ISCB Newsletter v.6.3

When David Gilbert got up on stage at ISMB 2003 to give the audience a primer on next year’s conference, few people, even among the organizers of next year’s conference, were expecting him to remove his shirt. He did so to ensure that no one would be in any doubt as to the geographical location of ISMB/ECCB 2004—Glasgow, Scotland—by revealing a T-shirt emblazoned with a map of Scotland. If you missed this spectacle, David’s presentation (without the striptease act) can be downloaded from the conference website at www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2004.

The UK is the ideal venue for ISMB/ECCB 2004: it has one of the largest and strongest bioinformatics communities in the world and it is home to the European Bioinformatics Institute, Europe's premier provider of bioinformatics resources. It also has a strong tradition in bioinformatics teaching, offering several masters and BSc courses. Scotland plays an active role in the UK’s bioinformatics scene: it is home to a number of world-class organizations that are pushing the frontiers of biotechnology and bioinformatics, from eScience (the UK’s National eScience Centre is based in Glasgow and Edinburgh) to the application of bioinformatics to agriculture and medicine (think Dolly the sheep and genome mapping projects for an entire farmyard). Bioinformatics has been identified as an area of key strategic interest in Scotland, and Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's main economic development agency, is promoting the development of biotechnology and bioinformatics in Scotland.

Apart from the state-of-the art Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, an unparalleled range of places to stay and its excellent international air links, Glasgow is undoubtedly one of Europe's most vibrant Cultural Capitals. It has some of the best arts venues, shopping, wining and dining in the UK, not to mention stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Around the city there are numerous reminders of Glasgow's impressive architectural heritage. The work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, art deco architect and designer of world renown, can be seen throughout the city; this provided the inspiration for our conference logo.

Glaswegian culture will not be the only unique thing about next year’s conference. As well as being the first time that ISMB is held jointly with ECCB, the European Conference on Computational Biology, we will be making a concerted effort to put the bio back into bioinformatics. Hot topics at ISMB/ECCB 2004 are likely to include genomics, evolution and phylogeny, transcriptomics, proteomics, structural biology, pathways, networks and systems, and applications of bioinformatics. The message from the programme committee is this: get collaborating with your friends in the wet lab and come to Glasgow to showcase the fruits of your labours.

As well as providing an exciting and innovative programme, we want to ensure that you get a proper Glaswegian welcome. Whisky tasting and Scottish dancing are likely to be part of the festivities; haggis and deep fried Mars bars are strictly optional. Look out for the call for papers in September or, better still, sign up to receive conference updates and news at www.iscb.org/ismbeccb2004/prospects.php.