduce students to real-world genomic analysis without overwhelming them? Are there any tools or platforms that strike a good balance between power and accessibility?