April 1994

Observers laud the fact that the agreement lets Heidi Weissmann and her former employers keep their controversial debate alive Despite a recently announced out-of-court settlement in medical researcher Heidi S. Weissmann's seven-year-long sex-discrimination case against her former employers, each side still insists that it would have prevailed had the case gone to trial. While it is debatable whether the $900,000 settlement--notab

Three of the 13 awards this year are going to astronomers, including the academy's highest honor--the Public Welfare Medal--which is being given to Carl E. Sagan, 59, David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Every year, NAS presents this medal (the only award without an accompanying cash prize) to an individual who has made extraordinary use of science for the public good. Perhaps

As change in law allows science faculty to keep working after age 70, academia must rethink its personnel policies. The end of mandatory retirement for faculty at United States colleges and universities--a policy change that became effective on January 1 of this year--is placing a new burden on the schools as well as individual faculty members. While the end of the longstanding policy has not brought about--as some administrators

Three of the 13 awards this year are going to astronomers, including the academy's highest honor--the Public Welfare Medal--which is being given to Carl E. Sagan, 59, David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Every year, NAS presents this medal (the only award without an accompanying cash prize) to an individual who has made extraordinary use of science for the public good. Perhaps

As change in law allows science faculty to keep working after age 70, academia must rethink its personnel policies. The end of mandatory retirement for faculty at United States colleges and universities--a policy change that became effective on January 1 of this year--is placing a new burden on the schools as well as individual faculty members. While the end of the longstanding policy has not brought about--as some administrators

Observers laud the fact that the agreement lets Heidi Weissmann and her former employers keep their controversial debate alive Despite a recently announced out-of-court settlement in medical researcher Heidi S. Weissmann's seven-year-long sex-discrimination case against her former employers, each side still insists that it would have prevailed had the case gone to trial. While it is debatable whether the $900,000 settlement--notab

An estimated 11,000 of these researchers, representing dozens of disciplines and presenting thousands of papers and poster sessions, will be gathering at annual get-togethers of the nation's leading life sciences professional societies: Members of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) will meet in Washington, D.C., May 21-25; and, starting just two days later, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

An estimated 11,000 of these researchers, representing dozens of disciplines and presenting thousands of papers and poster sessions, will be gathering at annual get-togethers of the nation's leading life sciences professional societies: Members of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) will meet in Washington, D.C., May 21-25; and, starting just two days later, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

AT A GLANCE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY * Charles Hancock, executive officer * Martin Gellert, president Nearly 3,000 members of ASBMB will attend the society's annual meeting May 21-25 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Presentations include almost 100 talks and more than 1,400 posters, as well as an exhibition. Meeting Highlights "The Washington Connection," a seri

AT A GLANCE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY * Charles Hancock, executive officer * Martin Gellert, president Nearly 3,000 members of ASBMB will attend the society's annual meeting May 21-25 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Presentations include almost 100 talks and more than 1,400 posters, as well as an exhibition. Meeting Highlights "The Washington Connection," a seri

But this is a false assumption in the case of Reichstein, who at age 95 is still publishing. Reichstein, who shared the 1950 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discoveries relating to the hormones of the adrenal cortex, is still hard at work at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Basel, Switzerland, actively participating in international collaborations. His 1992 paper "The phloroglucinols of Dryopteris s

But this is a false assumption in the case of Reichstein, who at age 95 is still publishing. Reichstein, who shared the 1950 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discoveries relating to the hormones of the adrenal cortex, is still hard at work at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Basel, Switzerland, actively participating in international collaborations. His 1992 paper "The phloroglucinols of Dryopteris s

Mathematics Awareness Week Garden Party Wool And Oil Do Mix Arts And Sciences Underwater Astronomy A Fungus Below Us Brain Food? pp. 4. "Mathematics and Medicine" is the theme for this year's Mathematics Awareness Week, April 24-30. Organizers hope to draw attention to the critical but often overlooked role of mathematics in many areas of biomedicine. Important examples, they say, are the use of mathematics in genetic

