COLLABORATORY EXTENSION TO CHIMERA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Advances in computer networking technology have reformed many of the practices associated with scientific research. Increases in accessibility to high speed networks, and the decreasing cost of high-performance computing resources have created an environment in which researchers can rapidly disseminate information through various network-based means. In an effort to take advantage of this trend, we have written an extension to the Chimera Molecular Modeling System, that allows researchers at geographically distant locations to conduct a 'shared' molecular modeling session in real time. This software, called a 'Collaboratory' (collaborative laboratory) creates an environment in which every user connected to a 'session' has equal control over the model(s) being viewed, and a change made by any participant to the state of the models (e.g. change in color, representation, orientation) is instantly propogated to the other participants. Thus, a synchronized view of the models is maintained at all times throughout a session. The Collaboratory was designed to work over a standard network connection (using Internet Protocol), and has been tested with multiple participants (point-to-point, and groups of three or more). In conjunction with commercially available videoconferencing products, this software effectively enables a group of scientists, located throughout the country, all working on the same project, to conduct their research in a manner similar to if they were all on the same campus. Collaboratory development in the past year has focused primarily on increasing the stability of the software. Additionally, features have been added to enable the user to account for special network conditions, including the presence of a firewall or router (as can be the case when working across a DSL network connection). The Collaboratory is regularly updated to support the use of new Chimera features during collaborative sessions.