Experiment Capture in the Biology Lab -- Disguised as a Lab Assistant for Cell Biologists
November 2, 2001
The biology lab workbench is a place where information is
both created and needed. Yet, due to the need for lab workers
to remain focused on the task at hand rather than on interfacing
with computer systems, the workbench remains a largely computer-free
zone. Most biologists split their time between the physical lab
environment and an often remote traditional office environment
where information can be accessed and disseminated in a digital
form. One result of this division is that the details of experimental
procedures and outcomes are not adequately recorded, leading
to inefficiency and lost opportunity. Our thesis is that any
view of the laboratory of the future demands that digital and
physical worlds become integrated. We start with the goal of
capturing the details of experimental activity for use in a variety
of important applications, while providing the ease-of-use, flexibility
and extensibility needed to penetrate the laboratory research
environment.
This research program investigates the user interfaces, applications,
programming tools, computing devices, and middleware technologies
required for the lab of the future.
Larry
Arnstein joined the University of Washington, Department
of Computer Science & Engineering as an Assistant Research
Professor in September of 1999 from the Stratos Product Development
Group, LLC, a product design consulting firm in Seattle. Prior
to Stratos, Larry had been the Director of Consulting Services
for Cadence Design Systems in Japan where he lived with his wife
for four years after Graduating with a PhD from Carnegie Mellon
University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
in 1993. Larry's a research focus at the time was on design tools
and methodologies for integrated circuits.
Prior to his graduate work, Larry was an IC designer and then
sales representative for the Hewlett-Packard Company. He earned
his Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering from Case Western
Reserve University in 1985. His current research focus is on
the application of emerging ubiquitous computing technologies
to problems in bioinformatics. Larry is a member of the ACM and
IEEE Computer Society and is affiliated with the Cell Systems
Initiative program within the department of Bioengineering.