gilbertd@cricket.bio.indiana.edu (Don Gilbert) (06/20/91)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For further information, contact: Shari Worthington Executive Director Consortium (415) 354-4427 or Janet Male Sr. Consultant to Apple Computer, Inc. Regis McKenna, Inc. (508) 755-5242 NEW MACINTOSH USER ORGANIZATION TARGETS SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS MacSciTech Unveils Goals at AppleTech '91 Minneapolis, MN (April 3, 1991) ... In conjunction with this week's AppleTech '91 show and conference, the Consortium for Laboratory & Industrial Applications of the Macintosh, Inc. (Worcester, MA) and Apple Computer, Inc. (Cupertino, CA) announced the formation of MacSciTech, the Macintosh Scientific and Technical Users Association. MacSciTech, founded by a group of interested scientists and engineers, is the first independent, international users association to focus solely on the use of Macintosh computers in science and engineering. MacSciTech's charter is to enhance the effective utilization of the Macintosh within the scientific and engineering communities. It's membership will be drawn from a wide range of technical disciplines, including engineering, chemistry, medicine, physics, astronomy, molecular biology, measurement and testing, environmental sciences, astronautics, behavioral sciences, computer-aided design, and manufacturing. Unlike most users groups, MacSciTech's goals and objectives include a wide variety of far-reaching programs intended to further the professional objectives of its member scientists and engineers. The objectives of the group are: >> To provide members with a variety of forums for the timely exchange of practical information on the use of Macintosh computers in science and engineering. >> To provide members at all levels of expertise with education and training services concerning the use of Macintosh computers in scientific and engineering environments. >> To provide a vehicle for information exchange between scientific and engineering users of Macintosh computers and providers of Macintosh scientific and engineering hardware and software, including both Apple and third party vendors. >> To advance standards of excellence and professional development throughout the membership. According to Doug Nomura, MacSciTech Chairman and a molecular biologist at DNAX Research Institute (San Jose, CA), "MacSciTech is a bit unusual as it operates as if it were a cross between a users group and a professional association. As a users group, MacSciTech will foster open, interactive communications among its members through online, interactive services such as America Online, public domain software archives on the Internet, and quarterly newsletters. As a professional society, the group will host an annual technical conference. The first conference is scheduled for January 1992 in San Francisco, just after MacWorld Expo. Additionally, the members of MacSciTech will work closely, through meetings and ongoing communications, with Apple and third-party developers on product and business issues that affect the scientific and engineering markets." Gary Wagner, Consortium Chairman and Director of Sales and Marketing at Automatix, Inc. (Billerica, MA) states, "The Consortium is quite excited to have been involved in the formation of MacSciTech. The education and support role of this group is a perfect complement to the market development efforts of the Consortium. In fact, the MacSciTech board, which includes members of the Consortium, focuses on facilitating communications among end-users. While MacSciTech will operate independently of the Consortium, the two groups will help draw the Macintosh community together and guarantee that the ultimate needs of all levels of engineering and scientific professionals are served. Crossover membership between the Consortium and MacSciTech is anticipated and encouraged." "Apple is interested in working more closely with scientists and engineers because they tend to challenge technology within a multi- platform environment," stated Cary Tengler, Higher Education Marketing Manager at Apple. "MacSciTech will bring together Macintosh users from different sectors -- government labs, educational institutions, and commercial enterprises -- and help us focus on their needs as we work on developing programs and technology." Led by the efforts of an active volunteer organization, MacSciTech's Board of Directors includes a number of highly regarded professionals from industry, academia, and government research facilities. The Board includes Doug Nomura, DNAX Research, MacSciTech Chairman; Dr. Michael Duncan, Naval Research Laboratory, MacSciTech Treasurer; Dr. Frank Brittain, Bechtel Corp.; Dr. Scott Jenkins, Sandoz Corp.; Dr. Barbara Jezl, E.I. duPont de Nemours; Dr. Mary Jo Spencer, University of New Hampshire; Dr. Craig Stone, San Jose State University; Dr. Cliff Stoll, Harvard University; Mr. Cary Tengler, Apple Computer; Mr. Ray Thompson, University of Colorado; and Ms Shari Worthington, Consortium for Laboratory & Industrial Applications of the Macintosh, Inc. Special charter prices for membership in the society will be in effect through 1991: Charter member dues are $25/year, with a student rate of $15/year. MacSciTech's corporate offices will reside at 49 Midgley Lane, Worcester, MA 01604. For further information about MacSciTech, contact Shari Worthington at Tel: 508-755-5242, Fax: 508-795-1636, AppleLink: cons.lab.mfg, America Online: SciTechMac, or Internet: scitech@ra.nrl.navy.mil. Established in 1989, the Consortium is an independent association of leading developers, VARs, and end-users, of laboratory and factory automation equipment who have aligned their efforts to further develop Macintosh computers as a platform for scientific, engineering, and manufacturing applications. - 30 - Consortium for Laboratory & Industrial Applications of the Macintosh 49 Midgley Lane, Worcester, MA 01604 508-755-5242 Macintosh and AppleLink are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. -- Don Gilbert gilbert@bio.indiana.edu biocomputing office, biology dept., indiana univ., bloomington, in 47405