Notebook

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On Bioscience Hotspots Chaos In The Works A Closer Look At Inner Space Funding For Minority Doctors Networking for Human Rights Brainstorm Awards Seismologists for the New York State Geological Survey, a research arm of the State Museum in Albany, are searching for personal accounts, photos of damage, and other information related to four earthquakes that struck the state earlier in this century. The events occurred in the counties of Attica on Aug. 12, 1929; Warrensburg on April 30, 1931; Massena on Sept. 5, 1944; and Essex and Hamilton on Oct. 7, 1983. The data and documentation the scientists obtain will be compiled in an education package to be used by teachers around the state in their earth sciences classes. The museum already has an extensive collection of data on earthquakes in the region, dating back more than two centuries. In addition to educating students and teachers about these seismic events, the museum is trying to educate the public about earthquake risks in a region of the United States where that might not be a foremost topic. Anybody with information on the four quakes is requested to contact Gary Nottis of the survey at (518) 474-5816. The University of California, Davis, is fertile ground for the biosciences, according to a report by the National Research Council. Using 1991-92 academic year figures, the Summary Report 1992: Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities (Washington, D.C., National Academy Press, 1993) declared UC-Davis the national leader in awarding doctoral degrees in the biological sciences, with 126. Rounding out the top five in this category were the University of Wisconsin, Madison (120); the University of California, Berkeley (94); Yale University (82); and the University of Minnesota (79). The Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and the Life Sciences is calling for abstracts of papers, posters, and session proposals for its next annual conference, to be held June 24-27 at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The society brings together researchers and practitioners interested in applying dynamical systems theory, self- organization theory, neural nets, fractals, and other forms of chaos and complexity theory to the study of nonlinear independent systems. Conference topics--around which the meeting will be organized, rather than disciplines--include chaos theory, methods, research, and application to all types of clinical practice; organization psychology; anthropology; neuropsychology; sociology; economics; education; and the humanities. Abstracts of 800 words or fewer should be submitted by March 15 to: Jeffrey Goldstein, 29 Hayes Rd., Amityville, N.Y. 11701. E-mail: goldstein@adlibv.adelphi.edu. For information about the society, contact Katherine E. Robertson, Society for Chaos Theory, P.O. Box 7226, Alhambra, Calif. 91802-7226. E-mail: 0005699249@mcimail.com. Researchers at AT&T Bell Laboratories have developed a technique for detecting and identifying single molecules with more than 100 times the sensitivity of previous methods, the company announced. Their discovery has potential applications in numerous areas, including molecular engineering, analytical chemistry, cell biology, and genetics. Eric Betzig and Rob Chichester of the Murray Hill, N.J., firm's Physical Research Laboratory used a "near-field" scanning optical microscope to funnel a lightbeam, used to detect molecules, through a tapered optical fiber with an opening 100 billionths-of-a-meter wide, reducing the volume of a sample to the point at which single molecules can be detected repeatedly with improved sensitivity. The technique eliminates a long-standing problem of "background haze" from the rest of the sample by its ability to focus the probe beam to a dimension smaller than the order of the wavelength of the probe light, which is a billion times larger than the volume of the molecule itself. Betzig and Chichester's technique allows researchers to generate a precise map of the location of individual molecules at the surface of specimens. "As a bonus," Betzig notes, they can use the technique to determine the orientation of each molecule. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Minority Medical Faculty Development Program is a four-year, postdoctoral research fellowship for outstanding minority physicians who are committed to careers in academic medicine. The fellows chosen will receive a $50,000 yearly stipend and a $25,000 annual research grant to conduct research in areas of interest to them. The postdocs are open to minority physicians who are U.S. citizens and who have completed their clinical training. Applicants' materials will be reviewed and semifinalists will be chosen for interviews. The deadline for requests of application materials is March 22; the deadline for the receipt of the completed applications is April 15. For information, contact James R. Gavin III, Program Director, Minority Medical Faculty Development Program, 4733 Bethesda Ave., Suite 350, Bethesda, Md. 20814; (301) 913-0210. Fax: (202) 913-9022. The AAAS Program on Science and Human Rights is calling on individuals concerned about persecution of scientists, engineers, health professionals, and science students to join the AAAS Human Rights Action Network, an electronic network accessible through Internet. The purpose of the network is to facilitate letter-writing and information campaigns directed at U.S. and international officials to help persecuted scientists around the world. There is no charge to join the network. Send the message "SUBSCRIBE AAASHRAN[first name, last name]" to the E-mail address listerv@gwuvm.gwu.edu. For information, contact AAAS, 1333 H St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. A Washington, D.C.-based organization, Intellectual Property Owners, is calling for nominations for its 1994 National Inventor of the Year award. The winners of the award, whose purpose is to increase awareness of current inventors and their benefit to society, will receive a $5,000 cash grant and a plaque. Winners will be honored, along with Distinguished Inventor runnersup, during a ceremony on Capitol Hill. An inventor is eligible for an award if the invention is covered by a U.S. patent, either was patented or first became available commercially in 1993, and was made in the U.S. Last year's award went to Gary H. Rasmusson and Glenn F. Reynolds of Rahway, N.J.-based Merck & Co. Inc. for Proscar, the first drug for treatment of prostate enlargement. The deadline for nominations is March 4. For information, contact National Inventor of the Year, Intellectual Property Owners, 1255 22rd St., N.W., Suite 850, Washington, D.C. 20037; (202) 466-2396. Fax: (202) 833- 3636.

Notebook

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