People might wonder what my new column ‘Macs in Science’ will be all about, so I will try to give you a brief scope on what I want to discuss here… and what my idea was when the mayor talked me into this 
So first of all: I am a Biochemist from Germany doing a PhD getting myself busy with everything molecular biology has to offer, excluding some weird mathematical stuff they nowadays do to so-called “big pile ‘o data” - studies like Gene arrays and such - count me out there. I am nothing more than the average computer using scientist - which is what you need to know. Firstly for not falsely thinking that I can answer all weird questions, secondly to know that I am just like you (but maybe a bit bigger), trying to kick my a** to make that degree - while also getting now more involved in the process of writing for Mactropolis.
What I expect my column to be about is what I am currently missing no matter where I have looked: a forum from a scientist for Mac-using/potentially Mac-using scientists. Maybe because scientists are a group of ignorants - in order to believe in what you do makes sense we really sometimes need to have a very - say - obscured views on life itself. I trust that you, are one of those who like getting as much interaction as possible in order to grow in many more dimensions than just mere knowledge.
But now enough of that, this is the software I am currently using / have experience with, so this’ll be what I want to introduce to You!
- Papers: amazing bibliography and search and storage All-in-one for (scientific) publications
- Prism: The way graphs want to be displayed combined with the way You want to enter graphs
- EnzymeX: Cloning part 1
- 4Peaks: Sequencer can make mistakes, right?
- Geneious: it is easier to name the tasks NOT performed by this program
- SerialCloner: Cloning part 2
- Cellquest Pro: For everyone working with a Cytometer from BD
- Flowjo 8: form and functionality at its best for Your FACS analysis
- PCalc: big small calculator
- Freehand MX: Desktop publishing– or– I got the data and I want to publish them– what next?
- Micromanager: seeing is believing
Obligatory excursions towards general apps in science:
- Pages in scientific application
- Numbers in scientific application
- Keynote in scientific application
- Safari in Science
- Mellel with Bookends: the dreamteam for Your thesis?
- Scrivener Gold gathering and writing in one place.
- OmniFocus: How not to lose control over Your schedule.
I am already looking forward to each of these topics, so stay tuned!
written by madmacmat \\ tags: Macs and Science
January 27th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Hi,
I also write for mactropolis! How’s it going? Welcome to the website?
I am also a scientist (PhD student in science). Here at University, Macs are pretty much the norm. Most of the offices use Macs. A lot of science majors/grad students have macs as well.
It’s very hard to do the work that I do with a Windows computer!!!
Programs I mainly use: TERMINAL (great for my Unix applications and programming), Matlab, R (www.r-project.org), etc…).
Anyway, I do hope more and more scientists start using macs in their research! I saw a lot of people at the Macworld who were talking about how great it will be to use the new Macbook air for their field work!
Cheers,
Mike Santos
January 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I look forward to your articles.
January 27th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Hey folks!
Thank You for this WARM welcome! I am excited about having the opportunity to do what I was searching for so desperately when I switched-
@Mike: Now this is interesting! Good to know that there’s already some scientific backup from within the city ;-)… from the prog list you started writing I can tell that You’re in a completely different field of science than I am, I think- as I mentioned, the techy side of science in its extremes is rather enigmatic to me and, if ever, approached from the user point of view. At my faculty, and, as far as I can tell for germany, PCs are still dominating the field while Macs fill niches only (look forward to my next post)- but if You encounter a Mac You have a believer sitting behind it…So thanks again and keep up the spirit- we’re gonna make it!
cheers, mat
February 5th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Hi,
I just discovered this site via Apple’s ADC mailing and hope to read and discuss some interesting topics here.
I have moved from science proper (biochemistry/molecular biology initially, biophysics later) to a support role in scientific computing. While my work is much more techy than madmacmat’s, I like to approach it in a pedestrian way as a matter of course. And at the end of the day I have to explain issues to mostly non-technical scientists, so this helps. While I am not a Mac zealot, maybe not even a true believer, I really like that the Mac just works for both, simple and very complex tasks.
Around here (a private research institute in southern California), we have roughly 40% Macs and growing. It helps that we can get a student discount on all Apple hardware and software at the local university with our work ID. Thanks Apple!
February 5th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Hi,
I also use End Note, Parallels with the aim to run Windows XP —> Office 2007 and OmniGraffle. Depending of the situation, Adobe Acrobat 8 for reviewing papers.
Cheers
February 6th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
@Christoph: interesting, what kind of support are You in? I am looking for alternatives for the future since I ain’t a leader character but rather a service guy… PM me about the job You’re doing if You like!
Hey Francisco, You’ll want to read my upcoming reviews of papers (paper bibliography), bookends (citation manager) and Mellel… this is the most amazing combination on the mac that beats word/endnote hands down in my opinion!
Stay tuned!
May 30th, 2008 at 5:45 am
I wondered what is out there to use your mac as a data logger. There is no RS232 (serial port) on my macbook so what hardware is available USB wise, what software goes with the hardware? Will there be an article available soon?