Jun
17
17
Uncategorized
Xeroxing Fido
Posted by Lisa Jarvis on June 17, 2008 in Uncategorized
I thought I’d share an example of some of the bizarre pitches that end up in a reporter’s inbox (particularly a reporter who covers the biotech industry). Here’s an excerpt from a press release I received today.
“In celebration of BioArts International successfully cloning the beloved family pet of CEO Lou Hawthorne, they have launched the first ever global online auction to clone five dogs. The auction will beheld July 5th through July 9th, with a high bidder notified on each day. First day bidding will begin at $100,000 with the initial price increasing on each successive day. BioArts International and the Best Friends Again program have also established the Golden Clone Giveaway, whereby one lucky person will receive a FREE cloning of his or her dog. By June 24th, contestants must complete an entry form, including a 500-word essay in English, explaining why they feel their dog deserves to be cloned.”
I’m not sure what to say about it, other than–really? I do love dogs (and animals of all sort for that matter), but I’m fairly perplexed as to why this is the best use of today’s technology. Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, figure out some better cancer treatments first or try to come up with biomarkers for drugs in development? Also, I know people are attached to their pets (that’s my Dad’s new puppy Nevada, above; who couldn’t love her?), but aren’t an awful lot of animals in shelters in need of homes? Anyway, if you’re interested, you can register here.
Make Your Mark On TV
Jun
17
17
Posted by Jyllian Kemsley on June 17, 2008 in Uncategorized
Some of C&EN’s readers have expressed concern (subscription required) about the image of chemistry on TV. Now you may have a chance to change that.
Leading cable television network is casting for female scientists (professionals or grad students) to host a reality/documentary series. Smart, energetic, charismatic candidates wanted. No previous media experience required.
The casting company says it can’t share additional details because the show is in development and hasn’t been announced by the network. They’ll be casting for another couple of weeks. If you decide to apply, please let us know how it goes!
Chemistry Newsbytes
May
23
23
Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 23, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized
Just in time for Memorial Day cookouts: Heparin and hot dogs. WSJ
Where have all the chemistry sets gone? SciGuy
Just how many of your kids’ science teachers are creationists? Kind of a lot. New Scientist
Abbott tries to attract students to medical sciences through a scholarship contest on Facebook. Wired
Frugality in the lab: a waste of time or a veritable challenge? Chemistry Blog
Chemistry in the kitchen: a hydrocolloid recipe collection. Khymos
Ten ways to fuel the future: cutting-edge clean energy solutions. Forbes
JACSβ Launches
May
22
22
Posted by Rachel Pepling on May 22, 2008 in Uncategorized
Our friends over on the journals side launched JACS Beta yesterday, where you–yes you, dear readers–can play around with new functionalities and give your very welcomed feedback. Features currently being tested over on JACS Beta are virtual issues (theme-based collections of free content that include synopses of articles), audio summaries, and PowerPoint slide sets. On the basis of your feedback, functionalities you love will eventually end up on the JACS site; functionalities you don’t will ride off into the cyber-sunset. So go play in the sandbox and tell them what you think. And aside from all journal content being free (duly noted), give your ideas of what you’d like to see (either technical- or thematic-wise) on the JACS site. I hear new features will be added to the beta site on an ad hoc basis.
Science In The Attic
May
19
19
Posted by Lisa Jarvis on May 19, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized
Ah, early animal testing. The illustration to the right is from La Chimica in Famiglia, an Italian book written in 1886 by Gustavo Milan, who aimed to teach chemistry to girls. The setup is that a wealthy chemist is introducing his granddaughter Faustina to chemistry by relating it to her daily tasks. This particular slide demonstrates nitrogen’s inability to sustain life. No worries, PETA, the bird is saved at the last minute. But the book is an interesting example of how science was being geared toward the fairer sex in centuries past. The page was thoughtfully passed on to me by Paul Bernasconi, a chemist at BASF and a longtime C&EN reader. I met Bernasconi at a recent dinner at a conference in
We’re Hiring!
May
13
13
Posted by Rachel Pepling on May 13, 2008 in Uncategorized
We’re looking for a new Web Assistant/Associate to join the C&EN Online team. This is an entry- to mid-level position requiring strong working knowledge of XML, XHTML, DHTML, CSS, and HTML. Understanding of file creation, file structure, GUI design and usability, and programs such as Adobe Creative Suite is a must, as is thorough knowledge of current best practices regarding web page design. Experience with audio and video production on the web is a plus. Knowledge of RSS, podcasting, wikis, and other Web 2.0 technology is also helpful. Additionally, the candidate must share a willingness to learn new skills quickly and work collaboratively with other team members on short deadlines.
If interested, send your resume, cover letter, and examples of work to employment@acs.org. Please reference Position 08-62 in the subject line.
