Advances in computer science and technology and in biology over the last several years have opened up the possibility for computing to help answer fundamental questions in biology and for biology to help with new approaches to computing. Making the most of the research opportunities at the interface of computing and biology requires the active participation of people from both fields. While past attempts have been made in this direction, circumstances today appear to be much more favorable for progress. To help take advantage of these opportunities, this study was requested of the NRC by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy. The report provides the basis for establishing cross-disciplinary collaboration between biology and computing including an analysis of potential impediments and strategies for overcoming them. The report also presents a wealth of examples that should encourage students in the biological sciences to look for ways to enable them to be more effective users of computing in their studies.Table of Contents
Front Matter Executive Summary 1 Introduction 2 21st Century Biology 3 On the Nature of Biological Data 4 Computational Tools 5 Computational Modeling and Simulation as Enablers for Biological Discovery 6 A Computational and Engineering View of Biology 7 Cyberinfrastructure and Data Acquisition 8 Biological Inspiration for Computing 9 Illustrative Problem Domains at the Interface of Computing and Biology 10 Culture and Research Infrastructure 11 Conclusions and Recommendations A The Secrets of Life: A Mathematician’s Introduction to Molecular Biology B Challenge Problems in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from Other Reports C Biographies of Committee Members and Staff D Workshop Participants What Is CSTB?
