The external advisory panel that reviewed international efforts of the National Institutes of Health made 10 recommendations "to enhance and strengthen" these activities. They are as follows: "The panel strongly endorses an international role for all NIH components, consistent with the mission of each component, and a strengthening of international activities at the NIH." "To meet the challenges in international health, the panel advocates retention of the FIC [Fogarty International Center] as

OVERCOMPENSATION: Atoning for wrongs led to exclusion of minorities, notes Robert F. Murray, Jr. Minority Americans' mistrust of science, fostered in large part by the notorious Tuskegee study and advanced by inequities in health care, continues today, according to observers. While hard evidence is lacking, many scientists believe that bad feelings make it difficult for them to recruit minorities as participants in biomedical research studies in such areas as cancer and AIDS. Others say that

OBSTACLE COURSE: Former 4S president Sal Restivo fears downsizing more than science wars. Science and technology studies (STS), and their attempts to explain science by social constructs such as language and culture, have given sociologists of science new opportunities for teaching and research. However, STS is viewed by many natural scientists as a dangerous attack on rationality and truth, and not worthy of academic legitimacy. The "science wars" that have arisen between STS's critics and d

Sidebar: For Further Information A mere two drugs currently are available for people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and the second, Aricept, was approved only recently. Observers call Aricept a clear improvement over the first medication, Cognex, and are optimistic that it will spur more research into Alzheimer's treatments, opening up more job opportunities for scientists studying the catastrophic brain disease. But they caution against high hopes, as there still is no way to stop its pr

Alliance for Aging Research 2021 K St., N.W. Suite 305 Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 293-2856 Fax: (202) 785-8574 E-mail: agecom@aol.com Alzheimer’s Association 919 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 1000 Chicago, Ill. 60611-1676 (800) 272-3900 Fax: (312) 335-1110 World Wide Web: http://www.alz.org Eisai America Inc. Glen Pointe Center East 300 Frank W. Burr Blvd. Teaneck, N.J. 07666 (888) ARICEPT Fax: (201)-287-9744 Parke-Davis/Warner Lambert Co. 201 Tabor Rd. Morris Plains, N.J. 07950 (201) 540-

Sidebar: For Further Information - Retiring Scientists Retirement, like many other facets of employment, has changed greatly over the last generation. Rare are the employees-researchers included-who spend 40 years at the same job and retire at age 65, living the remainder of their years off Social Security benefits and traditional company pensions. Instead, today's workers often switch jobs several times during the course of their careers, and when they retire, they are more likely to pay the

Sidebar: The RGA's Committee's Recommendation CREATIVE BOOST: An alternative proposal from UCSF’s Keith Yamamoto adds innovation into the peer-review equation. As officials at the National Institutes of Health consider a proposal to change the peer-review process by which grant applications are considered, researchers offer divided opinions on whether the plan would help or hinder science. A highly disputed issue -- whether the changes would foster creative, innovative science -- has le

The following recommendations of the National Institutes of Health's Rating of Grant Applications (RGA) committee are taken from NIH's World Wide Web page (www.nih.gov), where the committee's entire report is available. Comments may be sent to dder@nih.gov. The three proposed criteria listed below should be adopted for unsolicited research project grant applications. Significance: The extent to which the project, if successfully carried out, will make an original and important contribution to

The holiday shopping deluge is under way, and researchers are not immune to the rush. There are sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and the kids of friends and colleagues to consider. How can one please young people with fun gifts that won't turn their brains to mush? Science can help. Toy stores and other retailers sell a variety of items, both classic and new, that can pique youngsters' curiosity and hold their attention. While science educators warn gift-givers to beware

The industry's supporters and critics both claim that surveys support their causes; meanwhile, its boosters ponder improvements to their educational efforts. POLL POSITION: Ronnie Cummins claims that the Pure Food Campaign's surveys reveal negative attitudes toward biotech. Biotechnology representatives paint a rosy picture of the industry's future, portraying it as a rising star gaining influence among commercial interests and policymakers. But surveys reveal a wide range of public reaction

'OPENING THE DOOR': FDA's Joseph Contrera claims the new testing guidelines will encourage innovation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a plan to revise a 25-year staple of preclinical pharmaceutical testing in the United States. Under the current procedure-criticized by some as lengthy and expensive-development of a new drug must include two-year bioassays conducted on two separate rodent species to determine whether it could cause cancer in humans. FDA recently closed

After serving as chairman of the United States Senate subcommittee on science, technology, and space, Vice President Al Gore brought a technological and environmental bent to the White House. In addition to Gore's background, Clinton's 1992 pledges to build up the country's technology infrastructure, shift some R&D spending away from defense, and "significantly strengthen" the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, may have raised expectations that a Clinton presidency would b