Chemistry Newsbytes
May
9
9
Posted by Bethany Halford and Lisa Jarvis on May 9, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Uncategorized
Platypus peculiarity is genome-deep. NY Times
Trickle-down pollution: Melting glaciers are exposing penguins to DDT. New Scientist
Nanoholes let more light spill out of LEDs. Guardian
Funeral options: burial, cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis. LA Times
First they went for the catalytic converters. Then they were after bronze statues. Now what’s the hot ticket with enterprising theives? Restaurant grease. NPR
Canadian researchers hope algae can suck up the carbon dioxide generated in oil extraction. CNet
World science: Which countries are publishing the most scientific papers? In the Pipeline
Games for geeks: predicting protein folding for sport. Foldit via Slashdot
1.4 Cents For Your Thoughts
May
7
7
Posted by Carmen Drahl on May 7, 2008 in Uncategorized
My stash is rolled up in paper packets. My friend’s is in the back of a drawer in his dresser. Interest groups have been tussling for years about whether to rid the U.S. of it completely.
Before you jump to conclusions, you should know that I’m talking about pocket change–the penny and nickel specifically.
Yesterday, the House debated a bill that could lead to a cheaper reformulation of the penny and the nickel.Why would they want to do that? Well, the metals that make up these coins cost more than they used to, and it now costs more than a penny to make a penny (around 1.4 cents, depending on fluctuating metal values). Same goes for the nickel (one nickel costs about 7 cents to make).
The idea under consideration is whether to make pennies, and maybe nickels, out of steel, an iron alloy. Currently, pennies are made mostly from zinc, with a touch of copper plating. Today’s nickels contain more copper than nickel. (So technically, my graphic pitting elements against each other isn’t accurate, but I can never resist an opportunity to use Microsoft Paint.)
Drip, Drip, Drip
May
6
6
Posted by Jyllian Kemsley on May 6, 2008 in Uncategorized
The “leaky pipeline” describes the declining proportion of women in science as they progress up through the career ranks. The latest results from ACS’s Committee on Professional Training show that in 2006, women received 51.9% of bachelor degrees in chemistry, 48.6% of masters degrees, and 35.8% of Ph.D.s (C&EN, Sept. 17, 2007, p. 43). Meanwhile, women made up just 14% of the tenured or tenure-track chemistry faculty at the top 50 schools in 2006–07 (C&EN, Dec. 18, 2006, p. 58). In industry, 12.0% of people serving on boards of directors in 2007 were women, as were 9.2% of executive officers (C&EN, July 30, 2007, p. 38).
Reasons given for the drop-off are varied. A trio of blog posts from the past week highlight some of the issues that women in the physical sciences face when trying to advance their careers:
[My colleague] sits in hiring committees and hears young male faculty question whether female applicants are capable of having their own ideas and working independently, but these issues are not raised for male applicants. He has been fighting this attitude for so long, he was discouraged that it wasn’t something that went away as younger faculty were hired.
Letter from Europe: Here’s Looking at You
[After returning from giving a preinterview seminar, Female Science Professor 1] said to me that she felt very good about her visit because there is an excellent academic fit between her field of expertise and where the institution wants to go. Something worried her though. She was told that [Female Science Professor 2], who is also an excellent young scientist, had the preference of a fraction of the (male) faculty because of her looks.
# The [female post docs] in the study were more productive (as measured by internal publications), on average, than the males. Half of the males produced fewer internal papers per year than the least productive female in the sample. There was a much broader distribution for the male post docs: “nearly all the females are highly productive, whereas 1/2 the males produce almost nothing, somewhat half are moderately productive, and a select few are extremely productive.” Note that internal publications were used to measure productivity because peer-reviewed journal publications always list all of the project’s participants in alphabetical order as authors.
# Males were much more likely to be alloted conference presentations. The ratio of physics conference presentations to internal physics papers produced for males was double that of females (triple if all presentations and papers were considered).
Edited on May 14, 2008, to add another one: Perspective Changes
“Oh Invited Speaker was a little… umm… handsy, I suppose,” I told him while Roommate and I sort of laughed. “He just didn’t seem to have any boundaries. You should have seen [Female Grad Student] when we dropped him off. He did the reel-’em-in-and-kiss-’em– on the cheek.” Labmate, Roommate, and I laughed. Advisor didn’t.
It would appear that gender discrimination still abounds, despite the best efforts of some. C&ENtral Science readers: What have you experienced or observed?
Rest In Peace, Albert Hofmann
Apr
30
30
Posted by Rachel Pepling on April 30, 2008 in Uncategorized
The father of LSD died from a heart attack Tuesday at his home in Basel, Switzerland. He was 102. Who knew a shelved compound could have such an impact on society? Okay, so clearly Hofmann had an inkling. C&EN’s Managing Editor, Ivan Amato, wrote a lovely piece (subscription required) at the time of Hofmann’s 100th birthday. He told me today, “The thing about Hofmann, and particularly his discovery of LSD, that amazes me the most is how it so fantastically links the categories of materialism and psychology.”
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