science

Ron Appel

Ron Appel is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ron Appel rather than just read about it. In short: Ron David Appel (born 13 April 1959) is a Swiss bioinformatician, professor of proteomics and bioinformatics at the University of Geneva and executive director of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. Education Ron Appel graduated in computer sciences at the University of Geneva, where he also received his Ph.D. in 1987, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health.

Key takeaways

Ron Appel belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ron Appel to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ron Appel from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Education Ron Appel graduated in computer sciences at the University of Geneva, where he also received his Ph.D. in 1987, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard School of Public Health.

Career He was co-founder in 1998 of the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, where he led the Proteome Informatics Group (PIG). The group developed proteomics software and databases, in particular the Melanie 2-D gel electrophoresis analysis software and the SWISS-2DPAGE database, as well as tools for the identification and characterisation of proteins using mass spectrometry. Ron Appel is also the initiator of and co-responsible for ExPASy, the world's first Web site dedicated to protein molecular biology, which has now become SIB’s main resource portal. It provides access to scientific databases and software tools in different areas of the life sciences including proteomics, genomics, transcriptomics, phylogeny, systems biology, population genetics, etc. He is also the scientific co-founder of two biotechnology companies in Geneva: one in bioinformatics - Geneva Bioinformatics (GeneBio) SA - and the other one in high-throughput proteomics - GeneProt, that ceased operations in 2005. Founding member of SIB, he is part of SIB’s Foundation Council and of the institute’s Board of Directors. He is also on the Executive Board of the Health On the Net Foundation (HON) and member of the Foundation Council of OsiriX and of the Foundation Council of the Hasler Foundation. He is co-author of three books, and 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been part of several editorial boards (Proteomics).

Awards Ron received “the Man of the Year 2002” reward from the Agefi SA (Quotidien de l’Agence économique et Financière à Genève). He also received the BioAlps Award 2014. The BioAlps Award intends to honour a personality without whom western Switzerland would not enjoy its extraordinary international reputation in the field of life sciences.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ron Appel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ron Appel claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ron Appel before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ron Appel ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ron Appel

In research: Ron Appel appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ron Appel in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ron Appel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1959 births, Living people, Swiss bioinformaticians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ron Appel outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ron Appel in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ron Appel means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ron Appel out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ron Appel in simple terms?

Ron David Appel (born 13 April 1959) is a Swiss bioinformatician, professor of proteomics and bioinformatics at the University of Geneva and executive director of the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics. Education Ron Appel graduated in computer sciences at the University of Geneva, where he also rec…

Why does Ron Appel matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ron Appel?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ron Appel.