Overview

With rapid developments in the biological sciences, science educators and professionals need easy access to expertise, current information, technology, and professional development. Through its education programs, the J. Craig Venter Venter Institute provides a broad-based community resource for science, math, and technology education for students of all ages. The Venter Institute’s team of science educators promotes “learning by doing” in the sciences and provides ample opportunities for individual discovery. Along the way, students are encouraged to explore the wonder and potential of the natural world, to consider science as a potential career, and to understand how scientific concepts apply to everyday life.

VIEW VIDEO:http://www.jcvi.org/cms/education/overview/

Course Description

This course will discover how innovative technologies combined with profound hypotheses have given rise to our current understanding of neuroscience. The course will study both new and classical primary research papers with a focus on the plasticity between synapses in a brain structure called the hippocampus, which is believed to underlie the ability to create and retrieve certain classes of memories.

Enroll at http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Biology/7-346Fall-2007/CourseHome/index.htm

Sophisticated Survival Skills of Simple Microorganisms

Course Description

This course will discuss the microbial physiology and genetics of stress responses in aquatic ecosystems, astrobiology, bacterial pathogenesis and other environments. The course will focus on  classical and novel methods utilized by researchers to uncover bacterial mechanisms induced under both general and environment-specific stresses. Finally, it will compare and contrast models for bacterial stress responses to gain an understanding of distinct mechanisms of survival and of why there are differences among bacterial genera.

Enroll at http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Biology/7-343Spring-2008/CourseHome/index.htm

--ResearchChannel claims more top spots among iTunes U's most popular downloads list--

SEATTLE — ResearchChannel’s recent entrée into iTunes U and YouTube platforms is quickly making ResearchChannel the Web’s most popular free online educational video site.

ResearchChannel is proud to claim more top spots among iTunes U’s most popular downloads list than any other iTunes U participant. Since launching in late January, as many as 18 of the top 100 videos on iTunes U have been ResearchChannel programs. In just one month, visitors to the site downloaded more than 117,000 ResearchChannel videos. Many of these visitors demonstrated intense interest in the subject matter and programs by downloading entire series at once.

ResearchChannel has also seen a tremendous response since the debut of its new YouTube channel one month ago. Already, almost 2,000 people have visited the new channel and watched ResearchChannel videos nearly 20,000 times.

The National Science Foundation, which joined the ResearchChannel consortium last year, recognizes ResearchChannel’s expanding online, on-air and on-demand distribution outlets. To help fulfill their goal to communicate to the public the relevance and importance of scientific and technical topics, the Foundation plans to provide to ResearchChannel up to 150 hours of programming each year.

“This exciting response from iTunes U and YouTube users demonstrates that there is clearly an appetite for this type of information in the public at large,” Jeff Nesbit, director of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at NSF said. “NSF’s broader impacts policy is designed to make science and research that NSF funds available to the public, so it’s rewarding to see that validation with numbers like these.”

In addition to producing its own programming, the National Science Foundation encourages NSF-funded researchers to submit programming to ResearchChannel to fulfill their obligation to demonstrate the broader impact of their publicly-funded science research. This obligation was established by Congress in 1997, and researchers can fulfill this requirement by broadly disseminating research findings to enhance the public’s understanding of the relevance and importance of their project.

About ResearchChannel

ResearchChannel links a growing global audience to the revolutionary developments, insights and discoveries of leading research and academic institutions through online, on-air and on-demand video distribution formats. Founded as a way to share breakthrough research with the public, the ResearchChannel consortium includes more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutions. Video programming ranging from technology and science innovations to fascinating arts and humanities topics is shared in its original form and without interruption. ResearchChannel programs are available though satellite and many local cable TV providers, and online as both live and video-on-demand streaming at www.researchchannel.org.

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Share your Favorite Biotech/Pharma/Medicine/Clinical Trials articles on Your Helix!-Professional Networking Site Designed for Biotech/Pharma Community:

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e-published on MedicineandBiotech.com Jan 1^st, 2008

The mission of the Universal Digital Library (UDL) Project is to create a Universal Library with a free-to-read, searchable collection of one million books, available to everyone over the Internet. Within 10 years, the collection will grow to 10 Million books. The result will be a unique resource accessible to anyone in the world 24x7. UDL offers digitized versions of books that are in the public domain or which copyright permission has been obtained. UDL has backing of prominent institutes like the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt. Plus, it has many Chinese and Indian universities partnering for this mission. Visit http://www.ulib.org to learn more.

