COMPUTATION

Over the past eighteen months the Department of Genetics has established
a firm commitment in the use and development of applications of computers.
This orientation has stemmed primarily from the needs of the instrumentation
research program in connection with exobiology and also with molecular-
biological investigations in genetic chemistry and in neurobiology. To
supplement the hardware engineering effort of the instrumentation program, we
have taken on several full-time computer programmers in order to take ful]
advantage of our access to the 18M 7090 and B5000 systems at the computation
center, as well as the smaller LINC instrumentation computer housed within
the department. These facilities are directed towards the capability of
sophisticated processing of instrumental data directly on the LINC, and parti-
cipation in a remote time=sharing on-line use of the 7090 which Professor
McCarthy of the Computer Sciences Division is responsible for. We are currently
negotiating with industrial and governmental sources for the placement of a
microminiature computer of 7090-style capabilities to simulate what might be
included in a planetary facility and to help pioneer the biomedical applica-
tions of the next generations of computers (miniature, megaword memory modules,
submicrosecond cycle times) which we foresee will significantly reorient human
culture within the next two decades.

At the present time we are negotiating a full professorial appointment
in computer sciences jointly with the Computer Scignces Division.

Computational facility also plays an important role in our graduate
training program.

At the present time the principal applications of computation in the
department are in the reduction and processing of analog data from biochemical
instruments, in particular the analysis of mass spectrometer data, and the
analysis of vital statistics, with special reference to differential fertility
and environmental factors that may be related to birth injuries and to mental

retardation.

JLederberg
12/10/63 ™