[Baypiggies] Bioinformatics Python Programmer

[Paul McNett]

Andrew Dalke wrote:
> On Oct 7, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Paul McNett wrote:
>> So as I get older and more financially secure, I can see myself 
>> getting more likely to pursue a job as a programmer in some 
>> interesting scientific project. I think it would add some level of 
>> personal satisfaction to my life, knowing that I'm contributing to the 
>> greater good.
> 
> Then let me contribute a high note. There are a few interesting 
> match-ups I've seen from a non-scientist who got into this field:
> 
>   - someone with an MIS background working for a mouse research lab. 
> They needed to develop a tracking and ordering system for the mice, 
> because they supply specially bred mice to other labs.
> 
>   - someone with a image processing and ray tracing background is now 
> doing the job I once had; developing and maintaining a molecular 
> graphics visualization program. He knows about 100x more about the 
> graphics than I did, and it shows. I focused more on the 
> programmability. ;)
> 
>   - someone from the games industry entered bioinformatics and his 
> optimization of the program for whole genome assembly was the primary 
> reason the public Human Genome Project ended up tying with the private one.
> 
>   - one group I visited had an design artist visit, to help come up with 
> different ways to visualize their data.
> 
> In one of the companies I worked with, and several of my client 
> companies, they've hired people who are not physical scientists as 
> software people. Often these are support programmers, where the 
> scientist knows what they want to do but not how to do it.
> 
> So there are many possibilities!

So there are! Thanks for the thread, all! Now, back to trying to get my app to look 
right on Vista (if there is such a thing).

Paul