ASCB Newsletter - February 1999

ASCB Member Larry Goldstein of the University of California, San Diego and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute testified on behalf of the Society to the Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Sub-committee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on January 12. In his testimony, Goldstein urged the Committee to allow stem cell research to be performed by publicly-funded researchers. Subsequently, the Administration endorsed the ASCB's advice, both to allow federally funded researchers to perform stem cell research, and to establish a regulatory committee similar to the "RAC."

My own research is conducted in the Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. I am also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Before moving to San Diego I was on the faculty in the Department of Cellular and Develop-mental Biology at Harvard University for 10 years. My research work concerns molecular and genetic analysis of protein motors and their roles in cellular proliferation, function, and development.

Online MBC Online access is now restricted to those members who requested an online subscription with their 1999 dues renewal. To order MBC Online, contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at (301) 530-7153.

The ASCB has published a series of six notecards depicting mitosis which were introduced at the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Over 800 boxes of cards, packaged with two of each image (12 cards per box), have been sold.

The notecards, depicting images by ASCB member Conly Rieder of the Wadsworth Center Labs of the New York State Department of Health, are available from the ASCB.

The ASCB is grateful to those below who have recently given gifts to support Society activities:

Sally Amero
Frank M. Child
William R. Eckberg
Peter Joseph Good
The Macintosh Users of Delaware, in memory of Joseph, Mary and Gregory Czarnacki
Kendall Joe Redburn
Allan C. Spradling
Barbara M. Vertel

The National Research Council is offering approximately twenty summer internships under the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Student/Post-Doctorate Internship Program. These internships are designed to engage science, engineering, medical and law students in the creation of science and technology policy and to familiarize them with the interactions of science and government. The 1999 internships will run from May 31 – August 6. The internship stipend is $3,500, which is to cover all living expenses. An additional $500 in travel expenses is available as needed. To apply, submit the application at the web site, including one letter of reference, by March 1. Decisions will be made mid-to-late March. For more information, contact the NRC at (202) 334-2455.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences announces two pharmacogenetics initiatives designed to promote research in this rapidly expanding field that aims to determine the genetic basis for individual responses to drugs.

A list of current NIGMS program announcements, requests for applications, and notices from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is available on the NIGMS Web site.

The NIH recently announced that it is expanding the use of the modular grant application and award. More information is available online.

Military Research Lab Is Closing Military contractor is selling at drastically reduced prices its Perkin Elmer PDS Microdensito-meter, Joyce Loebl microdensitometer, LKB, Nova and Sorvall ultramicrotomes, Reichert Polycut S motorized sliding microtome, refrigerated and rotary microtomes, LKB knife maker, AO knife sharpener, Gatan dual ion mill and stereo microscopes. For spec sheets call (202) 544-0836.

Postdoctoral fellow to study role of signal transduction molecules, transcription factors and various other genes in epithelial-mesenchymal transformation. Experience in molecular biology techniques and background in cell and developmental biology desireable. Start ASAP. EOE/AA, location Boston, MA. Reply here

ASCB Placement Service
Information on potential employers and limited information on registered candidates are now available on the ASCB website.

• Detailed candidate information is available in the 1998 Candidate Packet, which has information sheets on over 200 candidates who registered with the ASCB Placement Service before and during the 1998 Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Information provided includes name, address, type of work desired, citizenship, date of availability, academic training, professional experience, specialities, and publications. Candidate information is available upon request at no extra charge to employers who participated in the 1999 ASCB Placement Service. Non-profit employers who did not participate in the 1998 ASCB Placement Service may purchase a Candidate Packet for $75; commercial non-participating employers may purchase one for $200.
• Advertisements for employers who registered with the Placement Service at the 1998 ASCB Annual Meeting are on the website; candidates may contact employers directly.

1999 Summer Research Programs in Biology for Undergraduates Nationwide
This resource list, compiled by ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee member Joseph Hall, emphasizes programs for minority students, but the list includes information for all undergraduates. Students are encouraged to consider all programs for which they are qualified. For more information, visit the ASCB website.

