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A report from the National Research Council outlining an agenda for the future of computer science has attracted stinging comments from nearly 1,000 computer scientists, including some of the major names in the field. The critics say the report completely ignores large areas of computer science, such as artificial intelligence (AI). They are calling for the document to be withdrawn and revised. On September 4, the detractors sent a petition to the E-mail message boards of the United States' la

Academic science in the United States is in for some rough times from the government, according to the newly appointed president of the Association of American Universities (AAU). "This is a time of challenge, perhaps more than we've seen in several decades--when major research universities are acting under some duress and, perhaps, when some science in the U.S. has come somewhat into question," says Cornelius J. Pings, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University o

The act, they contend, will not deter violence by zealots Scientists whose labs and offices have been victimized by the arson, burglary, and property damage of animal rights activists insist that a new law, the Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992, will not end the long string of violence. The legislation, signed two months ago by President Bush, adds vandalism of animal research labs, or "animal enterprise terrorism," according to the law, to federal criminal statutes. The Department o

Two months after Andrew unleashed its devastating fury, scientists continue to assess the damage the storm caused to their lives and laboratory endeavors Eight weeks have passed since Hurricane Andrew cut its devastating swath across South Florida, and public officials are still in the process of assessing the damage its winds and waves wrought in terms of fatalities, property loss, and shattered human lives. Scientists working and living in Andrew's path were by no means spared, for the ra

Although Clinton and Bush disagree on the details, both candidates support increased efforts in R&D As the United States presidential campaign heads into its final stages, President George Bush and Democratic challenger Gov. Bill Clinton are maneuvering for the political high ground on the subject of high tech--particularly technology-driv-en approaches to bolstering the nation's economy and global competitiveness. Both candidates occasionally have addressed issues of federal support for bas

The Association of Neurosciences Departments and Programs (ANDP) will have a new president, James E. Blankenship, in November. Blankenship is the associate dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, and a professor of anatomy and neurosciences and of physiology and biophysics in UTMB's Marine Biomedical Institute. ANDP, which as yet has no permanent location, is an organization of neuroscience departments from 130 United S

The 44-year-old Morris Animal Foundation is one of the few granting agencies in the United States to which researchers investigating animal medicine can turn for funding support. The group's new executive director, Robert Hilsenroth, says he hopes that under his leadership, the foundation not only will make significant gains in public awareness, but also will increase the size of its endowment. Hilsenroth, a veterinarian in Denver who sold his private practice 2 1/2 months ago, says he is th

Susan A. Gerbi, a professor of biology at Brown University, has been elected president of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). Although she does not officially take the helm of ASCB until mid-November, at the society's 32nd annual meeting in Denver, Gerbi has already identified four activities she hopes will keep the society vigorous. The first development Gerbi wants to see is increased subscriptions and advertising revenue for the society's journal, Molecular Biology of the Cell,

The decision on whether the National Institutes of Health should continue its quest for patents on partial human cDNA sequences now rests with Health and Human Services secretary Louis Sullivan. In September, NIH director Bernadine Healy revealed that the agency had received an initial rejection from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) for the approximately 2,700 partial gene sequences generated by former NIH researcher Craig Venter and others. Then, on October 5, an HHS spok

Better Late Than Never Gruesome Child's Play Breath-Taking Advance Accelerated Science Foundation Taking A Global View Different Strokes... Just Like Grandma Used To Make Thomas Alva Edison finally got his B.S. degree yesterday--61 years after his death. Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, N.J., which specializes in adult education, conferred upon Edison a posthumous degree in applied science and technology, with a specialization in electrical technology, at commencement ceremonies

Denis Burkitt, who first established the link between a virus and a cancer and later helped demonstrate the importance of adding more fiber to the Western diet, has received the Bower Award and Prize in Science. The three-year-old award carries a cash prize of $373,000, and will be formally presented in January by Philadelphia's Franklin Institute to honor outstanding work in the life or physical sciences. Members of the international committee that chose the 81-year-old Burkitt to receive t

Despite advances in brain research, career horizons remain foggy for the researchersAs the Society for Neuroscience convenes its 22nd annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., this month, researchers will share a wealth of new knowledge about the central nervous system--about, for example, the uses of monoclonal antibody technology in studying the brain and the cognitive consequences of aging. But, as in other scientific disciplines, neuroscience research gains have not translated easily into achi