Welcome to Rocky 2009!

Welcome to the seventh annual Rocky Mountain Bioinformatics Conference, a meeting of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB). The organizers hope that you enjoy the program, and find the conference a productive opportunity to meet researchers, students and industrial users of bioinformatics technology. We think we have the best program yet, offering a remarkable cross-section of bioinformatics research.

The Rocky series began seven years ago as a regional conference, and has grown into an international program with a spotlight on regional development in the computational biosciences. The presenters of the Rocky conference are scientists representing a broad spectrum of universities, industrial enterprises, government laboratories, and medical libraries from around the world. The meeting is a chance to get to know your colleagues near and far, seek collaborative opportunities, and find synergies that can drive our field forward.

For 2009 we will continue with the changes made in 2008 with extending the meeting to three full days, keeping the short talks to 10 minutes, and keeping with a larger poster session, allowing everyone who wants to present to do so. And we've retained the lunchtime ski breaks so that those of you who want to ski, including beginners, will have a chance to do so among friends and colleagues.

We hope you enjoy the science, the company, and the spectacular scenery of the Rocky Mountains. Welcome!
Larry Hunter
Rocky '09 Conference Chair