The long-term objective is to capture all books in digital format. As a first step to demonstrate the feasibility, 1 million books (less than 1% of all books in all languages ever published) were digitized in the 2006-2007 timeframe. Books are being digitized at 50 scanning centers all over the globe to achieve the long term objective.

A secondary objective of this project will be to provide an opportunity for researchers working on improved scanning techniques, improved optical character recognition, and improved indexing methods.

Universal Digital Library is founded by Dr. Raj Reddy at the Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Reddy is also the Director of the Universal Digital Library (UDL). Dr. Raj Reddy is Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.  He has been a member of the Carnegie Mellon faculty since 1969. He served as the founding Director of the Robotics Institute from 1979 to 1991 and the Dean of School of Computer Science from 1991 to 1999. Dr. Reddy's research interests include the study of human-computer interaction and artificial intelligence. His current research interests include Million Book Digital Library Project; a Multifunction Information Appliance that can be used by the uneducated; Fiber To The Village Project;  Mobile Autonomous Robots;  and Learning by Doing. He was president of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence from 1987 to 89. Dr. Reddy was awarded the Legion of Honor by President Mitterand of France in 1984 and  served as co-chair of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) from 1999 to 2001 under Presidents Clinton and Bush.

The common consensus is that information is now doubling every two years. Machine or digital summarization, intelligent indexing, and information mining are tools that will be needed for individuals to keep up in their fields, in their businesses, and in their personal interests. This large digitization project will enable extensive research in these areas.

The concept of an “enlightened web” is being adopted by the premier universities in the US- a mission undertaken by dedicated faculty. MIT and UC Berkeley are leading the path in this initiative by programs such MIT Open CourseWare (OCW) and UC Berkeley’s iTunes program.

MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a free and open educational resource (OER) for educators, students, and self-learners around the world. MIT OCW is a large-scale, Web-based electronic publishing initiative by MIT faculty.  MIT OCW provides users with open access to the syllabi, lecture notes, course calendars, problem sets and solutions, exams, reading lists, even a selection of video lectures, from 1550 MIT courses representing 34 departments and all five of MIT's schools. The initiative will include materials from virtually all courses by the year 2008.

 To summarize MIT OCW:

• Is a publication of MIT course materials
• Does not require any registration
• Is not a degree-granting or certificate-granting activity
• Does not provide access to MIT faculty

Visit http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html to learn more.

UC Berkeley is also now delivering more than 50 academic courses Free through iTunes. Anyone from everywhere can now access at NO cost the very same courses attended by students paying full tuition. Courses can be accessed and downloaded either on your computer or MP3 player.

Visit http://itunes.berkeley.edu/ to learn more.

But now going forward, this collaboration allows the two organizations to go do a better job and have a better impact for what the two organizations are both very eager to do, which is help kids around the world. Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop per Child, said: "Intel joins the OLPC board as a world leader in technology, helping reach the world's children. Collaboration with Intel means that the maximum number of laptops will reach children."

The new agreement means that Intel will sit alongside the 11 companies, including Google and Red Hat, which are partners in the OLPC scheme. It will also join rival chip-maker AMD, which supplies the processor at the heart of the $100 laptop. "Intel's apparent change of heart is welcome, and we're sure they can make a positive contribution to this very worthy project for the benefit of children all over the world," read a statement from AMD.

Software developed for the Classmate could run on the XO

Initially there are no plans to switch the processor to one designed by Intel. However, the servers used to back-up the XO laptops, as they are known, will have Intel technology at their core. Decisions about the hardware inside the XO laptop would be made by OLPC.

OLPC will decide about which products they choose to offer or not offer. OLPC, however, indicated that it would consider using Intel chips in its machines in the future.

