Linda,
I want to take this opportunity to add my name to the growing list members
who are astonished at the EB's decisions to disapprove PARG's 2001 study
and to abolish the PARG entirely in February 2001. I find both
actions unfortunate, but the decision to squelch the 2001 study is not
only regrettable but highhanded. It compels me to ask a question that I
hope is sufficiently "well defined" to merit an official response from the
EB in this forum.
By what right does the EB claim the authority to approve or disapprove
research group studies?
Research groups are committees of volunteers who contribute their time and
treasure to serve the ABRF membership by planning, executing and reporting
studies and surveys on topics they judge to be of interest to those working
within their area of expertise. To allow the EB to determine if a research
group's study should go forward is tantamount to allowing them to
determine how members should invest their time and money. The EB's say in
these matters should be proportional to the level of support they provide
the research groups. Since they currently provide very little support, they
should have very little input.
Research group members are busy people with limited amounts of time to
devote to their work. They resent the constant interference from a group
that should facilitate and not incumber their best efforts. Research group
members do not lack the scientific judgement or sagacity necessary to carry
out improved studies, thus they neither require nor desire any guidance
from the EB. What they lack is funding. The research groups produce the
highest quality studies possible with the limited resources they have
available to them. If it is the goal of the EB to improve the quality of
the work done by the research groups they should provide each the funding
necessary to leverage their considerable voluntary efforts. If the EB would
do this they would not only improve the studies carried out by the research
groups but would lend a measure of legitimacy to their claims to authority.
I know how much work it is to design a study of the type you and your group
planned. As a member of the ABRF I want to thank you for all the effort you
and the PARG have invested in this study. I believe its goals are entirely
within the mission of the ABRF. It should go forward with or without the
blessing of the EB. The fact that this study can be advertised as 'banned
by the EB" is bound to improve participation. Let me know if I can help.
There is no rule against individual members getting together to collaborate
on a study, is there??
Ted
At 11:15 AM 10/30/2000 -0500, Linda Siconolfi-Baez wrote:
>Rebecca,
>
>Unfortunately, there will not be a protein sequencing study this year. In
>the throes
>of the Executive Boards process of rethinking its proteomics strategy, and
>the change
>of the PSRG (protein sequencing research group) to the PARG (protein
>analysis) the
>study designed by our group was not approved by the board. Their
>criticisms of our
>study (which would have encouraged participants to identify as many
>components as
>possible from a lyophilized test sample consisting of a complex mixture of
>intact
>proteins, the components of variable abundancy, with two proteins more
>abundant
>relative to the others and identifiable by EDMAN) included that they "did
>not feel
>that it would lead to data suitable for publication as the subject was too
>general,
>did not ask sufficiently well defined questions and would not return data
>that would
>have any statistical significance or impact on the scientific community."
>I also regret the EB's decision to dissolve our group at ABRF'01 (at which
>point our
>efforts thus far will have served for naught) as part of an ongoing
>Research Group
>restructuring exercise.
>
>Linda
>(PARG, co-chair)
>
>Linda Siconolfi-Baez
>Laboratory for Macromolecular Analysis
>Albert Einstein College of Medicine
>Ullman 405
>1300 Morris Park Avenue
>Bronx, N.Y.10461
>718-430-2864
>lsiconol@aecom.yu.edu
>
>----------
> >From: Rebecca Ettling <ettlingr@musc.edu>
> >To: Recipients of ABRF List <abrf@aecom.yu.edu>
> >Subject: Prot Seq Res Group
> >Date: Thu, Oct 26, 2000, 9:51 AM
> >
>
> >Will there be a Protein sequencing study this year ? I don't see it
> >listed.
> >
> >-- Rebecca P. Ettling
> >Biotechnology Resource Laboratory
> >Protein Sequencing and Peptide Synthesis Facility
> >Medical University of South Carolina
> >173 Ashley Avenue, Room 733D BSB
> >Charleston, SC 29403
> >Tel.: (843) 792-1271
> >Fax: (843) 792-1264
> >
> >If I have seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the
> >shoulders of giants.--Isaac Newton
> >
> >
Theodore W. Thannhauser
Director, Biotechnology Resource Center
Room 149 Biotechnology Bldg.
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853
Phone/Fax: (607) 254-4850/(607) 254-4847
email: tt34@cornell.edu
Web: http://brcweb.bio.cornell.edu/
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