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

进化论长期以来一直致力于统一生物学的研究，但现在它已经获得了一个更核心的角色。今天，进化通知并指导所有生命科学中的数据采集，分析和解释。这种转变部分来自原始数据的爆炸，从基因组序列，适应性生理学，群体遗传学，长期行为研究，发育机制，生态遗传学，大规模生态系统研究，功能基因组学和遗传学。这些数据只能使用高度发达的数据库管理和分析工具进行解释和综合，并需要演变的比较工具。没有一个机构专门负责整合、综合和传播这一广泛的与进化有关的信息。因此，拟议的研讨会的目标是讨论是否需要一个进化综合中心，以及这样一个中心所需的实际的，与数据有关的能力。进化综合中心将通过提供机制来促进现有和新产生的数据集的协作、跨学科综合，从而满足进化生物学社区的需求。该中心还将在生物科学的进一步统一中发挥关键作用，因为它汇集了来自不同领域的知识，以增加我们对生物形式和功能的普遍理解。最后，该中心还将在组织和综合进化知识方面发挥重要作用，这些知识将为非学术界提供信息，例如在应用进化领域，如传染病，药物设计和生物修复。

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.