THE 21st CENTURY RESEARCH AND TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

       "Among the unconventional sources of energy, conservation presents
       itself as the most immediate opportunity. It should be regarded as a
       largely untapped source of energy. Indeed, conservation - not coal or
       nuclear energy - is the major alternative to imported oil. "

              Stoboagh, R and Yergin D (1979) Energy Future. pg. 10.Ballantine
              Books, New York.


RESEARCH

Fundamentally new knowledge-driven strategies for breeding and genetic engineering.

  1. Automated large-scale experimentation
  2. Mountains of data
  3. Complex and resource-intensive computation
  4. Centrally accessible knowlege bases
TEACHING

Networks will be the primary channel for dissemminating, exchanging, and searching for information.

  1. Increased use of Web-based information
  2. Decreased use of textbooks
  3. Access information from anywhere
  4. Electronic lectures and demos
  5. Electronic interchange of files (papers, reports, data, exams)
1) Ultimately, these things can't be done solely by informaticists. Rather, informatics tools have to be accessible to researchers who have expertise in specific areas.

2) The electronic workplace needs to be versatile and comprehensive.

3) It is impractical to expect to do all these things when data is fragmented across many PCs, with different hardware, software and configurations.

The PC is an impediment to progress.
 
 
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