[Bioclusters] Investigation of Bioinformatics Scene

[Paul Gardner]

I had the same problem when I started my PhD, so I started collecting
definitions:
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~ppgardne/bioinformatics/Bioinformatics_Definitions.htm
I don't think the definition should be restricted to the use of computers,
mathematicians and statisticians also to some good theoretical work in the
field.


On Wed, 13 Mar 2002, Borries Demeler wrote:

Hi,

I am running a bioinformatics core facility at the University of Texas and
was wondering about your definition of bioinformatics: This has come to
mean a lot of things nowadays (and I offer you my very broad definition
right away: any field where computers are used for scientific analysis
of biological data). Besides genomics, this can include proteomics,
data mining, modeling of X-ray crystallography, NMR, hydrodynamic,
thermodynamic data etc., parallel distributed computing technology
to name just a few of the many. Of course, there are more than 10 fields
and it would be difficult to single out the most important in each.

In addition, I wouldn't know if it would make sense to single out
certain individuals as the "most central people" in the field, since
most of today's bioinformatics research now is done in teams and is
more of a collaborative than an individual effort. I would also take
a look at organizations as most influential in the field (NCSA, United
States government labs, companies like Celera, University of Pittsburgh
supercomputing center, and initiatives like Teragrid as important
contributors to the success of bioinformatics.

Just my $0.02... -borries

---
Borries Demeler, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Dept. of Biochemistry, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900
Voice: 210-567-6592, Fax: 210-567-4575, Email: demeler@biochem.uthscsa.edu

______
> Dear list members,
>
> we are planning a sociological investigation of the development of
> bioinformatics as a new scientific sub-field (funded by the German
> Research Foundation, No.: Schi 553/1-2). We would like you to help us by
> naming the international 10 central persons of the present
> bioinformatics scene (the most important person is No. 1; the next
> important person is No. 2 and so on). Please give us the full name and,
> if possible, the institutional affiliation.
>
> Please send your list to: thomas.kron@fernuni-hagen.de
>
> Of course we use your list anonymously! After investigation the lists
> will be abolished.
>
> Many thanks for your help!
>
> Yours sincerely
>
> Prof Dr. Uwe Schimank
> University of Hagen
> Sociology II / Acting and Structures
> Universitaetsstr. 21
> 58084 Hagen
> Germany
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