June 1994

Challenges Author: KAREN YOUNG KREEGER, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 The members of the Risk Assessment and Management Commission (RAMC), which held its first meeting last month in Washington, D.C., apparently have their work cut out for them. Hampered by a two-year delay in its formation, the commission faces a November deadline to fulfill its congressional mandate to evaluate current standards and methods of assessing environmental ha

Exercises Author: NEERAJA SANKARAN, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 Dozens of distinguished science figures have been among the luminaries receiving honorary degrees and offering their words of wisdom to graduating students throughout North America over the past two months. Scientists so honored include Francis S. Collins, director of the National Center for Human Genome Research; Frank Press, former president of the National Academy of S

Between The Traditionally Contentious Professions Author: FRANKLIN HOKE, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 Cooperative efforts seek to develop bases for agreement and a vocabulary to be shared by two influential cultures Editor's Note: This second part of a two-part series looks at several ongoing efforts aimed at establishing better communication between the scientific and legal professions. With court cases increasingly relying on s

Between The Traditionally Contentious Professions Author: FRANKLIN HOKE, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 Cooperative efforts seek to develop bases for agreement and a vocabulary to be shared by two influential cultures Editor's Note: This second part of a two-part series looks at several ongoing efforts aimed at establishing better communication between the scientific and legal professions. With court cases increasingly relying on s

Challenges Author: KAREN YOUNG KREEGER, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 The members of the Risk Assessment and Management Commission (RAMC), which held its first meeting last month in Washington, D.C., apparently have their work cut out for them. Hampered by a two-year delay in its formation, the commission faces a November deadline to fulfill its congressional mandate to evaluate current standards and methods of assessing environmental ha

Exercises Author: NEERAJA SANKARAN, pp.1 Date: June 27,1994 Dozens of distinguished science figures have been among the luminaries receiving honorary degrees and offering their words of wisdom to graduating students throughout North America over the past two months. Scientists so honored include Francis S. Collins, director of the National Center for Human Genome Research; Frank Press, former president of the National Academy of S

Scientific Knowledge Author: KAREN YOUNG KREEGER, pp.3 Date: June 27,1994 A recent survey by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York confirms what scientists across the United States have been fearing for some time: Despite their professed interest and confidence in science, Americans' understanding of the natural and physical world remains disturbingly low. Researchers say that it is imperative to the future of

Scientific Knowledge Author: KAREN YOUNG KREEGER, pp.3 Date: June 27,1994 A recent survey by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York confirms what scientists across the United States have been fearing for some time: Despite their professed interest and confidence in science, Americans' understanding of the natural and physical world remains disturbingly low. Researchers say that it is imperative to the future of

Zoning In Overcoming Bigotry -- And Then Some Women In Math Award Oncology On The Internet Atlanta Team Captures Science Bowl Inventive Minds Forrest M. Mims III, a science writer who last year won a 50,000-Swiss-franc (about $32,500) Rolex Award for inventing a hand-held ozone-monitoring device called a total ozone portable spectroradiometer, or TOPS (Notebook, The Scientist, June 28, 1993, page 4), detected record-low ozone leve

Zoning In Overcoming Bigotry -- And Then Some Women In Math Award Oncology On The Internet Atlanta Team Captures Science Bowl Inventive Minds Forrest M. Mims III, a science writer who last year won a 50,000-Swiss-franc (about $32,500) Rolex Award for inventing a hand-held ozone-monitoring device called a total ozone portable spectroradiometer, or TOPS (Notebook, The Scientist, June 28, 1993, page 4), detected record-low ozone leve

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Koprowski served as director of the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology from 1957 to 1991. He also has been a consultant to the World Health Organization since 1950, and has received many international honors. For a long time, Koprowski felt that the scientific community needed a newspaper to keep scientists abreast of current trends in

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Koprowski served as director of the Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology from 1957 to 1991. He also has been a consultant to the World Health Organization since 1950, and has received many international honors. For a long time, Koprowski felt that the scientific community needed a newspaper to keep scientists abreast of current trends in

Editor's Note: Social and ethical responsibilities of researchers, the public's skepticism about science, the threat of tighter economic constraints on biomedical investigation, equality for women and minorities, the increasing difficulties in building a stable career in research--these were among the themes addressed by this year's commencement speakers at academic institutions throughout the United States and Canada. Following are

Editor's Note: Social and ethical responsibilities of researchers, the public's skepticism about science, the threat of tighter economic constraints on biomedical investigation, equality for women and minorities, the increasing difficulties in building a stable career in research--these were among the themes addressed by this year's commencement speakers at academic institutions throughout the United States and Canada. Following are

The Scientist, May 2, 1994, page 1]. Reality: the "career" opportunities (my quotes) advertised in the same issue offering jobs for Ph.D. scientists at salaries like $23,550 per year! The article says that "none of the people contacted for this story ... believes that the [contest prize] money is the primary motivation for the students." I wonder how they will feel at the age of 30, when they are earning less than clerical workers.

