Notebook

Regal Rewards Stamp of Approval Mathletes Illuminating Bioluminescence Importing Botanical Knowledge The Pocket Merck Changing Monikers The Royal Society, the United Kingdom's national academy for promoting both the natural and applied sciences, recently announced the winners of two of its prestigious awards: The Royal Society Mullard Award, consisting of a silver gilt medal and Pounds Sterling 2,000 (approximately $3,500 U.S.), will be shared by microscopist John White of the Integrated Microscopy Resource at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; and cell biologist Brad Amos, computer scientist Richard Durbin, and engineer Michael Fordham, all of the Medical Research Council laboratory of molecular biology in Cambridge, England. The researchers are being recognized for developing a laser confocal imaging system that improves the clarity and definition of microscopes, allowing the examination of structural details within a cell. This annual award goes to an advancement in science, engineering, or technology that leads directly to national prosperity in the U.K. Meanwhile, engineers Trevor Whittaker, Raghu Raghunathan, and Adrian Long of Queen's University in Belfast, Ireland, and Alan Wells, the former director general of the Welding Institute in Cambridge, England, were named winners of the Royal Society Esso Award for 1994 for designing and developing a shoreline wave power station--a device that converts the energy from ocean waves to electricity. Whittaker, a professor of coastal engineering, headed the team of scientists who built and are currently testing a prototype version of the station off the western coast of Scotland. The Esso award--consisting of a gold medal and Pounds Sterline 2,000-- is given annually to an outstanding contribution toward the efficient mobilization, use, or conservation of energy resources. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is seeking support for its campaign to create a commemorative postage stamp to honor the organization's 150th anniversary in 1998. The AAAS Commemorative Stamp Committee will submit its proposal for a first-class stamp to the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee--an 11-member group appointed by the Postmaster General--next March after the AAAS annual meeting in February. Letters of support and suggestions for a theme and design can be sent to the AAAS Commemorative Stamp Committee, Office of Communications, Room 801, 1333 H St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005; (202) 326-6440. (AAAS encourages sending letters via the United States mail rather than by electronic mail to indicate a potential market for the stamp.) Among several international competitions taking place this summer--the World Cup, the Goodwill Games, and the Tour de France, to name a few--perhaps the U.S.'s best showing was the performance of a team of American high school students last month in Hong Kong. Competing against teams from 69 other countries, the six students took first place in the 35th International Mathematical Olympiad with an unprecedented six perfect scores. Jeremy Bem of Ithaca High School in New York; Aleksander L. Khazanov of Stuyvesant High School in New York City; Jacob A. Lurie of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md.; Noam M. Shazeer of Swampscott High School in Massachusetts; Stephen S. Wang of Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora; and Jonathan Weinstein of Lexington High School in Massachusetts each received gold medals. The top five finishers, in order, at the Olympiad were: the U.S., China, Russia, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Aided by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), marine biologists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, Calif., have been able to shed some light on the physiology and genetics of bioluminescent bacteria. A research team led by Margo G. Haygood, an assistant professor at Scripps, studies the glowing bacteria that live inside tropical flashlight fish and deep-sea anglerfish to better understand these little-studied microorganisms. Until recently, the bacteria of these fish could not be cultured in the laboratory. But, using PCR, Haygood made copies of the fish bacteria's genes and compared them with those of other bioluminescent bacteria. These studies indicated that the bacteria were members of two previously unknown taxonomic groups. Research on the basic biology of bioluminescent bacteria has practical applications in detecting contaminants in water and for medical diagnoses, the researchers say. With the addition of a recent shipment of 62,500 pressed and mounted specimens of Chinese plants, the Missouri Botanical Garden's collection of such flora has become the largest outside of China, the botanical garden announced. The acquisition is part of the Flora of China project, a six-year-old Sino-American effort to revise, condense, and translate into English China's huge catalog of plants. China currently has around 30,000 species of vascular plants; 7,000 are of horticultural importance and nearly 5,000 are used for medicinal purposes. For example, Trichosanthes kirilowii, a member of the gourd family found only in China, is being studied for its activity in combating the HIV virus. The Merck Manual, one of the most widely used medical reference books in the world, is now being produced in a pocket-sized electronic version as part of the Franklin Digital Book System of Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc., Mount Holly, N.J. The manual, now in its 16th edition, is put out by the publishing arm of Merck & Co. Inc., Whitehorse Station, N.J. The electronic "book" measures 5" x 3" x 1/2" and weighs 4 ounces. Data cards containing up to 200 megabytes of text each snap into the back of the unit, which features a five-line display. The American Council of Independent Laboratories, a national trade association representing independent commercial engineering and scientific laboratory, testing, consulting, and R&D firms, has adopted a new name, sort of. As of June, the Washington, D.C.-based organization has become ACIL: The Association of Independent Scientific Engineering and Testing Firms. According to ACIL officials, the new name reflects changes in the industry and the expansion into new technology on the part of ACIL's 400- plus members. This is the second name change for the 57-year-old association; it was founded in 1937 as the Association of Commercial Laboratories, and was renamed in the American Council of Independent Laboratories in 1952. For information, contact the organization at 1629 K St., N.W., Suite 400, Washington, D.C. 20006; (202) 887-5872. Fax: (202) 887-0021.

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August 1994

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