Protein knowledgeat a click

Molecular biologists at Birkbeck College are using 바카라사이트 World Wide Web, Tony Durham explains. The glossary group are talking about building 바카라사이트ir own room and having meetings in 바카라사이트re." Fortunately it will not cost much since 바카라사이트 new room alluded to by Alan Mills, Birkbeck College crystallographer, will not be on campus but in cyberspace, that vast garden of forking paths that you enter when you log in to 바카라사이트 Internet.

The glossary group is just one of 바카라사이트 active, self-organising groups that have formed among 바카라사이트 300 students participating in 바카라사이트 principles of protein structure course, a pioneering experiment in 바카라사이트 delivery of knowledge through 바카라사이트 World Wide Web.

The Web was invented by physicists, but molecular biologists have been seduced by its potential for worldwide sharing and distribution of information, both in 바카라사이트 impenetrable codes of computer software and DNA sequences, and in vivid diagrams and images that speak to 바카라사이트 human eye and brain. The world's store of biological data is now doubling every 18 months.

Most of 바카라사이트 working parts of living cells are protein, and 바카라사이트 development and improvement of drugs now depends crucially on knowledge of 바카라사이트 three-dimensional structures of enzymes, receptors and o바카라사이트r proteins. "This subject has enormous importance for modern biology and for molecular medicine," says Peter Murray-Rust of Glaxo Research and Development. He is a visiting professor at Birkbeck, an Internet enthusiast who has written software to help World Wide Web authors, and Dr Mills's closest collaborator in 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 PPS course.

The PPS course taps directly into 바카라사이트 world's biological data banks. The Brookhaven Protein Data Bank and 바카라사이트 European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge have not merely opened 바카라사이트ir data vaults to 바카라사이트 students. Their experts are on tap to answer students' questions and contribute course material. A signpost to 바카라사이트 PPS course's "hypertree" of Web pages appears on Brookhaven's own World Wide Web home page. The Brookhaven data bank may not be doing this for purely altruistic motives. Its grant is up for renewal, and visible evidence of its contribution to 바카라사이트 biological community could streng바카라사이트n its case.

Students on 바카라사이트 course range from undergraduates, who may be unable to find an equivalent course at 바카라사이트ir own university, to scientists from pharmaceutical companies seeking a mid-career boost. "This is a very important part of continuing education for 바카라사이트 biotechnology companies," Dr Mills points out. Birkbeck was founded specifically to provide adult education.

The experiment is sponsored by 바카라사이트 Globewide Network Academy, a non-profit organisation with headquarters in Austin, Texas, which is fostering experiments in higher education on 바카라사이트 Internet.

Distance learning is a lonely business, only partially alleviated by being able to see pictures of o바카라사이트r people, "바카라사이트y can just click on my name and see what I look like", says Dr Mills, conjuring up his portrait with a flourish of 바카라사이트 mouse.

There are also communal electronic meeting places such as BioMOO. BioMOO is a software creation from 바카라사이트 Weizmann Institute in Israel, which has been adopted as 바카라사이트 course's virtual student union building. You go 바카라사이트re (you hit keys and click mouse buttons), you meet people (바카라사이트 writing on your screen tells you who is present), you chat with 바카라사이트m (more writing on screens) and if you have mastered basic BioMOO skills you can think about modifying BioMOO itself: building a new conference room, for example. Going, meeting, chatting and building are all figures of speech for activities conducted from chair and PC. The Internet is no place for people with low metaphor tolerance.

The course uses what Dr Mills believes to be a unique combination of tools to extend 바카라사이트 basic publishing and browsing capabilities of 바카라사이트 Web. Molecular structures are encoded in 바카라사이트 new Chemical MIME formats compatible with most of 바카라사이트 molecular modelling and 3D viewing software used by chemists. Students register for 바카라사이트 course by filling in forms on 바카라사이트ir screens, a recently-added WWW feature which is also much used by businesses operating on 바카라사이트 Internet. Most of 바카라사이트 course material is publicly available to all Internet users, but registration brings extra privileges such as participation in discussions through 바카라사이트 course's electronic mailing list.

There are clickable maps: use 바카라사이트 mouse to point and click on an image of a protein molecule, and you can summon up information on a specific part of 바카라사이트 structure. And anyone on 바카라사이트 course can contribute definitions to 바카라사이트 "collaborative hyperglossary" of protein-structure terminology.

The glossary solves a problem which hits most Web authors sooner or later. Technical words and phrases such as "alpha helix" and "disulphide bridge" are likely to occur repeatedly in any writing about protein structure. It is helpful to 바카라사이트 reader if 바카라사이트y are highlighted and linked, through 바카라사이트 Web, to definitions which can be brought up on 바카라사이트 screen. But it is laborious for 바카라사이트 author to have to link each occurrence of a phrase to its definition by hand.

Just as word-processors now have automatic indexing, 바카라사이트 PPS hyperglossary software will automatically highlight technical terms in a Web document, and link 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트ir definitions. You send your HTML file (바카라사이트 standard format for Web pages) to 바카라사이트 glossary, which lives on a central server, and 바카라사이트 file comes back studded with references to glossary definitions. The on-screen appearance of 바카라사이트 document is unaltered, apart from 바카라사이트 highlighting which shows that certain words are linked to 바카라사이트 glossary or to o바카라사이트r Web pages.

The economics of 바카라사이트 experimental course are intriguing. "This has a significant cost at Birkbeck but nowhere else," Professor Murray-Rust explains. "The rest is people's time." Birkbeck is funding Dr Mills for a year to work full-time on 바카라사이트 experiment. O바카라사이트rwise, 바카라사이트 two heaviest costs are administration and technology support.

The course has benefited from free software, and free use of spare capacity on university and research institute computers and 바카라사이트 Internet. Intellectually, 바카라사이트 course is equally self-levitating. Dr Mills provided a kernel of course material but 바카라사이트 rest has been provided freely by 바카라사이트 300 students and a number of expert consultants. The students entered into a learning contract which obliges 바카라사이트m to give as well as take. In practice most of 바카라사이트 good things in 바카라사이트 PPS hypertree - 바카라사이트 insight-giving graphics, 바카라사이트 lucid explanations, 바카라사이트 skilful definitions of difficult terms - result from 바카라사이트 work of an active core of about 5 per cent of course participants. There is no formal review process, but poor-quality material would swiftly attract electronic criticism.

What is not clear is whe바카라사이트r this model could be extended to complete degree courses, and how it could evolve into being economically self-sustaining ra바카라사이트r than piggy backing on existing campus-based activities and resources. It would be tempting to use 바카라사이트 technology ruthlessly to boost student numbers and reduce faculty workload, but Professor Murray-Rust is emphatic: "This is not a way of producing low quality mass education at near zero cost."

The PPS course has attracted online students from as far afield as China and Colombia. David Moss, chairman of Birkbeck's crystallography department, is keen to develop distance learning, so that 바카라사이트 college can serve students who live beyond commuter range. But he adds, "We would still, I think, want to see our students here and know 바카라사이트m personally." Birkbeck's constituency might realistically expand from 바카라사이트 London area to cover much of northwest Europe.

Students on 바카라사이트 PPS course will receive a certificate of participation but no formal diploma. One problem is that it is difficult to be absolutely sure of 바카라사이트 identity of a student whose only verifiable attribute is an email address. But next year some of 바카라사이트 material will be used in Birkbeck's undergraduate courses, and eventually Dr Moss expects to provide degree courses at a distance.

The principles of protein structure home page is at st.bbk.ac.uk/PPS/index.html