Regarding David Sayre, Ed Lattman once opined in a Sayre's Equation lecture to graduate students that if only David Sayre would focus his attention on macromolecular crystallography again, that perhaps the phase problem would be solved.
Lofty praise indeed. Thanks for the anecdote Bob. Steve -----Original Message----- From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert Sweet Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:15 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] A bit of history: John W Backus obit [Broadcast] I'm pretty sure that the crystallographer was David Sayre. I also believe (not documented well enough for wikipedia, but perhaps for here) that IBM were so pleased with this performance that they made David an IBM Fellow, which meant that he could do anything he wanted for the rest of his life. Here's what he decided to do: He's known in crystallography for the Sayre Equation, a fundamental relationship in direct methods. Also, maybe not so well known, he was a major driving force behind the method of visualizing single molecules or cells from diffraction patterns: J. Miao, H. N. Chapman, J. Kirz, D. Sayre and K. O. Hodgson, TTaking X-ray Diffraction to the Limit: Macromolecular Structures from Femtosecond X-ray Pulses and Diffraction Microscopy of Cells with Synchrotron Radiation, Annu. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 33, 157-176 (2004). He and I used to use adjacent darkrooms at the NSLS for developing x-ray films (the '80's). I'd meet him on the long walk, ask what he was doing, and smile sympathetically when he said he was going to image single yeast cells. Well, they're essentially doing it now. One never want's to underestimate David Sayre's ability to find phases. When David retired from IBM and his adjunct appointment at SUNY Stony Brook one of his old buddies from the FORTRAN project spoke at the symposium. Perhaps it was Backus. They both said that the period of developing that language in a small team was one of the happiest times of their lives. Don't take this as fact, but this is what I remember. Bob On Tue, 20 Mar 2007, Bart Hazes wrote: > The storey also made it to the CNN business page and they add... > > The Fortran programming language, which was a huge leap forward in easing the > creation of computer software, was released in 1957, said the report. > > Backus launched his research project at IBM (Charts) four years earlier, > assembling a diverse team of 10, including a chess wizard, a crystallographer > and a cryptographer, said the Times. > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > > Full story @: > http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/20/news/newsmakers/backus/index.htm?postver sion=2007032008 > > Bart > > > P.Artymiuk wrote: >> A bit of history: NY Times obituary for John W. Backus, 82, developer of >> Fortran, without which CCP4 and much else would not have been possible. >> http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/19/obituaries/20cnd-backus.html?ex=133204 3200&en=adde3ee5a1875330&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink >> >> Pete A >> >> >> > > > -- ======================================================================== = Robert M. Sweet E-Dress: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Group Leader, PXRR: Macromolecular ^ (that's L Crystallography Research Resource at NSLS not 1) http://px.nsls.bnl.gov/ Biology Dept Brookhaven Nat'l Lab. Phones: Upton, NY 11973 631 344 3401 (Office) U.S.A. 631 344 2741 (Facsimile) ======================================================================== = ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Notice: This e-mail message, together with any attachments, contains information of Merck & Co., Inc. (One Merck Drive, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA 08889), and/or its affiliates (which may be known outside the United States as Merck Frosst, Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD and in Japan, as Banyu - direct contact information for affiliates is available at http://www.merck.com/contact/contacts.html) that may be confidential, proprietary copyrighted and/or legally privileged. It is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity named on this message. If you are not the intended recipient, and have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by reply e-mail and then delete it from your system. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
