TREND-SETTER: Engineer Y.K. Lin's popular festschrift conference became an annual event. A scientist often wears several hats-teacher, mentor, administrator, and researcher. While many prominent awards honor the research role, a festschrift volume uniquely recognizes the many facets of an outstanding and influential scientist. Meaning in German "celebratory writing," a festschrift is a unique publication devoted to the lifelong ideas and influences of an exceptional scholar. EDITOR'S ROLE:

The Human Genome SIDEBAR : Selected Suppliers of Software for Gene Discovery and Analysis Genetics has been an informational science since the elucidation of DNA's structure. Today's researchers say the field shifted to a more computational mode in 1990-the year that research groups began mapping genes to specific chromosomal sites for the Human Genome Project. "That year was pivotal, because it was then that the need to sequence significant amounts of DNA became compelling," says Richard Gib

New Research Approaches Increasing interest in the innervation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has led to the emergence of neurogastroenterology, a field that weds classic anatomy and physiology with contemporary neuroscience. The field has roots reaching back to Pavlov's dogs. Today, however, like other biomedical sciences, its researchers take a more molecular approach, tracking the neurons of the gut and the neurotransmitters and neuropeptides that they release. LANDMARK FINDING: Micha

Multiple Editing Challenges Scientists love multi-author books, a fact easily seen by how worn such volumes are in libraries. Each offers varied perspectives on a research topic. "In putting together a multi-author book, it is important to choose a theme, and to choose contributors who are doing interesting work," explains Rudolf Raff, a professor of biology at Indiana University in Bloomington, who has edited two such books. The tone and pace of the articles contained within the covers of mul

Geriatric Disorders Author: Ricki Lewis SIDEBAR : TELOMERE BIOLOGY RESOURCES Chromosome tips, called telomeres, have long fascinated geneticists because they protect chromosomes from degradation. And recent research has revealed another vital role for telomeres: As they shrink with each cell division, they keep a biochemical tally of the number of divisions remaining in a cell's lifetime. If this precise control goes awry, the biochemical consequences could be dire, such as uncontrolled growt

The Effort Author: Ricki Lewis It's little wonder that scientific conference planners say they must begin preparations months, and even years, before the big event. Planning a scientific conference is an enormous undertaking. While arranging for a cozy gathering of a few dozen scientists can usually be handled by a professor, student helpers, and an able administrative assistant, some conferences are so huge that dozens of companies, and hundreds of individuals, become involved in planning and

Of Disciplines Author: Ricki Lewis Sometimes in science, the best way to move forward is to take a long look backward. For discoveries and data to be put into context and used as springboards for future inquiry, investigators must periodically synthesize and reflect on what has been accomplished, and determine what remains to be learned. A review article is one way to chart the evolution of a scientific discipline. Science has a rich review literature. Of 3,383 journals surveyed in the 1994 Sc

The Press Author: Ricki Lewis Sidebar: WHERE PIOs CONVENE They have many titles-public information officer (PIO), communications director, media liaison. These behind-the-scenes professionals link scientists to the public by presenting research results to journalists. Working at universities, companies, medical centers, and government agencies, PIOs write press releases and fact sheets, and spend many hours connecting interviewers to interviewees. At times, some reporters may also find PIOs ob

Like many life sciences, chronobiology is a field that has transitioned from the organismal level, to anatomical dissection, to molecular analysis. 

A plant spreads its leaves, an insect scurries, a mold produces spores, and human blood pressures, hormone levels, and temperatures ebb and flow, in an oscillating pattern throughout the day. Animals mate and molt, migrate and hibernate, to the beat of internal timekeepers in sync to predictable changes in the environment. Researchers are exploring these biological clocks in a variety of species. Mice: Some of the rodent residents of Joseph Takahashi's neurobiology lab at Northwestern Universi

Society for Research on Biological Rhythms University of Virginia Department of Biology Gilmer Hall Charlottesville, VA 22903 (804)-982-4500 E-mail: djh2t@faraday.clas.virginia.edu 400 members President: Irving Zucker Executive secretary: David Hudson Journal: Journal of Biological Rhythms Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms 10200 W. 44th Ave., Suite 304 Wheat Ridge, Colo. 80033-2840 (303) 424-3697 - Fax: (303) 422-8894 E-mail: 5686814@mcimail.com 400 members President: Christi

About Their Work Author: Ricki Lewis In the current age of electronic communication, the practice of sending postcards to colleagues to request reprints of their articles may seem quaint. Nonetheless, these postcards continue to crisscross the world at much the same volume as they have for years, scientists and journal publishers say. Article reprints serve several purposes. Many scientists see a reprint request as a pat on the back. "In my scientific youth, I kept an exact count of the numbe