Price test

In addition, the partnership will have a practical pay off for software developers. Any software built is going to run at least on two platforms.An application developed for the XO laptop should work on the Classmate and vice versa. Currently both laptops are being tested in schools around the world. In parallel, OLPC is finalizing orders for the first batch of computers.

Participating countries are able to purchase the XO in lots of 250,000. They will initially cost $176 (£90) but the eventual aim is to sell the machine to governments of developing countries for $100 (£50). Intel says it already has orders for "thousands" of Classmates, which currently cost over $200 (£100). Like the OLPC machine, Intel expects the price to eventually fall.

---MedicineandBiotech.com votes Astronaut Sunita Williams as the "International Woman Scientist of the Year 2007"---

e-published July 1, 2007

Astronaut Sunita Pandya Williams returned to earth on June 22, 2007, after a record 195-day stay in space as space shuttle Atlantis touched down at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. Sunita Pandya Williams is the second woman of Indian descent, after Kalpana Chawla to have undertaken the space mission.

Williams crossed the milestone for longest uninterrupted stay by a woman in space, surpassing the 188-day, four-hour mark set by US astronaut Shannon Lucid in 1996 on a mission to the Russian Mir space station. She had set off from Cape Canaveral on December ninth last year on space shuttle Discovery for what was to become the longest space journey by a woman.

Sunita or “Sunni” also covered the  Boston Marathon in space and  ran a total of 26 and half miles in space to prove the fact that physical fitness was an important factor for an astronaut.

Williams, 41, who spend a record 195 days in space, the longest for any woman, quoted Tony Dungy, who became the first black coach to win the Super Bowl.  "He said something like, 'It's just the time and the place. There were many before me and many after me who can do this. It's just the time and place,” said Sunita, noting she hopes her mission paves the way for more women to travel to space.

NASA’s Ames Center is now developing programs to encourage girls in high school to take an active interest in Science, Math and Robotics.

Although it is only her first space flight, Williams became the world's most experienced woman walker in space on February fourth with four excursions, clocking over 29 hours and 17 minutes to top Kathy Thornton's 21-hour space walking record. During her stay at the space station, Williams conducted experiments across a wide variety of fields, including human life sciences, physical sciences and earth observation, as well as education and technology demonstrations. Some of these experiments give scientists critical insight into the effects of weightlessness on human bodies, while others show ways to prevent muscle and bone loss. Sunita also collected and stored her blood while in space to add to an ongoing study on nutrition, another key element of living in space for long stretches of time. The results of this study may impact nutritional requirements and food systems developed for future ventures in space.

As a fellow Indian-American woman scientist, I applaud the the achievements of Sunita Pandya Williams and Kalpana Chawla with great pride!

By Neerja Sethi, PhD, Managing Editor

Thousand Oaks, Calif., Apr 18, 2007 -- Amgen  announced the 30 science teachers across the United States and Puerto Rico who are this year's recipients of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence. Each of the individuals honored has demonstrated an outstanding ability to inspire their students and produce results in science education. The program was designed to recognize teachers in the K-12 grade levels in public and private schools whose dedication to their students' education has had a significant impact on the learning and interest of the future generation of scientists. The winners of the 16th annual Amgen Science Teaching Awards program will be honored at special ceremonies in their respective Amgen communities in May. The 2007 award recipients are:

California

-- Jeffrey Adkins of Deer Valley High School in Antioch, Calif.

-- Mike Fischer of Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, Calif.

-- Steve Latshaw of Westlake Hills Elementary School in Westlake Village, Calif.

-- Mark Mayo of Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, Calif.

-- Dave Menshew of James C. Enochs High School in Modesto, Calif.

-- Jay S. Vavra of High Tech High in San Diego, Calif.

Colorado

-- Carolyn Evans Crapo of Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo.

-- Pam Schmidt of Thunder Ridge Middle School in Aurora, Colo.

-- Charles R. Warren of The Crestone Charter School in Crestone, Colo.

-- Gary Wilkinson of Monte Vista High School in Monte Vista, Colo.

Kentucky

-- Millie Blandford of Washington County High School in Springfield, Ky.

-- Andrea Broyles of South Elementary in Corbin, Ky.

