Notebook

Prime Time Physicists Rare Disease Research Lobby Lab Vandal Is Sentenced O.J. And DNA Powerfully Funny Math ACS Kicks In For College Aging Research Fellowships IMAGE-MAKER: Leon Lederman has TV dreams. Concerned about improving the popular image of scientists as personality-free nerds, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman is developing a television pilot that would instead show researchers as "skeptical, creative romantics," according to the New York Times Magazine ("Sunday," Aug. 13, 1995, Section 6, page 16). Working with professional script writers, staffers from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and funding from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, Lederman is hoping the production will help counter what he sees as a growing anti-scientist feeling in society by presenting scientists as having the allure of the lawyers and doctors in such Hollywood productions as "L.A. Law" and "ER." "Scientists fall in love," Lederman told the Times. Apparently, however, while the proposed series attempts to dispel some stereotypes about scientists, it may promote others: "When was the last time you saw a physicist on TV galloping off into the sunset with a beautiful woman?" Lederman asks. The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), headquartered in New Fairfield, Conn., is trying to line up congressional support for a bill that would permanently establish the Office of Rare Disease Research at the National Institutes of Health. The legislation is "budget neutral"--doesn't add any more to the budget--according to Michael Langan, NORD's Washington-based public policy director, and is intended primarily to codify and give more clout to an existing office dealing with these subjects in the NIH director's office, headed by Steven Groft. Under the proposed law, Groft's office would be placed on a par with the Office of Alternative Medicine, the Office of AIDS Research, and similar offices. (The AIDS office's appropriation, however, has been targeted for elimination by Congress.) As things stand now, the rare disease research office continues at the discretion of the NIH director, a situation that gives NORD cause for concern in the prevailing budget-cutting atmosphere in the capital. Langan notes that research on more than 5,000 rare diseases--defined by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983 as those affecting 200,000 or fewer Americans--often has unanticipated benefits for work on more prevalent diseases. For example, the recent discovery of the recessive gene responsible for fatal ataxia telangiectasia, or AT, a disease affecting only about 500 children, was followed by the finding that carriers of a single gene for the disorder were five times more likely to develop breast cancer as those without it. In May, the bill passed the Senate on a unanimous vote, and it was introduced in the House of Representatives in July by Jan Meyers (R-Kan.) with 22 cosponsors, 11 from each party, signing on. It now awaits action in the health and environment subcommittee--which has jurisdiction over NIH--of the Committee on Commerce. Subcommittee chairman Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.) has shown little interest in pushing for the new law, however, Langan says. Rodney Coronado, an acknowledged animal-rights activist and vandal, is scheduled to report to the federal prison system in Arizona on September 11. Coronado, 29, in March pleaded guilty to two felony charges in United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan for a 1992 fire that destroyed research facilities at Michigan State University and for additional crimes in four other states. Judge Richard Enslen on August 11 sentenced Coronado to 57 months in prison and payment of more than $2.5 million in restitution for the Michigan State fire and related activities (M. Devins, The Scientist, June 8, 1992, page 4; Notebook, The Scientist, March 20, 1995, page 20). The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) had claimed responsibility for the acts. After a Michigan grand jury indicted him in 1993, Coronado became a fugitive; he was arrested at an Indian reservation in Arizona in November 1994. Frankie Trull, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, wrote to Enslen in July requesting the maximum penalty for Coronado, stating: "The overall economic cost of these animal extremist crimes amounts to many millions of dollars. However, the highest toll is paid by researchers whose life's work is ruined and by all the people who would have benefited from that research." The judge denied Coronado's plea for leniency and parole so that he could continue his work with youths on the reservation. The 1992 fire destroyed the labs and research of Richard Aulerich, who was studying the effects of toxins on mink, and the adjoining lab of Karen Chou, who, ironically, was investigating alternatives to animal experimentation. O.J. DNA ARCHIVISTS: From left, Bruce Lewenstein, Rajan Kapoor, Saul Halfton and Sheila Jasanoff pose with the on-screen subject of their archival efforts First there were O.J. computer discussion groups, then there was the O.J. World Wide Web home page. Now, there's the O.J. Simpson trial DNA archive. Two