Mathematics Awareness Week Garden Party Wool And Oil Do Mix Arts And Sciences Underwater Astronomy A Fungus Below Us Brain Food? pp. 4. "Mathematics and Medicine" is the theme for this year's Mathematics Awareness Week, April 24-30. Organizers hope to draw attention to the critical but often overlooked role of mathematics in many areas of biomedicine. Important examples, they say, are the use of mathematics in genetic

Editor's Note: In a career spanning nearly 50 years, William J. Whelan--now a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami--has published some 250 research papers and edited more than 20 scholarly books, his main interest being the biogenesis of polysaccharides and action patterns of the polysaccharide enzymes of metabolism. Throughout his career, Whelan also has served as editor and developer of more

Editor's Note: In a career spanning nearly 50 years, William J. Whelan--now a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami--has published some 250 research papers and edited more than 20 scholarly books, his main interest being the biogenesis of polysaccharides and action patterns of the polysaccharide enzymes of metabolism. Throughout his career, Whelan also has served as editor and developer of more

Date: April 18, 1994, pp.13 The Scientist did an excellent job reporting FairTest's recent study demonstrating that the lion's share of National Academy for Science, Space, and Technology (NASST) scholarships went to boys because of reliance on American College Testing (ACT) exam scores to choose winners (F. Hoke, Jan. 10, 1994, page 1). However, the reaction statements attributed to spokesmen for ACT contain such significant errors

The Scientist, Nov. 15, 1993, page 12). This is also an immense problem for not-for-profit agencies such as the American Cancer Society. Our credibility largely depends upon reporting back to the American public the progress in cancer research that was made possible by their generous donations. The vast majority of research that we support is of a very fundamental nature and does not make headlines. However, some of it does--some of

The Scientist, Nov. 15, 1993, page 12). This is also an immense problem for not-for-profit agencies such as the American Cancer Society. Our credibility largely depends upon reporting back to the American public the progress in cancer research that was made possible by their generous donations. The vast majority of research that we support is of a very fundamental nature and does not make headlines. However, some of it does--some of

Date: April 18, 1994, pp.13 The Scientist did an excellent job reporting FairTest's recent study demonstrating that the lion's share of National Academy for Science, Space, and Technology (NASST) scholarships went to boys because of reliance on American College Testing (ACT) exam scores to choose winners (F. Hoke, Jan. 10, 1994, page 1). However, the reaction statements attributed to spokesmen for ACT contain such significant errors

The Scientist extends its congratulations to the men and women who will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences next week at the organization's annual meeting. Their achievements and the reasons for this moment of special recognition by the academy are recapped in Neeraja Sankaran's front-page report. For some of these scientists--those who tend to keep a low profile as they go about their work--such highly visible acclaim m

The Scientist extends its congratulations to the men and women who will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences next week at the organization's annual meeting. Their achievements and the reasons for this moment of special recognition by the academy are recapped in Neeraja Sankaran's front-page report. For some of these scientists--those who tend to keep a low profile as they go about their work--such highly visible acclaim m

Although the field traditionally has branched into the study of fungi species that cause disease, mycologists say their field now encompasses molecular biology, ecology, chemical-extraction techniques, and other specialties and skills not usual for the traditional mycologist. The research emanating from laboratories studying fungi is diverse, including investigations of biological control of pest plants, production of new strains of

Although the field traditionally has branched into the study of fungi species that cause disease, mycologists say their field now encompasses molecular biology, ecology, chemical-extraction techniques, and other specialties and skills not usual for the traditional mycologist. The research emanating from laboratories studying fungi is diverse, including investigations of biological control of pest plants, production of new strains of

E.C. Masteller, K.M. Buzby, "Composition and temporal abundance of aquatic insect emergence from a tropical rainforest stream, Quebrada Prieta, at El Verde, Puerto Rico: Introduction," Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 66:133-9, 1993. Ed Masteller (Division of Science, Behrend College, Pennsylvania State University, Erie): "Long-term investigations were conducted in an island tropical rainforest with an aseasonal environm

