Date: Tue, 7 Jan 1997 11:14:23 -0800 (PST)
From: "PPMAL (Hathaway/Krapf)" <ppmal@cco.caltech.edu>
To: "ABRF Hypermail (Dirk Krapf)" <abrfhyp@cco.caltech.edu>
Subject: MS/MS sequencing (fwd)
Date: Tue, 7 Jan 1997 09:27:45 -0500 (EST)
From: Ombudsman account for AECOM <ombudsmn@aecom.yu.edu>
To: Recipients of ABRF List <abrf@aecom.yu.edu>
Subject: MS/MS sequencing (fwd)
Murray Hackett had a very good point that a critical part of success is
knowledge of protein chemistry, problem-solving skills and experience in
handling biological samples. These are areas where protein resource labs
excell, and some mass spectrometrists fall on their noses. This is also why
we need to get better. There are not enough mass spectrometrists willing to
work in academia.
I disagree that graduate students are the only key to success. One of my
colleagues sent some complex samples to a very famous academic lab, where
these samples sat in line for months and months. Then, of course, they
wanted more sample, and later, more sample. This particular project was
never completed. Students?? I'm only suggesting that it is a challenge for
them, too, and that students are often learning on your samples. A firm
commitment on the part of the biological investigator is also very important.
Compared to some of today's students, many graybeard and grayhead protein
chemists are highly motivated to be able to do this kind of work. The
availability of these exciting new tools has helped us address problems that
we could only think about before. We are having fun, and want to have even
more fun.
Many thanks to Roland Annan, Matthias Mann and others for making articulate
and insightful responses to this issue, and to Ken Williams for raising the
question.