Acquisition of a High-Capacity Multiprocessor Computer Server Cluster for Phylogenetic Analysis of DNA Sequence Data in Biological Research

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Most major users of the proposed instrumentation already have DNA sequence data sets in hand that are in excess of 100 taxa. Prior NSF- sponsored ABI automated sequencer instrumentation (1995-96) has resulted in a remarkable increase in the output of quality DNA sequence data that has led to a highly unbalanced situation where "cutting-edge" technology is available to generate molecular data, but researchers are confined to using inadequate computers for the phylogenetic analyses of these data sets. Field Museum researchers in the Biochemistry Lab have flooded all locally available computing resources with phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data that have been generated for its new and innovative research. This proposal funds the acquisition of significant additional computing resources needed to complete and continue important new projects made possible by the Lab's existing equipment for isolating DNA, PCR amplification, and automated generation of DNA sequence data (ABI 377 automated sequencer). It is not only the generation of these DNA data sets that makes a molecular evolution and systematics research program strong, but how well those data are analyzed and interpreted.