Evolutionary Synthesis Center Workshop, May 30-June 1, 2001 in Arlington, VA

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Riley0120472Evolution has long served to unify the study of biology, but it has now acquired a more central role. Today evolution informs and directs data acquisition, analysis and interpretation in all of the life sciences. This transformation comes in part from the explosion of raw data, from sources as far-ranging as genome sequences, adaptive physiology, population genetics, long-term behavioral studies, developmental mechanisms, ecological genetics, large-scale ecosystem studies, functional genomics, and phylogenetics. Such data can only be interpreted and synthesized using highly developed database management and analysis tools and requires the comparative tools of evolution. There is no institution dedicated to the consolidation, synthesis and dissemination of this broad sweep of evolutionarily relevant information. Therefore the goal of the proposed workshop is to discuss the need for an evolutionary synthesis center, as well as the practical, data-related capacities required for such a center. A center for evolutionary synthesis would serve the needs of the evolutionary biology community by providing mechanisms to foster collaborative, cross-disciplinary synthesis of existing and newly-produced datasets. The center would also play a critical role in the further unification of the biological sciences as it draws together knowledge from disparate fields to increase our general understanding of biological form and function. Finally, the center would also play a valuable role in organizing and synthesizing evolutionary knowledge that will inform non-academics, for example, in areas of applied evolution such as infectious disease, drug design, and bioremediation.