Notebook

Bakelite In The Limelight Teaching Technology Space University High-Tech Farming Recognizing Cognitive Neuroscience The Wonders of Glycerine Though possibly an event of dubious distinction to environmentalists and others, the American Chemical Society will commemorate the invention of "bakelite," the world's first plastic, with ACS's first National Historic Chemical Landmark designation on November 9. Bakelite was the invention of Leo H. Baekeland, a Belgian-born chemist who developed the material in Yonkers, N.Y., 90 years ago. ACS will mark the occasion at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., where the first "bakelizer," the landmark device used to form bakelite and nicknamed "Old Faithful," is housed. Bakelite and plastic gained in popularity in the 1930s, when colors were introduced. Bakelite radios and even plastic jewelry designed by such artists as Jean Schlumberger and Salvador Dali had a heyday from the 1920s to 1940s. Today, bakelite items may be even more popular; one collector recently paid $10,000 for an old bakelite radio. The National Science Board--the National Science Foundation's policy-making arm--will begin accepting proposals next month for NSF's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. The ATE effort aims to fund model projects for undergraduate and secondary school curriculum development, "including the design and implementation of new curricula, courses, laboratories, and instructional materials, as well as teacher and faculty enhancement," according to an NSF statement. As part of the program, NSF will help establish up to five "centers of excellence" to serve as national and regional models of technological education and clearinghouses for model curricula, instructional materials, and methods. The agency will award planning grants to establish the centers in the first year of the program. Two-year and four-year colleges and universities, as well as secondary schools and industry, will be involved in the program, says Robert Watson, director of NSF's division of undergraduate education, who will also oversee the ATE program. NSF expects to begin granting the ATE awards next spring. Information on the ATE program is available on the agency's Science and Technology Information System (STIS). For information on STIS, contact the NSF Publications System at (202) 357-7861 or send an E-mail message to stisinfo@nsf.gov (on internet) or stisinfo@nsf (on bitnet). Applications to attend the International Space University's 1994 summer session, to be hosted by the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain, are now available. The 10-week ISU summer program is designed for graduate-level students and young professionals in space-related fields. The deadline for applications is January 1. For information, contact the ISU Executive Office, 955 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Mass. 02139; (617) 354-1987. Fax: (617) 354-7666. According to Purdue University agricultural scientists, farmers a decade from now will be pushing the outer limits of modern technology in pursuing a new type of agriculture known as site- specific farming. In site-specific farming, conditions are measured for growing areas as small as a few feet or even inches square, and pesticides and fertilizers are applied accordingly--a technique that, its pro- ponents predict, will dramatically reduce chemical use and increase yields. To facilitate the pinpoint accuracy needed to tend crops this way, farmers will rely on satellites for positioning, lasers and microphones to measure characteristics of the soil, and computers to make sense of the enormous amount of data this technique will require. At present, the costs to conduct this sort of farming are prohibitive, the Purdue scientists acknowledge, but they predict that cost-efficient technology will catch up to the methodology in about 10 years. Despite its space-age accoutrements, the concept is not all that new, says Purdue associate professor of agricultural economics Howard Doster: "We're going back to what Squanto taught John Smith about putting a seed in a fish in a small hill of dirt." The McDonnell-Pew Program in Cognitive Neuroscience, a joint effort of the James S. McDonnell Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is offering two sets of grants to promote the development of cognitive neuroscience. Research grants are intended to support collaborative, interdisciplinary investigations by cognitive neuroscientists, such as combining experimental data from cognitive psychology and neuroscience or exploring the implications of neurobiological methods for the study of higher cognitive processes. The goal of the training grant awards is "to encourage broad participation in the development of the field and to facilitate participation of investigators outside the major centers of cognitive neuroscience." Both awards are two-year, nonrenewable grants of $30,000 per year. The application deadline for both grants is February 1. For information, contact McDonnell-Pew Program in Cognitive Neuroscience, Green Hall 1-N-6, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J. 08544-1010; (609) 258-5014. Fax: (609) 258-3031. E-mail: cns@clarity.princeton.edu. The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) is calling for papers for the 1994 Recognition Award for Innovative Uses of Glycerine-- a substance already having more than 1,500 known uses, including major applications in cosmetics and toiletries, food and beverages, over-the-counter drugs, surface coating resins, and polymers. The competition is sponsored by SDA's glycerine and oleochemical division to recognize innovative research, development, and commercial use of glycerine. The winner will receive a $1,000 honorarium and a commemorative plaque. Submission deadline is next June 1. For information, contact the Soap and Detergent Association, Glycerine and Oleochemical Division, 475 Park Ave. South, New York, N.Y. 10016; (212) 725- 1262. Fax: (212) 213-0685.

Notebook

The Scientist Staff

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of