Science Writer for Cell Biology
The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) seeks an experienced freelance science writer to work half-time. The writer will contribute substantially to ASCB efforts to educate the public about basic biomedical research, specifically as it relates to cell biology. Responsibilities will include:

• Production of three illustrated pressbooks per year for distribution in print to the national and international press and to be posted on the Web. Each pressbook will summarize interesting topics relating to cell biology and disease research.
• Solicitation and organization of videos, short articles, abstracts, and essays from ASCB members as a basis for pressbook and educational material.
• Preparation for TV and radio coverage of the Society's Annual Meeting by organizing videos and potential interviewees to accompany pressbook stories.
• Drafting and promoting press releases.

Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology

Executive Director
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Bethesda, MD, invites applications and nominations for the position of Executive Director to begin service on or after June 1, 1999.

Qualified applicants should have executive/administrative experience in planning and resource allocation with a record of achievement and leadership in management of academic, association or other non-profit organizations. The Executive Director must have the ability to work in a multi-centered environment, a commitment to coalition building, an interest in the applications of technology to the management of associations and familiarity with public policy issues of importance to biomedical and life scientists.

Qualified candidates should send resume with covering letter in confidence by March 15, 1999, to:

William R. Brinkley, Ph.D.
FASEB President
Attn: Human Resources
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814
Fax: (301) 571-0684
EOE

The ASCB Public Policy Committee solicits nominations for the 6th annual ASCB Public Service Award for outstanding national leadership in support of biomedical research.

Past awardees are J. Michael Bishop,
Senator Tom Harkin, Congressman John Porter,
Marc Kirschner and Congressman George Gekas

Any ASCB member may submit a nomination.

Send letter of nomination to:
The American Society for Cell Biology
Public Policy Committee
c/o Elizabeth Marincola
ASCB Executive Director
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814

Letters of Nomination must be received by March 31

Minorities Affairs Committee Histochemical Society Workshop Travel Awards
Call for Applications

The Workshop on Microscopy of Living Cells and Tissues, is on April 17, 1999 at the annual meeting of the Histochemical Society from April 16-18, 1999 at the Hyatt Regency HoPhone: in Bethesda, MD. The Histochemical Society meeting is immediately followed by the Experimental Biology Meeting in Washington, D.C. from April 17-21, 1999.

Awards of up to $600 are offered through an ASCB MAC NIH/NIGMS/MARC grant for minority graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty.

To apply, access an application from the ASCB Website.

Application Deadline: March 15, 1999
Notification of Awards: March 22, 1999

For more information, contact Daniel Friend, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Smith Building, Room 628, 1 Jimmy Fund Way, Boston MA 02115, Fax: (617) 525-1310.

Other ASCB Minorities Affairs Committee Program Deadlines

Marine Biological Laboratories Course Application: March 2, 1999
Information and application forms available online
Select "Research/Education"

Friday Harbor Laboratories Summer Quarter Application: March 1, 1999
Information and application forms available online
ASCB/MAC Visiting Professor Summer, 1999, Application: March 1, 1999
Information and application forms available online.

These ASCB MAC programs are funded through a National Institutes of Health NIGMS Minorities Access to Research Careers grant.

The ASCB Education Committee solicits nominations for The Bruce M. Alberts Award for Distinguished Contributions to Science Education

The nomination letter should include a description of the nominee's innovative and sustained activities with particular emphasis on the local, regional and/or national impact of the nominee's activities.

Send letter of nomination, letters of support and CV if possible to:

The American Society for Cell Biology
9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814

Nominations must be received by April 30.

19th Annual EB Wilson Award
Call for Nominations

The ASCB solicits nominations for the 1999 E.B. Wilson Award, the Society's highest honor for significant and far-reaching contributions in cell biology. Recent past awardees are James Darnell & Sheldon Penman (1998), John Gerhart (1997), Donald Brown (1996), Bruce Nicklas (1995), Barbara Gibbons & Ian Gibbons (1994), Hans Ris (1993), Shinya Inoue (1992), S. Jonathan Singer (1991) and Morris Karnovsky (1990).

Nominators must be members of the ASCB but nominees need not be. The nominating package should include the candidate's CV and no fewer than three and no more than five letters of support.

Nominations should be received by March 31, 1999, and be sent to:

Elizabeth H. Blackburn
Chair
1999 E. B. Wilson Selection Committee
The American Society for Cell Biology
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814-3992

For questions about the Award, contact the ASCB at (301) 530-7153.