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Human Genome News, September 1994; 6(3):13

DIMACS Special Year 1994-95: Mathematical Support for Molecular Biology

A Special Year on Mathematical Support for Molecular Biology was inaugurated in August by the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS). This consortium of Rutgers and Princeton universities, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and Bellcore designed the Special Year to acquaint discrete mathematicians and theoretical computer scientists with molecular biology problems related to their fields and to foster collaborations and interdisciplinary research.

Joachim Messing and Fred Roberts (Rutgers University) are chairing the Special Year, with cochairs Lawrence Shepp (AT&T Bell Laboratories) and Michael Waterman (University of Southern California). A steering committee composed of leading experts from a number of collaborating institutions and industries is assisting in planning and implementing activities. (see Calendar of Genome-Related Events)

Special Year Activities

  • Workshop series on such topics as sequence alignment, phylogeny, and HIV sequence analysis. Every workshop has two main organizers, one each from the mathematical and biological sciences.
  • Distinguished Lecture Series consisting of 11 lectures by outstanding researchers.
  • Seminars weekly, except when a workshop, miniworkshop, or Distinguished Lecture Series address is scheduled.
  • Miniworkshops (1-day) on such topics as combinatorial structures in molecular biology, DNA topology and regulation, gross and fine structure of DNA, global minimization of nonconvex energy functions, sequence-based methods for protein folding, antibody sequence and structure, and geometrical methods for conformational modeling.
  • Algorithm Implementation Challenges, culminating in a September 1995 workshop, to challenge researchers to develop algorithmic methods for a series of benchmark problems dealing with DNA sequence determination from shotgun sequence data.
  • Visitor program allowing researchers to spend time at the center. Prominent researchers in biocomputing and biomathematics are visiting, some for as long as a year.

In addition to the many technical reports, journal articles, and conference volumes that usually result from a DIMACS special year, sponsors hope to produce a volume of papers, many of them expository, by leaders in the field. For dates and places of scheduled events and further information, contact DIMACS Center.

DIMACS Center, Rutgers University; P.O. Box 1179; Piscataway, NJ 08855-1179 (908/445-5928, Fax: -5932, Internet: special@dimacs.rutgers.edu, Gopher: dimacs.rutgers.edu, WWW: http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/, Telnet: telnet dimacs.rutgers.edu (log in as info)

HGMIS staff

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The electronic form of the newsletter may be cited in the following style:
Human Genome Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Human Genome News (v6n3).

Human Genome Project 1990–2003

The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international 13-year effort, 1990 to 2003. Primary goals were to discover the complete set of human genes and make them accessible for further biological study, and determine the complete sequence of DNA bases in the human genome. See Timeline for more HGP history.

Human Genome News

Published from 1989 until 2002, this newsletter facilitated HGP communication, helped prevent duplication of research effort, and informed persons interested in genome research.