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A prominent national science education reform program received a major blow when the National Science Foundation opted to discontinue its support. Sidebar: For Further Information - NAS Science Education Standards 'DISASTER': Without a funding renewal, Bill Aldridge worries about the fate of students and teachers in his project. Educators are devising ways of implementing the National Research Council's (NRC's) National science education standards, which were finalized and released a year ag

Sidebar: Further Information - Companies Creating Antisense Drugs BROADENED FOCUS: Shaji George says an equal number of biologists and chemists make up Innovir Laboratories' research team. Embracing the idea that tomorrow's drugs will not merely treat symptoms, but also attack disease-causing genes, scores of biotechnology companies are developing compounds to intervene in the cell's genetic machinery. One focus of this activity is antisense therapeutics: the use of synthetic nucleic acids de

Science Education Standards National Academy of Sciences Science Education Standards: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) main Web site: http://www.nsta.org NSTA's Scope, Sequence, and Coordination Web site: http://www.gsh.org/NSTA_SSandC American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061: http://www.aaas.org National Center for Educational Statistics Third International Mathematics and Science Survey (TIMSS): http://www.ed

The following recommendations of the National Institutes of Health's Rating of Grant Applications (RGA) committee are taken from NIH's World Wide Web page (www.nih.gov), where the committee's entire report is available. Comments may be sent to dder@nih.gov. The three proposed criteria listed below should be adopted for unsolicited research project grant applications. Significance: The extent to which the project, if successfully carried out, will make an original and important contribution to

NEW CHAIR IN TOWN: F. James Sensenbrenner Republicans retained control of the House and Senate in last month's elections, but there will be a few newcomers on science-related committees when the 105th Congress convenes early next month.The retirement of Rep. Robert S. Walker (R-Pa.) leaves Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) as his successor as chairman of the House Science Committee. Rep. George E. Brown, Jr. (D-Calif.) will remain its ranking minority member. Committee members Bill Baker (R

Aronex Pharmaceuticals Inc.: http://www.aronex.com Genta Inc.: http://www.biospace.com/g/synd/__1bea46f6/exhib_script/exhibitors/GentaInc.html Gilead Sciences Inc.: http://www.biospace.com/g/synd/__fe1bc27a/exhib_script/exhibitors/GileadSciences.html Hybridon Inc.: http://www.hybridon.com Innovir Laboratories Inc.: http://www.biospace.com/g/synd/__abaabeee/exhib_script/exhibitors/InnovirLaboratoriesInc.html Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc: http://www.sddt.com/files/library/1corporateprofiles/corp

Last month in Redwood Shores, Calif., participants in the National Conference of Biotechnology Ventures decided to have some fun. Venture capitalists and biotech CEOs lined up to play a corporate version of "Family Feud," an old television game show in which competing families guessed at trivia. HIGH HOPES: Venture capitalists want functional genomics firms to partner with drug companies, says Karl Thiel. One game question: What's going to be the next hot biotech area for investment? Feud pl

The holiday shopping deluge is under way, and researchers are not immune to the rush. There are sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and the kids of friends and colleagues to consider. How can one please young people with fun gifts that won't turn their brains to mush? Science can help. Toy stores and other retailers sell a variety of items, both classic and new, that can pique youngsters' curiosity and hold their attention. While science educators warn gift-givers to beware

SIDEBAR : Examples of Women's Health Research Goals Advocates and scientists are optimistic as they update and expand their agenda to include varied research priorities. Today's newspapers are replete with reports detailing advances in women's health: New breast cancer-causing genes are reported with increasing regularity, as are discoveries of connections between hormones or genetics and disease. In the midst of this progress, advocates for research on women's health-scientists, clinicians, p

Sidebar: IOM Members With the election last month of 55 new members, the Institute of Medicine (IoM) has increased the number of minorities in its ranks, bringing the percentage of minority members to its highest point since the honor society was organized 26 years ago. The new slate will be formally inducted at the institute's annual dinner, which will take place next October. The addition of four minority members will bring the institute's total minority representation to 47. That amounts to

CuraGen Corp. http://www.curagen.com Genetics Institute, Inc. http://www.genetics.com/ Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bio Online Member Website http://www.bio.com/companies/millennium.html PharmaGenics Inc. Page on BioSpace Online: http://www.biospace.com/g/synd/__d3816744/exhib_script/exhibitors/PharmaGenicsInc.html Sequana Terapeutics Inc. http://www.sequana.com/

STICKING POINT: Zebra mussels, here attached to a crayfish, can be real pests. Late last month President Bill Clinton signed the National Invasive Species Act, which will provide additional funds to combat a growing ecological and economic problem. Non-native freshwater and marine plants and animals from as far away as Asia are carried to North American estuaries like San Francisco Bay-where they sometimes gain a troublesome toehold-in ship ballast water. The act authorizes an average of $22