Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!uunet!bionet!aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu!BROE
From: BROE@AARDVARK.UCS.UOKNOR.EDU (Bruce Roe)
Newsgroups: bionet.general
Subject: Bionet Shutdown
Message-ID: <8907062157.AA08094@net.bio.net>
Date: 6 Jul 89 21:57:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@NET.BIO.NET
Lines: 32

We all live and die by the peer review system and the rules established by
the NIH for the review process.  Be that as it may, what do we now do to 
maintain a National Network for BioComputing?

I suggest that for the present, The NIH could modify its contract with
GenBank to provide the funding necessary for continuing the following, much
needed services at a National Resource Level, maybe through the Human Genome
Project (to suggest one source of funds). 

1. National access to and the programs needed to search the latest GenBank,
EMBL, and NBRF data bases for sequence similarities, etc.
2. A national mail network devoted to similar topics as BIONET was.
3. An ftp facility to distribute timely (eg. weekly) updates to the three 
major data bases and serve as a distribution center for public domain programs
useful for those interested in molecular biology, evolution, etc.  The former 
is more important to me than the latter.

What is needed is for those of us who have been silent up to now to find
out who to contact to voice our displeasure, outrage and inability to do
our research if a BIONET-like facility is not available for a low-cost and 
at one location with national access. 

I suggest that one person to contact is Dr. Jim Cassett, the Program Project 
Officer at the NIH responsible for GenBank.  Maybe he can do something if
enough of us contact him.  

	Dr. Cassett's e-mail address is CZJ@NIHCU.BITNET

Let's get moving and see what can be done.

Bruce A. Roe, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
		University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019