X-Message-Number: 23654 From: "Kitty Antonik Wakfer" <> Subject: RE: Correction Warranted in #23607 Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 13:29:17 -0700 > Message #23641 > From: "Kitty Antonik Wakfer" <> > Subject: RE: Correction Warranted in #23607 > Date: Tue, 16 Mar 2004 00:04:02 -0700 I sent the following message to Michael Ashburner, group leader for the FlyBase Group in the Department of Genetics at Cambridge University and received the response below it: -----Original Message----- From: Kitty Antonik Wakfer [mailto:] Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:32 AM To: Subject: Clarification of Position Dear Dr. Ashburner, There are numerous places on the Internet, where Aubrey de Grey is referred to as a biogerontologist in the Department of Genetics at Cambridge University. However your FlyBase Group website in that department lists him as a computer associate. Would you please verify whether or not Aubrey de Grey is employed as a biogerontologist in the Department of Genetics at Cambridge University. If he is not, would you please provide a brief job description of his position in your department. Thank you very much in advance. **Kitty Antonik Wakfer MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org Rational freedom by self-sovereignty & social contracting -----Original Message----- From: Michael Ashburner (Genetics) [mailto:] Sent: Tuesday, March 16, 2004 2:50 AM To: Cc: Subject: Re: Clarification of Position de Grey is employed (now part time) as a computer scientist on the FlyBase project. Gerontology is his passion but his work in this field is private. He does have a PhD in gerontology. Michael Ashburner The type of computer work Aubrey performs (maintenance of the Drosophila database) is not what I would describe as that of a "computer scientist", nor does it fall under the following dictionary definitions: "1. computer scientist -- (a scientist who specializes in the theory of computation and the design of computers)" http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn?stage=1&word=computer+scientis t "Definition: [n] a scientist who specializes in the theory of computation and the design of computers " http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/computer+scientist However the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, Inc. provides a rather broad description, which in my mind includes much in the realm of computer engineering: http://waris.free.fr/grafik/page-def-comsci.htm Since Aubrey's supervisor considers him a computer scientist on the FlyBase project, now only part time, that description can be considered acceptable. The main point of Dr. Ashburner's message is verification that Aubrey's work in gerontology is private and not part of his work for the FlyBase project, nor of any association with Cambridge. This does not mean that anyone should not consider Aubrey a biogerontologist. He is an independent/private biogerontologist, and should make this clear since this is quite unusual, so that people are not mislead that his biogerontology work is associated with Cambridge University. Once again I wish to emphasize what was stated in earlier messages and elsewhere, I (and Paul) have always regarded Aubrey's purposeful transition from computers to biology and his dedicated use of free time for independent/private scientific biogerontological work to be highly admirable. **Kitty Antonik Wakfer MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org Rational freedom by self-sovereignty & social contracting Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=23654