Researchers who choose to conduct their careers at four-year liberal arts colleges maintain that it's entirely possible for them to be productive scientists, contrary to popular belief. But to be productive they must overcome many obstacles, including heavy teaching loads, the absence of graduate students and postdocs, difficulty in being competitive in obtaining grant support, and lack of daily contact with colleagues in closely related fields. Additionally, they often must suffer the slings a

This summer the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three devices intended to replace or supplement neurological function in people who are disabled. Two medical device companies are now marketing "brain pacemakers" to control epileptic seizures and to quiet the tremors of Parkinson's disease, and a third is selling a device that allows paraplegics limited control of their hands. Other neural prosthetics, most notably the cochlear implant, which can return a sense of heari

The position of academic department head is one of the most critical in a university, standing as it does between the faculty and upper-level administrators. It's a difficult and time-consuming job, and perhaps more challenging in the life sciences than in other academic departments. Faculty and administrators agree that a good department head can significantly enhance academic life for both students and faculty, while an incompetent one can make life miserable for everyone. CALL FOR INPUT: F

As the agency overhauls its peer-review system, scientists assess the potential consequences. The peer-review system at the National Institutes of Health is in the midst of a critical series of reforms that will alter the way study sections judge and score grant applications. For the first time, reviewers will be required to consider five explicit criteria in judging grants, and one criterion will have the effect of placing a premium on innovative science. But NIH director Harold Varmus reject

"There's a fine tradition of passing the bad apple around, but that doesn't do anybody any good." -- Toxicologist Resha Putzrath One of the constants of a scientist's professional life is the annual tradition of writing letters of recommendation as students and colleagues seek fellowships, jobs, and advancement to tenure. But the act of writing or requesting such a letter may not be so simple. Letter-writers must make their missives honest yet sufficiently enthusiastic that they help rather tha

Agreement on industry user fees may force the agency to scale back its intramural program, which critics say is fragmented. Intramural research at the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is coming under increasing financial pressure and criticism. In discussions with FDA officials, pharmaceutical manufacturers have won an agreement that the user fees they pay will soon no longer help fund the agency's research. Since 1992, approximately $10 million annually from industry user fees

Studies indicate that university bureaucracies are growing, both in absolute terms and relative to other institutional functions. Researchers have long decried this trend, reasoning that the growth of administrations can come only at the expense of research and teaching. The causes of administrative growth are complex, and drastic measures often are required to stop the ever-increasing costs. However, some institutions have had success in cutting their administrations down to size. The opinion

The job is a juggling act, with administrative duties that sometimes lead to opposition from scientists. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST? John Vandenbergh contends the IACUC veterinarians should "be an integral part of the committee, but not as in a chair role. Research with laboratory animals involves a great deal more bureaucracy than it used to, and veterinarians frequently find themselves in the position of administrators of that bureaucracy. Under the 1985 revision to the Animal Welfare Act, every

FORCING THE ISSUE: Thomas Landefeld says his suit against the University of Michigan is an attempt to make it "more responsive to the treatment of minorities on their campus." Thomas Landefeld, a former associate professor of pharmacology, has sued the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, charging that he was retaliated against-and eventually fired-because of his outspoken attempts to improve the racial environment at Michigan's medical school. Landefeld is currently a professor of biology and

Sidebar: Temporary Lab Employment - For More Information When most people think of temporary workers, they think of the office clerk filling in for someone on vacation. Increasingly, though, scientific workers-including highly trained Ph.D.'s-are being employed on a temporary basis, sometimes for months or years at a time. "Temping" provides jobs for scientists who might otherwise be unemployed, helps companies fill in for missing employees, and gives firms the flexibility to take on short-term

Sidebar: In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) industry -- more information Manufacturers of devices that test fluids or tissues outside the body say the agency's excessively high standard hinders innovation. Photo: Feit's Photography MAJOR BLOW: National Medical Device Coalition’s Wayne Barlow says delays in FDA approval devastate small companies. The in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry has long been frustrated by lengthy delays in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product-appr

For more information about the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) industry, contact: Health Industry Manufacturers Association 1200 G St., N.W., Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20005-3814 (202) 783-8700 ¤ Fax: (202) 783-8750 hima@himanet.com ¤ http://www.himanet.com National Medical Device Coalition c/o Medical Device Manufacturers Association 1900 K St., N.W., Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 496-7150 ¤ Fax: (202) 496-7756 The Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radio