S.M. Prokes, O.J. Glembocki, V.M. Bermudez, R. Kaplan, L.E. Friedersdorf, P.C. Searson, "SiHx excitation: An alternate mechanism for porous Si photoluminescence," Physical Review B, 45:13788-91, 1992. Sharka M. Prokes (Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.): "Silicon has many attractive properties, such as abundance, a stable passivating oxide, and good thermal and mechanical properties, which make it one of the most importan

E.C. Masteller, K.M. Buzby, "Composition and temporal abundance of aquatic insect emergence from a tropical rainforest stream, Quebrada Prieta, at El Verde, Puerto Rico: Introduction," Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 66:133-9, 1993. Ed Masteller (Division of Science, Behrend College, Pennsylvania State University, Erie): "Long-term investigations were conducted in an island tropical rainforest with an aseasonal environm

S.M. Prokes, O.J. Glembocki, V.M. Bermudez, R. Kaplan, L.E. Friedersdorf, P.C. Searson, "SiHx excitation: An alternate mechanism for porous Si photoluminescence," Physical Review B, 45:13788-91, 1992. Sharka M. Prokes (Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C.): "Silicon has many attractive properties, such as abundance, a stable passivating oxide, and good thermal and mechanical properties, which make it one of the most importan

The following companies offer flow cytometry instruments, equipment, and/or reagents for clinical and laboratory purposes. Please contact the companies directly for more information concerning specific products. AMAC Inc. 160B Larrabee Rd. Westbrook, Maine (207) 854-0426 Fax: (207) 854-0116 Bangs Laboratories Inc. 979 Keystone Way Carmel, Ind. 46032 (317) 844-7176 Fax: (317) 575-8801 Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems 2350

The following companies offer flow cytometry instruments, equipment, and/or reagents for clinical and laboratory purposes. Please contact the companies directly for more information concerning specific products. AMAC Inc. 160B Larrabee Rd. Westbrook, Maine (207) 854-0426 Fax: (207) 854-0116 Bangs Laboratories Inc. 979 Keystone Way Carmel, Ind. 46032 (317) 844-7176 Fax: (317) 575-8801 Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems 2350

---------- WE WELCOME YOUR OPINION. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS STORY, PLEASE WRITE TO US AT EITHER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES: garfield@aurora.cis.upenn.edu 71764.2561@compuserve.com The Scientist, 3600 Market Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A. (The Scientist, Vol:8, #8, April 18, 1994 (Copyright, The Scientist, Inc.)

---------- WE WELCOME YOUR OPINION. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS STORY, PLEASE WRITE TO US AT EITHER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES: garfield@aurora.cis.upenn.edu 71764.2561@compuserve.com The Scientist, 3600 Market Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104 U.S.A. (The Scientist, Vol:8, #8, April 18, 1994 (Copyright, The Scientist, Inc.)

pp. 20. Westing Software of Tiburon, Calif., has released Bookends Pro, a bibliography management system for professionals who track and cite reference information. Designed for the Macintosh, the software collects, manages, and formats references, citations, and quotes. In addition, it automatically generates bibliographies and footnotes that conform to publication specifications. Users can import reference information from a vari

pp. 20. Westing Software of Tiburon, Calif., has released Bookends Pro, a bibliography management system for professionals who track and cite reference information. Designed for the Macintosh, the software collects, manages, and formats references, citations, and quotes. In addition, it automatically generates bibliographies and footnotes that conform to publication specifications. Users can import reference information from a vari

Colwell, who will become the president in 1995, is the seventh woman president-elect of AAAS, the world's largest general scientific organization. "The goals that they've [AAAS] set for themselves are goals that I fully endorse," says Colwell, referring to the organization's objectives for the future, such as developing a series of forums on science policy and future directions for science and technology. Colwell says that when sh

Colwell, who will become the president in 1995, is the seventh woman president-elect of AAAS, the world's largest general scientific organization. "The goals that they've [AAAS] set for themselves are goals that I fully endorse," says Colwell, referring to the organization's objectives for the future, such as developing a series of forums on science policy and future directions for science and technology. Colwell says that when sh