Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!bionet!HELIX.MGH.HARVARD.EDU!HAINES
From: HAINES@HELIX.MGH.HARVARD.EDU ("Jonathan L. Haines")
Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.genome-program
Subject: (none)
Message-ID: <9011062019.AA01750@genbank.bio.net>
Date: 6 Nov 90 20:17:00 GMT
Sender: daemon@genbank.bio.net
Lines: 28

*****************************************************************************
The proposal to set up a bulletin board for human chromosome 22 is interesting.
This would provide a more continuous form of interaction than the single
chromosome workshops which are being funded by various agencies.
My worry is that there are 24 human chromosomes and that we may be asked to
vote on each one separately according to whether the chromosome chairperson
is a bulletin board user or not.
Would it not be best to get a consensus from human chromosome chairs as to
having a single board for all chromosomes or 24 boards and voting
once on the lot?
******************************************************************************

Response:

This is an interesting proposal.  However, I can foresee some problems.
First, the amount of information for all the chromosomes, including both
the physical and genetic information, would simply overwhelm a single
bulletin board.  The only way to keep it manageable is to have one for each
chromosome.  Second, I know that different chromosome committees (and
researchers) have developed different methods of communication (for example,
the chromosome 21 researchers have a FAX newsletter with all the updated YAC
mapping info in it).  Trying to get the occassionally fractious committee
chairs to agree to a bulletin board system will, at the very least, take a
long time.  I do not believe that chromosome 22 (or any other chromosome)
should have to wait.  Besides, is it that much trouble to send 24 votes
(over presumably many months)?

Jonathan Haines


Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com