The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Big Data to Knowledge initiative (BD2K) has announced the release of an Request for Applications (RFA) for software and methods development in biomedical big data science: “Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) Development of Software Tools and Methods for Biomedical Big Data in Targeted Areas of High Need (U01)“. This opportunity targets three topic areas of high need for researchers working with biomedical Big Data: Data privacy is one of the fundamental challenges of our age. To take full advantage of the power of big data to drive biomedical discovery, researchers must work with data from disparate sources and with differing privacy policies and protections. How do we integrate […]

Due the advancement in computer science, π (Pi) has now been calculated to over one trillion digits past its decimal. Only 39 digits past the decimal are needed to accurately calculate the spherical volume of our entire universe, but because of Pi’s infinite & patternless nature it is fun to computationally calculate more and more digits. Plus, it give us a reason to celebrate March 14th or 3.14 with a delicious pie! The National Institute of Health (NIH) is holding a Pi Day Celebration on the NIH main campus (Building 35/Porter, basement rooms 620/630) on Pi Day Eve, March 13, 2015.  The day will be packed full of events, including a keynote […]

The National Institute of Health (NIH) is determined to reduce the cost and time it takes to discover viable therapeutic targets, which drive the changes in the molecular networks leading to the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. NIH is leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and various other industry and academic scientists in a public-private partnership effort to create a Big Data portal for Alzheimer’s drug discovery. This Accelerating Medicine Partnership for Alzheimer’s disease (AMP-AD) Knowledge Portal is public so it will enable sharing, transparency, reproducibility, and analysis of large biomedical datasets. The hope is that it will shorten the time between discovery of potential drug targets to development […]

The organizing committee for the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Trans-NIH/Interagency Workshop on the Use and Development of Assistive Technology for the Aging Population and People with Chronic Disabilities have released their workshop report. CCC partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and hosted the visioning workshop which focused on technologies that will allow older adults and people with disabilities to “age in place,” remain in their homes longer, reduce health care costs and enhance quality of life. The workshop engaged a diverse set of experts – computer science researchers, medical practitioners, and government officials from numerous agencies (NIH, NSF, NIDRR, HUD, VA, FDA, CMS).  Videos of the workshop presentations as well as […]

The new NIH Data Science blog needs your help to start a conversation about Computational and Quantitative Collaborative Projects. Excerpt from their blog: Many biomedical challenges require collaborations between biomedical scientists and computational/quantitative scientists. Some of these collaborations are already well established, others are in the early stages of forming, and many more will be forming in the near future. The NIH supports established collaborations through research project grants, including multi-PI R01’s and large Center grants. Soon, the NIH will support travel to establish new collaborations through the Training Coordination Center.   Collaborative projects that include computational/quantitative science are as varied as biomedical science itself: from population health and behavioral science to simulations […]

Ever wondered what was going on in the data science community with relation to biomedical research? Ever wish to share your own knowledge about the field? No need to worry any longer! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a new data science blog which “is the beginning of a more coordinated and push-oriented communication strategy.” The purpose is to distribute information to the data science community “to foster an ecosystem that enables biomedical research to be conducted as a digital enterprise that enhances health, lengthens life, and reduces illness and disability.” The Associate Director for Data Science (ADDS) Phil E. Bourne, contributed the blog’s first post with his 2014 review of […]