My Memories of Visits to CSHL

[Michael Morgan]

I first visited the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1970 when I was an assistant on an Animal Virus Course run by Phil Marcus. It was many years before I returned along with my wife and six-month old daughter to learn about how such courses were run and organised. In 1983 I had joined the Wellcome trust and conceived the idea of starting a summer school programme in the UK. That lead to my visit in 1986 on a trip that took us to a number of other centres offering courses. We decided that the CSHL courses were the best model to follow and in 1988 launched the first of what has proved to be a most successful programme of Wellcome Trust Advanced Courses. These are now based at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton and are expanding to fill the whole calendar.

1992 saw the first major move of the Trust into genomics and sequencing, shortly followed by the establishment of the Sanger Centre and the development of plans to build suitable facilities for John Sulston and his colleagues. There had been no significant academic research facilities built in the UK for many years and the architects needed some education about how academic facilities differed from those for the pharmaceutical industry. This lead to another trip to the USA, kindly assisted by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that had just completed a major building programme. A visit to CSHL was the highlight of the trip and it became clear to me that we should base our plans for the Genome Campus on the philosophy that has proved so successful at CSHL. That lead directly to a long and happy relationship with Jim and Liz who provided wonderful advice and encouragement for which I am deeply grateful. We also launched a meeting programme at Hinxton and most recently that has lead to several jointly organised CSHL/Wellcome Trust meetings. Long may this relationship prosper and foster the advance of scientific research.

My involvement with the International programme to sequence the human genome made my visits to CSHL more regular and I was able to get to know many of the wonderful backroom staff who make a visit to the lab so rewarding and pleasurable. Jim's support in the various crises that have sometimes assailed the HGP has been essential and highly valued. The most memorable event for me was the one time I have spoken in the Grace Auditorium. Celera had announced their intention to sequence the human genome and it was suggested that the publicly funded programme should throw in the towel. I was able to tell the scientists assembled for the genome meeting that this Trust was not for turning and that we were doubling the sequencing budget of the Sanger Institute! Thankfully we all stuck to our guns and the rest is history.

I am so pleased to be able to attend this historic meeting and join in the celebrations of the wonderful achievements of Jim Watson and Francis Crick.