Dear Colleague:
I am writing to inform you of our plans for this year's workshop at
the Aspen Center for Physics on Identifying Features in Biological
Sequences. This workshop, the eighth in the series, runs from 9 June
to 20 June, 1997. The deadline for applications is February 1,
1997. The best way to apply is to fill out the form at
http://andy.bu.edu/aspen/application.
Our goal is to bring together about 25 researchers, from diverse
backgrounds of biology, mathematics, computer science and other
disciplines, that are interested in the problems of extracting
biological information from nucleic acid and protein sequences. The
workshop is designed to facilitate interactions and collaborations.
Each participant has an office shared with one other participant.
There will be a small network of Unix workstations available with
connections to the Internet. The workshop's formal schedule is
decided by the participants at the beginning of each week, but it
usually involves a limited amount of time in formal talks, perhaps 2-3
hours each day, and the rest of the time available for small group
interaction and collaboration. These often involve the development
and testing of new methods, or the testing of old methods on new data
and the comparison of different methods on standardized data sets.
These collaborative interactions are the real strength of the Aspen
workshops. A summary (postscript file) of the 1995 session can be
downloaded from: ftp://atlas.lanl.gov/pub/cb/ACP95.ps. A printed copy
can be obtained by sending email with your postal address, to:
cb at t10.lanl.gov.
Housing in Aspen is arranged through the Center and is very reasonable,
making it possible to have family members join you. We have are
pursuing funding which may partially offset housing costs and some
travel expenses. If you would like to attend but need financial
assistance to do so, I recommend that you apply before the deadline
and then later decline the invitation if it becomes necessary. We will
try to find funding for those that are accepted to the workshop and
require it in order to attend.
Attendance at the Center's workshops is usually oversubscribed. If
you want to come you must complete and return the application form so
that it is received before 1 February (there are no exceptions).
There are two options for applying:
The first, and preferred, option is to apply electronically.
ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS MUST BE SENT BY FEBRUARY 1. The Center has set
up a World Wide Web address that you can use for this purpose:
http://andy.bu.edu/aspen/application. (Information about the Center
and more information about its summer program can be found at
http://andy.bu.edu/aspen).
If electronic application is inconvenient or impossible, the second
option is to complete a hardcopy application form. Request a form from
Jane Kelley
Aspen Center for Physics
700 W. Gillespie
Aspen, CO 81611
tel: 970-925-2585
fax: 970-920-1167
email: jane at acp1.zgsw.com
In either case, you should specify the workshop title and 9 - 20 June
on the application so the Center will know it's our workshop in which
you are interested.
After 1 February, the Center's Admissions Committee, with input from
our workshop's Organizing Committee (Christian Burks, Gene Myers, and
myself), will select participants based on getting a broad
representation of work in the field and a mixture of previous and new
participants. Should some of those invited decline, more invitations
will be extended later.
We look forward to an exciting, productive workshop and encourage you,
or someone in your group, to apply. Please feel free to post or pass
this note along to anyone who might be interested. If you have any
questions about our workshop please contact me by e-mail
(wrp at virginia.edu); if you have questions about the Center's program
and administrative details in general, please contact Sally Mencimer
at the address above.
Sincerely yours,
William R. Pearson
telephone: 804-924-2818
fax: 804-924-5069
e-mail: wrp at virginia.edu
Dept. of Biochemistry
Jordan Hall #440
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22908
