The Scientist - Home

July 8, 1991 PG: 9 TY: NEWS On page 19 of the June 10, 1991, issue of The Scientist, an incorrect affiliation was given for Eric Lander, listed as a "scientist to watch" because of his effective appearances on television. Lander is a member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and an associate professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In the story on honorary degrees that appeared on page 1 of the June 24, 1991, issue of The Scientist, the name of Charles

Philadelphia's reputation for brotherly love suffers after Carlo Croce decides to remove himself and his staff from Fels Institute Cell lines have died. At least one grant deadline will be missed. Scientists speak with bitterness and resentment about their colleagues, and an entire university's commitment to science is being called into question. Things are far from business as usual at Temple University's Fels Institute in Philadelphia, where earlier this year institute director Carlo Croce an

The recessionary economy makes finding work tough for both new graduates and experienced researchers Summertime, and the sidewalks are steaming--tempers short, and the work day long. It's the time of year when people are considering whether they should start looking for a new job. If they begin the search now, they can at least look forward to a new place to work when the cool weather comes. Summer is also the season for new science graduates to make a decision as to whether they should continu

Revelations of the school's squandeing of funds have overwhelmed those who until now had managed to avert arbitrary caps WASHINGTON--The political fallout from Stanford University's questionable use of overhead charges for its federally funded research projects appears likely to achieve what a decade of pressure from the White House could not do: place a cap on how much universities can spend on the administrative portion of their indirect costs. Welcome news for scientists is that such a ca

Last month, Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry, added two more laurels to his already lengthy curriculum vitae when he accepted honorary degrees from the universities of Central Florida and Arizona. Top United States research institutions giving honorary degrees to scientists this spring include: University of Arizona, Tucson: Roald Hoffmann, John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science, Cornell University, winner of 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry; Julius B. Richmon

KIDNEY DISEASE STUDY CENTERS SOUGHT The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health invites qualified institutions to become research centers for the study of kidney and urologic disorders. While clinical treatment of kidney disorders has improved in recent times, scientists still have little insight into the basic physiological mechanisms of these diseases. These new study centers are intended to attract fresh investigators to the

Geophysicist Receive Filmakers Award for Video On Earthquakes in Holyland UCSF'S Leonard Hayflick Awarded 1991 Sandoz Prize for Gerotological Research Judith Rodin John D. Minna Daniel F. Veber Frederick A. Murphy Esther M. Cromwell Alfred S. McLaren Amos Nur, Wayne Loel Professor of Earth Sciences and chairman of the geophysics department at Stanford University, and Chris MacAskill, a former student of Nur's who is currently manager of developer partnerships at NeXT Inc., Redwood Cit

Observers question whether the institute will find a chief who can match Thier's record of progress in establishing IoM's credibility WASHINGTON--Samuel Thier's decision last month to leave the Institute of Medicine (IoM) after six years as president for a university presidency represents a significant loss to the organization that has only recently become an important voice in health care policy debates, say institute members and others who are familiar with this affiliate of the National Aca

The Powers Behind The Throne Maybe Yes, Maybe No Comings And Goings At AAU Educational Food For Thought Rep. George Brown (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, has decided to take another look at the health of federally funded research. And this time he's created a task force of the folks who do most of the work on Capitol Hill--congressional aides. Five years ago, members from the same committee issued a 22-volume report on the topic that sunk quic

1991 HONOREES REFLECT ON THE CUSTOM Below, scientists who received honorary degrees at graduation ceremonies this spring give their thoughts on the tradition. Roald Hoffmann, John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science at Cornell University, who received honorary degrees from the universities of Arizona and Central Florida last month: "One of the most memorable honorary degrees I received was from Yale University in 1980. Two times--when I had applied to college, and later, wh

While the agency's program to encourage recruitment of minority investigators is said to be `marvelous,' few grantees apply for it WASHINGTON--Nursing professors Irene Lewis and Faye Whitney think they can spot a good thing. And a program that gives scientists as much as $50,000 a year to add a minority investigator onto National Institutes of Health grants is, as far as they are concerned, one of the best deals around. NIH grantee Whitney, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylv

A renewed interest in ancient pharmaceuticals spurs debate over the extent to which natives should be compensated Lisa Conte, president of two-year-old Shaman Pharmaceuticals in San Carlos, Calif., needed a way for her company to find new therapeutic agents to compete with massive drug-screening efforts and biotechnology-based drug-discovery initiatives waged by the major pharmaceutical companies. The strategy she came up with was to look for leads from plant-based, non-Western medicines used