The Scientist [page 1]. I am extremely skeptical of the current attempts to merge "alternative medicine" with the mainstream. It seems to me that these techniques are generally unsupported by hard evidence and in some cases, such as homeopathy, are exercises in fantasy. Hearing so-called medical professionals claiming that it is unfeasible to test the effectiveness of a Chinese herbal remedy because the diagnostic method is differen

Tools and Technology section of the March 7, 1994, issue of The Scientist [R. Lewis, page 17]. In addition to its growing and important applications in environmental and clinical diagnostics, bioluminescence is being increasingly used for science-education purposes. We use bioluminescent marine phytoplankton as a means to introduce elementary and junior high teachers to the scientific process and the development of critical-thinking

Tools and Technology section of the March 7, 1994, issue of The Scientist [R. Lewis, page 17]. In addition to its growing and important applications in environmental and clinical diagnostics, bioluminescence is being increasingly used for science-education purposes. We use bioluminescent marine phytoplankton as a means to introduce elementary and junior high teachers to the scientific process and the development of critical-thinking

The Scientist, May 2, 1994, page 1]. Reality: the "career" opportunities (my quotes) advertised in the same issue offering jobs for Ph.D. scientists at salaries like $23,550 per year! The article says that "none of the people contacted for this story ... believes that the [contest prize] money is the primary motivation for the students." I wonder how they will feel at the age of 30, when they are earning less than clerical workers.

The Scientist [page 1]. I am extremely skeptical of the current attempts to merge "alternative medicine" with the mainstream. It seems to me that these techniques are generally unsupported by hard evidence and in some cases, such as homeopathy, are exercises in fantasy. Hearing so-called medical professionals claiming that it is unfeasible to test the effectiveness of a Chinese herbal remedy because the diagnostic method is differen

Back To: A Meeting of Minds: Using Computers To Study The Brain The Human Brain Project is a multi-institutional federal effort to facilitate neuroscience research and coordination of data and information among various researchers. It was conceived as part of the Decade of the Brain, a congressionally mandated initiative to promote neuroscience and brain research in the 1990s. The 12 federal agencies that are contributing varying am

Sidebar:The Brain: Byte By Byte Given that computers were first invented with the intention of duplicating certain functions of the brain--notably memory and calculation--researchers say it is perhaps appropriate that today, science has evolved to the point at which the machines are being used to study that organ, employing the selfsame properties they emulate. "Except for [a computer's] great memory and speed, the brain is much mor

Back To: A Meeting of Minds: Using Computers To Study The Brain The Human Brain Project is a multi-institutional federal effort to facilitate neuroscience research and coordination of data and information among various researchers. It was conceived as part of the Decade of the Brain, a congressionally mandated initiative to promote neuroscience and brain research in the 1990s. The 12 federal agencies that are contributing varying am

Sidebar:The Brain: Byte By Byte Given that computers were first invented with the intention of duplicating certain functions of the brain--notably memory and calculation--researchers say it is perhaps appropriate that today, science has evolved to the point at which the machines are being used to study that organ, employing the selfsame properties they emulate. "Except for [a computer's] great memory and speed, the brain is much mor

J. Kim, D.C. Rees, "Structural models for the metal centers in the nitrogenase molybdenum-iron protein," Science, 257:1677-82, 1992. Douglas C. Rees (Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena): "The isolation by V.K. Shah and W. Brill (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 74:3248, 1977) of a low- molecular-weight iron- and molybdenum-containing component from nitrogenas

T. Takeshita, H. Asao, K. Ohtani, N. Ishii, S. Kumaki, N. Tanaka, H. Munakata, M. Nakamura, K. Sugamura, "Cloning of the g chain of the human IL-2 receptor," Science, 257:379- 82, 1992. Kazuo Sugamura (Department of Microbiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan): "Prior to this study, we had established monoclonal antibodies specific for the b chain of the receptor for interleukin 2 (IL-2), also known as a T cel

B.P. Schmidt, R.P. Kirshner, "Expanding photospheres of Type II supernovae and the extragalactic distance scale," Astrophysical Journal, 395:366-86, 1992. Brian P. Schmidt (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.): "Determining the value of the Hubble Constant, Ho, has been an area of considerable interest since Edwin Hubble first realized that the universe was expanding in the late 1920s. Ho is the constant o