Cornell University researchers, funded by a $17,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, aim to catalog text, graphics, cartoons, videotape, and other items related to DNA fingerprinting evidence presented in the trial. Their purpose is to provide a platform from which to study the context of science in society. "The parts of the trial involving DNA will allow people to observe science and technology in the making," said Sheila Jasanoff, professor and chairwoman of the department of science and technology studies and principal investigator for the project, in the Aug. 10, 1995, issue of the Cornell Chronicle. Her collaborator, science historian Bruce Lewenstein, an associate professor of communication and of science and technology studies, vows to leave no stone unturned when archiving the material. He plans to "get all the little hard-to-find newspaper stories, not just the stories from the New York Times." The archive is intended for scholars in such areas as science communications and history. Several students are employed by the project to surf the Net for online items. EMPOWERMENT: NACME's George Campbell, left, and Sinbad. Enlisting the persuasive abilities of Sinbad, the comedian, and a slick, nationwide public-service campaign, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) is sending a message to millions of students returning to the classroom this month--one they hope will be carried into adulthood. The three-year Math Is Power program, which targets eight- to 13- year-olds and their parents, aims to convince students that a solid background in science and math is necessary to land rewarding, high-paying jobs later on. Recent Harris poll findings that show a strong disparity between the jobs children want and the academic preparation they're getting for them spurred NACME to launch the program. In major cities, posters in bus shelters; spots on TV and radio (one on MTV is in the offing); and ads in newspapers and magazines expound on the benefits of not shunning math and science. "One of our goals in creating Math Is Power is to create market-driven, demand-side pressure on schools and school systems to provide high-level course work to all children, and to raise the expectation of students with respect to math and science," says George Campbell, Jr., NACME's president. To receive student posters and parent brochures, call (800) 97NACME; for campaign materials, contact Barbara Hirst, NACME, 3 W. 35th St., New York, N.Y. 10001-2281; (212) 279-2626, Ext. 232. Fax: (212) 629-5178. E-mail: 76435.2774@compuserve.com. More than 200 African American, Hispanic, and American Indian students are entering this school year bolstered by more than $600,000 in scholarships from the Washington, D.C.-based American Chemical Society (ACS). Students interested in applying for the 1996-97 academic year may begin sending applications next month. Scholarships under the program are renewable and range in value up to $2,500 a year in the freshman and sophomore years and $5,000 a year in the junior and senior years, for a maximum of up to $15,000 over a four-year period. The student may use the funds for tuition, books, supplies and lab fees, and lodging. Graduating high school seniors; chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering majors in college; and students transferring from community colleges to four-year colleges are eligible to apply. Guidelines used in awarding the scholarships include financial need, a B average or better in science and math courses, and examples of leadership at school and in the community. This year's scholarship winners hail from 36 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Almost 57 percent are female; 54 percent are African American, 42 percent are Hispanic, and 4 percent are American Indian. The application deadline is in February 1996. For more information, contact ACS Minority Scholars Program administrator Dorothy Rodmann, c/o ACS, 1155 16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 872-6250. The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is currently accepting applications for the 1996 Paul Beeson Physician Faculty Scholars in Aging Research Program. The program was set up last year to support young faculty members whose research relates to aging and to promote the study of aging across disciplines (K.Y. Kreeger, The Scientist, Oct. 17, 1994, page 1). Up to nine awards for a period of three years--each totaling a maximum of $150,000 per year--will be granted. According to AFAR, the Beeson scholarship program is the largest nongovernmental funding of its kind in the United States. Deans of four-year, fully accredited U.S. medical schools are required to nominate candidates. To be eligible, a prospective nominee must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien and a full-time faculty member within 12 years after receiving an M.D. The deadline for receipt of completed applications is November 15. For more information, contact AFAR, 1414 Avenue of the Americas, 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10019; (212) 752-2327. Fax: (212) 832-2298. (The Scientist, Vol:9, #17, pg.1 , September 4, 1995) (Copyright © The Scientist, Inc.)

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