New FASEB president starts term

The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) today (June 30) outlined its agenda for the upcoming year as its new president, Robert D. Wells, took office. Wells, director of the Center for Genome Research at the Institute of Biosciences and Technology at Texas A&M University, took over for Washington University immunologist Steven Teitlbaum, who will remain active for FASEB as "past president." Wells has been serving as FASEB's president-elect for the past year.

Among FASEB's objectives, Wells told The Scientist, is making advocacy for the National Science Foundation (NSF) more of a priority. FASEB wants a doubling of the NSF budget in the next 5 years and a budget increase in fiscal year (FY) 2004 consistent with that doubling. Although President Bush signed an authorization bill late last year that put the NSF on track for a funding increase from the FY 2002 level of $4.79 billion...