J. Kim, D.C. Rees, "Structural models for the metal centers in the nitrogenase molybdenum-iron protein," Science, 257:1677-82, 1992. Douglas C. Rees (Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena): "The isolation by V.K. Shah and W. Brill (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 74:3248, 1977) of a low- molecular-weight iron- and molybdenum-containing component from nitrogenas

T. Takeshita, H. Asao, K. Ohtani, N. Ishii, S. Kumaki, N. Tanaka, H. Munakata, M. Nakamura, K. Sugamura, "Cloning of the g chain of the human IL-2 receptor," Science, 257:379- 82, 1992. Kazuo Sugamura (Department of Microbiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan): "Prior to this study, we had established monoclonal antibodies specific for the b chain of the receptor for interleukin 2 (IL-2), also known as a T cel

B.P. Schmidt, R.P. Kirshner, "Expanding photospheres of Type II supernovae and the extragalactic distance scale," Astrophysical Journal, 395:366-86, 1992. Brian P. Schmidt (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.): "Determining the value of the Hubble Constant, Ho, has been an area of considerable interest since Edwin Hubble first realized that the universe was expanding in the late 1920s. Ho is the constant o

Making The Online Connection With Bibliographic-Database Software Researchers increasingly are discovering the virtues of personal bibliographic-database software pack- ages-- programs that can help them cut long, tedious hours from the process of preparing the often-extensive bibliographies accompanying their scientific manuscripts. The following companies produce online and CD-ROM bibliographic- reference databases or software p

Software Author: Franklin Hoke, pp.18 Date:June 27,1994 Researchers increasingly are discovering the virtues of personal bibliographic-database software pack- ages-- programs that can help them cut long, tedious hours from the process of preparing the often-extensive bibliographies accompanying their scientific manuscripts. AND SOFTWARE The following companies produce online and CD-ROM bibliographic- reference databases or soft

Making The Online Connection With Bibliographic-Database Software Researchers increasingly are discovering the virtues of personal bibliographic-database software pack- ages-- programs that can help them cut long, tedious hours from the process of preparing the often-extensive bibliographies accompanying their scientific manuscripts. The following companies produce online and CD-ROM bibliographic- reference databases or software p

Software Author: Franklin Hoke, pp.18 Date:June 27,1994 Researchers increasingly are discovering the virtues of personal bibliographic-database software pack- ages-- programs that can help them cut long, tedious hours from the process of preparing the often-extensive bibliographies accompanying their scientific manuscripts. AND SOFTWARE The following companies produce online and CD-ROM bibliographic- reference databases or soft

Dialog Information Services Issues Nuclear Science Abstracts On CD-ROM Biotecx Laboratories Introduces IMMULAN Purification Kits Nalge Announces A PES Membrane For Tissue - Culture Applications Geno Technology Launches Gene CAPSULE For DNA Extraction Phycoerythrin - Cy5 Conjugated Antibodies For Flow Cytometry From AMAC Labsystems Unveils Microplate Luminometers Elkay Products Inc. Releases New Autotubes Abstracts On CD-ROM Dialog

Dialog Information Services Issues Nuclear Science Abstracts On CD-ROM Biotecx Laboratories Introduces IMMULAN Purification Kits Nalge Announces A PES Membrane For Tissue - Culture Applications Geno Technology Launches Gene CAPSULE For DNA Extraction Phycoerythrin - Cy5 Conjugated Antibodies For Flow Cytometry From AMAC Labsystems Unveils Microplate Luminometers Elkay Products Inc. Releases New Autotubes Abstracts On CD-ROM Dialog

A total of 17 young academics in chemistry, physics, and astronomy (see accompanying list) were each granted $50,000, which they are expected to use to fund a research project while also involving their undergraduate students in scientific investigation. The awards program is designed to help third-year faculty at Ph.D.-granting institutions carry out their commitments to both teaching and research and bridge the gap that often exi

A total of 17 young academics in chemistry, physics, and astronomy (see accompanying list) were each granted $50,000, which they are expected to use to fund a research project while also involving their undergraduate students in scientific investigation. The awards program is designed to help third-year faculty at Ph.D.-granting institutions carry out their commitments to both teaching and research and bridge the gap that often exi

Priestley Medal ... Derek H.R. Barton, a winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in chemistry and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University, College Station, has been selected to receive the 1995 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's (ACS) highest honor. Designed to commemorate the work of Joseph Priestley, an 18th-century chemist from Great Britain, the gold medal will be presented to Barton at ACS's national

Priestley Medal ... Derek H.R. Barton, a winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in chemistry and a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University, College Station, has been selected to receive the 1995 Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's (ACS) highest honor. Designed to commemorate the work of Joseph Priestley, an 18th-century chemist from Great Britain, the gold medal will be presented to Barton at ACS's national