MJB1@phoenix.cambridge.ac.uk (02/07/89)
University of Cambridge Computing Service
Molecular Biology Computing Research Unit
A Molecular Biology Computing Research Unit (MBCRU) has been established
by the Director of the University of Cambridge Computing Service,
Dr. D.F.Hartley. This has been made possible by a generous donation of
12 Sun 4/110 workstations by Sun Microsystems. The workstations are
being distributed, 6 in Biological Departments in the City Centre and
6 at the Addenbrookes Hospital Site. A Management Committee is being established
for MBCRU and the Manager is Dr. M.J.Bishop.
Future plans include the installation of fileservers on the City and
Hospital sites with X.25 access to the Hospital machine for mail, file-transfer
and terminal sessions (funding obtained), linking all machines by ethernet
(funding largely obtained), and appointing a computer officer to maintain
the fileservers, workstations and network, install molecular biology software
and databases, and help users with programming (funding not yet obtained).
The object in establishing MBCRU was to provide a suitable environment
to exploit software developments from the US and to encourage the development
of portable Unix based software for molecular biology in Cambridge.
This complements the existing facilities under VAX/VMS.
Distribution of the twelve workstations and project titles are as follows:
In the City
Biochemistry
Howe & Henderson Protein transport and processing
Laue Nmr studies of protein structure
Botany
Gray Structure prediction of membrane proteins
Genetics
Dover New genetic processes
Evans Mouse genetics
Zoology
Friday Estimation of evolutionary trees
At the Hospital
Medicine
Borysiewicz Immunology of virus infection
MRC Laboratory of
Molecular Biology
Horsnell Image reconstruction and molecular structure
Staden Sequence analysis
MRC Molecular
Genetics Unit
Bishop & Brenner Physical mapping
Bishop & Brenner Sequence comparison
Pathology (Clinical
Genetics)
Ferguson-Smith & Yates Gene mapping
The initiative is a pump-priming exercise and if the project is successful
it is intended in due course to pass control of the Unit from the Computing
Service to a suitable biological or clinical department.
M.J.Bishop
6 February 1989elliston@rob.UUCP ( Keith Elliston) (02/08/89)
I have a related question.... Is there any database available, that lists the available PD and Commercial sequence analysis software? I am interested in putting up the "BEST" system possible here, and would like to look into all the possibilities. If there isnt one... I would be interested in putting one together, with the help of the net. Just let me know.. Keith uunet!rob!elliston rob!elliston@uunet.UU.NET
kristoff@NET.BIO.NET (David Kristofferson) (02/10/89)
Christopher J. Rawlings has written a book entitled "Software Directory for Molecular Biologists" which was published in 1986 by Macmillan. I don't know if he plans to update this book, but it is pretty comprehensive. -- Sincerely, Dave Kristofferson BIONET Resource Manager kristoff@net.bio.net or kristofferson@bionet-20.bio.net