Evolutionary Synthesis Center Conference Workshop II, January 31- February 3, 2002, Belmont, Md

进化论长期以来一直是生物学研究的统一体，但现在它已经获得了一个更核心的角色。今天，进化为所有生命科学中的数据采集、分析和解释提供了信息。这种转变部分来自原始数据的爆炸，这些数据来自基因组序列、功能基因组学、生态基因组学、大规模生态系统研究、长期行为研究和遗传学。没有任何机构或供资机构专门负责整合、综合和传播这一广泛的与进化有关的信息。NSF在2001年春季赞助了一个研讨会，以解决进化综合中心（ESC）的需求，并制定一个行动计划来满足这一需求（授予DEB-0120472;报告草案见http：//frog.biology.yale.edu/esc）。与会者一致认为，显然迫切需要一个中心来促进和促进进化综合。尽管第一次研讨会在制定ESC工作模式方面取得了令人印象深刻的进展，但显然需要第二次研讨会来更详细地讨论几个主题。本提案的目标是举办第二次ESC研讨会，以解决以下问题。首先，如果一个中心要被进化共同体的多样性所接受，那么将来自该共同体的意见和建议纳入ESC发展的最早可能阶段是至关重要的。因此，向有关科学界提供了第一次研讨会的报告草稿，并征求了意见和赞同。第二次研讨会的一个重点是解决提出的所有关切问题。第二，第一次研讨会的参与者是根据他们代表进化研究多样性的能力而选择的。由此产生的小组在生物信息学、信息技术、统计学和数学领域没有足够的实力来确定ESC拟议的进化信息学部门（EID）的需求。将邀请一组适当的专家参加第二次讲习班，以便更仔细地审议EID的目标、内容和能力。最后，由于第一次研讨会很少关注如何实现ESC外联司的目标，这将是第二次ESC研讨会的另一个重点。

Evolution has long served to unify the study of biology, but now it has acquired a more central role. Today evolution serves to inform 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, functional genomics, ecological genomics, large-scale ecosystem studies, long-term behavioral studies and phylogenetics. There is no institution or funding agency dedicated to the consolidation, synthesis and dissemination of this broad sweep of evolutionarily relevant information. NSF sponsored a workshop in Spring 2001 to address the need for an evolutionary synthesis center (ESC) and to develop an action plan to meet this need (award DEB-0120472; draft report at http://frog.biology.yale.edu/esc). The participants unanimously agreed that there is a clear and compelling need for a center to promote and facilitate evolutionary synthesis. Although the first workshop made impressive progress in the development of an ESC working model, it became clear that a second workshop would be required to address several topics in more detail. The goal of this proposal is to hold a second ESC workshop to address the following issues. First, if a center is to be embraced by the diversity of the evolutionary community, it is critical that comments and suggestions from that community be incorporated into the earliest possible phase of ESC development. Thus a draft report from the first workshop was made available to the relevant scientific communities and comments and endorsements were solicited. One focus of the second workshop is to address all of the concerns raised. Second, the participants of the first workshop were chosen for their ability to represent the diversity of evolutionary research. The resulting group did not have adequate strengths in the areas of bioinformatics, information technology, statistics, and mathematics to determine the needs of the proposed Evolutionary Informatics Division (EID) of an ESC. An appropriate group of such specialists will be invited to participate in the second workshop to consider the goals, content and capacities of the EID more carefully. Finally, because in the first workshop little attention was paid to how to achieve the goals of the Outreach Division of an ESC, this will be another focus for the second ESC workshop.