The National Health Museum: Exhibiting Influence on Tomorrow's Life Scientists

©John Horner According to results released last month of a widely administered ACT college entrance exam, only 26% of the graduating US high school seniors who took the test this year are adequately prepared for college biology. In other words, about one in four young adults are likely to muster a grade of C or higher in their freshman biology courses. It is further evidence that the United States is failing at a critical task. No easy explanation or quick remedy exists for this reality

| 4 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
4:00
Share

According to results released last month of a widely administered ACT college entrance exam, only 26% of the graduating US high school seniors who took the test this year are adequately prepared for college biology. In other words, about one in four young adults are likely to muster a grade of C or higher in their freshman biology courses. It is further evidence that the United States is failing at a critical task.

No easy explanation or quick remedy exists for this reality. What is certain, though, is that we can and must do better. The United States has outstanding scientists, maintains the biggest investment of any nation to discover new knowledge, and has a vibrant, private research and development sector that is at the forefront of innovation of new medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and improved therapies. The global gains made in average life expectancy over the past century are owed ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Louis Sullivan

    This person does not yet have a bio.

Published In

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio