The Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) is an annual multidisciplinary
scientific meeting co-founded in 1996 by
Dr. Teri Klein, Dr. Lawrence Hunter and Sharon Surles. The conference is to presentation and discuss research in the theory and application of computational methods for biology. Papers and presentations are
peer review
Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (:wiktionary:peer#Etymology 2, peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the ...
ed and published.
PSB brings together researchers from the
US and the
Asian Pacific nations, to exchange research results and address open issues in all aspects of
computational biology
Computational biology refers to the use of techniques in computer science, data analysis, mathematical modeling and Computer simulation, computational simulations to understand biological systems and relationships. An intersection of computer sci ...
. PSB is a forum for the presentation of work in databases, algorithms, interfaces, visualization, modeling, and other computational methods, as applied to biological problems, with emphasis on applications in data-rich areas of
molecular biology
Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...
.
The PSB aims for "
critical mass
In nuclear engineering, critical mass is the minimum mass of the fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction in a particular setup. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties (specific ...
" in sub-disciplines within
biocomputing. For that reason, it is the only meeting whose sessions are defined dynamically each year in response to specific proposals. PSB sessions are organized by leaders in the emerging areas and targeted to provide a forum for publication and discussion of
research
Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
in biocomputing's topics.
Since 2017 the
Research Parasite Award has been announced and presented annually at the Symposium to recognize scientists who study previously-published data in ways not anticipated by the researchers who first generated it. Since the 2019 award year, the Research Parasite Award has been supported in part by an endowment housed at the University of Pennsylvania. Research Symbiont Award
is another award presented annually at the Symposium to recognize exemplars in the practice of data sharing.
References
External links
Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing web site
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Biology conferences
Computational biology
Computer science conferences