Structural Biology and Synchrotron Radiation: Assesment of Resources and Needs

由于阿贡和伯克利新设施的建设，结构生物学家开始评估他们目前和未来对同步辐射的需求。在为新仪器提供资金而提出主要要求的时候，很明显，关于结构生物学社区对同步辐射的当前或未来需求的文献很少。结构生物学同步加速器用户组织建议进行一次为期两天的密集研讨会，以记录和评估这些资源和需求，并向作为结构生物学研究赞助者的国家科学基金会提供建议。拟议的研究小组将1)分析从同步加速器用户和同步加速器设施收集的描述当前资源和需求的数据；2)评估基因工程、低角度散射、x射线光谱学、x射线显微镜、晶体学、计算技术和仪器发展等领域的科学发展对当今结构生物学的影响；3)项目未来需求和能力；4)制作一份详细说明这些发现的文件。该文件由这些领域的主要科学家审查，将提供给资助组织、政府机构和科学界，以促进对未来的规划。

Structural biologists have been triggered to evaluate their current and future needs for synchrotron radiation by construction of new facilities at Argonne and at Berkeley. At a time when major requests will be submitted for funding of new instrumentation, it has become apparent that scant documentation exists on either the current or future needs of the structural biology community for synchrotron radiation. The Structural Biology Synchrotron Users Organization proposes to conduct an intensive, two-day workshop in order to document and assess these resources and needs and to advise the National Science Foundation in its role as sponsor of structural biology research. The proposed study group would 1) analyze data gathered from synchrotron users and synchrotron facilities that describe current resources and needs; 2) evaluate how scientific developments in the fields of genetic engineering, low-angle scattering, X-ray spectroscopy, x-ray microscopy, crystallography, computational technology, and instrument development affect structural biology today; 3) project future demand and capabilities; and 4) produce a document detailing these findings. The document, reviewed by major scientists in these fields, would be available to funding organizations, government bodies and the scientific community to facilitate planning for the future.