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MISCONDUCT POLICY: University of Illinois' C.K. Gunsalus cites problems of oversight in academia. Is science in crisis? Scientists, historians, administrators, and others have debated this issue over the last few decades. The controversial topic was the impetus for a September 19 conference at George Washington University (GWU). Panelists at the day-long symposium, titled "Science in Crisis at the Millennium," think something has gone awry. Keith Yamamoto, University of California, San Franc

As Congress readied for recess, approaching the end of the 1996 fiscal year on October 1, it hurriedly passed several spending bills for fiscal year 1997. Some, such as the Veterans Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies bills, included provisions for various R&D agencies, including the National Science Foundation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Other agency budgets, such as that of the Department of Health and Human Services, weren't

THIRD WHEEL: Ross Perot, the Reform Party candidate, does not include science as one of the high-priority issues that must be addressed by the country's next president. H. Ross Perot, the Texas billionaire and Reform Party candidate who is making a second straight run for the presidency, declines to provide a specific position on science and technology. In a faxed response to a request from The Scientist, the Perot campaign writes: "Our nation faces many challenges as we prepare for the 21st

Human Genome Diversity Project http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/morrinst/HGDP.html Rural Advancement Foundation International http://www.charm.net/~rafi/rafihome.html UNESCO Report http://www.biol.tsukuba.ac.jp/~macer/PG.html Cultural Survival, a nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Mass., that works with indigenous peoples http://www.cs.org. The summer 1996 issue of the Cultural Survival Quarterly is almost exclusively devoted to the issues surrounding HGDP. Human Genome Organiz

Discoveries announced at conference leave scientists feeling optimistic; yet their enthusiasm is tempered by several persistent concerns. AIDS researchers have many reasons to be encouraged. Studies show that treatments combining new and old drugs can control HIV levels in the blood. Moreover, many scientists and activists note, prevention efforts have helped reduce HIV infection rates. Yet the enthusiasm is tempered by several caveats. Drugs are expensive and have harsh side effects, leading

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY: Joan Combie's small company finds microbes in Yellowstone National Park. A small yet growing opportunity exists for biochemists and engineers interested in turning "extremozymes" into industrial catalysts. In nature, these peculiar enzymes fuel microbes that live in scalding sea vents, hot springs, and other adverse locales. Such hardiness means extremozymes might function in hotter, more high-pressure manufacturing conditions than can today's industrial enzymes. As a res

Editor's Note: This is the first of a two-part election series examining the positions of presidential candidates Bob Dole and Bill Clinton on science and technology as well as research and development. Clinton will be the subject of the second part of the series, to be published in the October 14 issue. The combination of his proposed 15 percent income-tax cut and current federal budget constraints has observers wondering how science funding will fare if former senator Bob Dole is elected pr

For the first time in almost 40 years of recognizing outstanding contributions to medical science, the Gairdner Foundation of Willowdale, Ontario, Canada, will honor the growing field of biomedical engineering. Robert Langer, a biomedical engineer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has made landmark discoveries in drug delivery, is one of five researchers who will be presented with the foundation's annual International Awards at a ceremony on October 25 in Toronto. "When I star

'SYSTEMATIC BIAS': Sharon Palmer claims Smith College's chemistry department discriminates against women. Sharon Palmer, an assistant professor of chemistry at Smith College who was denied tenure despite the unanimous recommendation of her department (B. Goodman, The Scientist, April 29, 1996, page 1), filed a suit last month in the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) alleging gender bias. The Northampton, Mass., college's seven-member Committee on Tenure and Promotion reje

'HOW SCIENCE WORKS': William Hammer emphasizes hands-on learning in his course. A recent report from the National Science Foundation warns that most of the thousands of schoolteachers returning to their classrooms this month were ill-prepared during their undergraduate years to teach science to their students. The report, "Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology," is generating widespread agreement that much improv

Industry observers predict increased opportunities as firms set their sights on novel techniques for drug delivery. 'HUGE EXPLOSION: Many potentially therapeutic brain molecules are a boon, asserts Richard Pops. Finding ways to sneak therapeutic drugs past the seemingly impenetrable blood-brain barrier -- a tightly bound wall of endothelial cells that protects the brain from pathogens and other substances -- is keeping a small cadre of biotech firms busy. Researchers at these companies, as

SIDEBAR: Mired in Politics: Emergency Contraceptives And Abortifacients LITTLE PROGRESS NOTED: "Why should a pharmaceutical company take these risks?" asks pioneer Carl Djerassi. Although the molecular biology revolution is in full swing and potential new products abound, basic methods of birth control have changed little in the 36 years since the contraceptive pill was introduced. Indeed, some scientists believe that political and economic pressures will keep most contraceptive advances -- e