A personal narrative of 6 pre-university research projects over 7years (2009-2015) yielding 19 manuscripts

Scientific enquiry is important in scientific education,1 in addition to acquiring a body of knowledge. Upon acquiring a body of knowledge, the student is expected to be able to apply the knowledge in new settings. A common tool for teaching scientific enquiry is to engage students in project work or problem-based learning;2 which had been carried out at all levels of scientific education, from high school3–6 to undergraduate studies.7–13 Such research skills are exceptionally crucial in bioinformatics as bioinformatics is primarily a hands-on, minds-on endeavour.1 This emphasis on bioinformatics research and problem-solving skills are supported by significant number of bioinformaticists.14–16