-- Joshua Underwood of Deming School in Mt. Olivet, Ky.

-- Fred Whittaker of St. Francis of Assisi in Louisville, Ky.

Massachusetts

-- Angela Cardono Cunard of Seekonk High School in Seekonk, Mass.

-- Ellen Graham of Marlborough High School in Marlborough, Mass.

-- Theresa Piazza of Wilmington Middle School in Wilmington, Mass.

-- James Schliefke of Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin, Mass.

Rhode Island

-- Robert Williams Brown of The Wheeler School in Providence, R.I.

-- Joel Gluck of NEL/CPS Construction Career Academy in Cranston, R.I.

-- Doris E. Lawson of Potter Burns Elementary School in Pawtucket, R.I.

-- Daniel J. Potts of Chariho Regional Middle School in Wood River Junction, R.I.

Washington

-- Mario Godoy-Gonzalez of Royal High School of Royal City, Wash.

-- Sheila Guard of Canyon Park Junior High School in Bothell, Wash.

-- Misty Nikula of Whatcom Day Academy in Bellingham, Wash.

-- Eleanor Peterson of Seattle Country Day School in Seattle, Wash.

Puerto Rico

-- Aurea Berrios of Francisco Morales School in Naranjito, Puerto Rico

-- Julio De Jesus of Colegio Radians in Cayey, Puerto Rico

-- Zugeily Marcano of Colegio Angeles Custodios in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico

-- Jose Rivera of Dr. Carlos Gonzalez School in Aguada, Puerto Rico

Amgen established the teacher awards program to demonstrate the company's commitment to advancing science education. Since the program's inception in 1992, Amgen has awarded more than $1.7 million to educators who have made exceptional science-teaching contributions and who have had a measurable impact on the lives of their students.

"This year's Amgen Science Teaching Excellence Award winners have provided an innovative and encouraging environment to inspire their students to learn about science," said Phyllis Piano, vice president Corporate Communications and Philanthropy, Amgen. "We respect and appreciate the teachers' dedication to their students and are delighted to honor them."

The 30 selected winners will receive the following benefits:

-- An unrestricted cash award of $5,000;

-- A restricted $5,000 cash grant to the recipient's school for the expansion or enhancement of a school science program, science resources, or the professional development of the school's science teachers; and

-- Recognition at an awards banquet.

New to the application this year, applicants were asked to submit an innovative science lesson plan which had been successfully introduced in their classroom. Amgen plans to post a select number of the winning lesson plans to its Web site and intends for the sharing of this knowledge with educators across the country to bolster excellence and innovation in science teaching.

This year, Amgen partnered with the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Education to judge the teaching awards across all sites. The School's Department of Curriculum and Instruction is consistently recognized as a leader in education, and their expertise aided in the selection of the strongest possible winners.

Nominations are solicited every fall with winners selected based on the following criteria: innovative science lesson plan, creativity of teaching methods, effectiveness in the classroom, and the plan for the use of grant money to improve science education resources in their schools.

For more information about this year's winners and the program, please visit http://www.amgen.com/citizenship/aaste.html.

About Amgen

Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. To learn more about our pioneering science and our vital medicines, visit www.amgen.com.

SOURCE: Amgen

"I am pleased that the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences stands firm in its ability to extend grants to organizations it has funded in the past and support new requests for funding from innovative programs educating local youth in the sciences," said Herbert Boyer, Ph.D., chairman of the Foundation and Genentech co-founder. "These important programs that the Foundation supports will allow talented students to engage in hands-on learning experiences, and to access mentors and educational resources that would otherwise not be available. We are proud that we can play a part in supporting tomorrow's health science leaders."

The Northern California Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation, awarded a grant of $20,000 from the Foundation, is one example of supporting tomorrow's science leaders. In response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik, ARCS was founded in 1958 by a group of women who wanted to see the United States reestablish its scientific and technological leadership. These women started the first ARCS chapter in Los Angeles and since then, the organization has become a national network of 13 chapters, and now is the largest private membership organization in the U.S. focused on supporting promising science scholars. ARCS continues to achieve its original mission of fostering scientific excellence through scholarship rewards. To date, the Northern California chapter of ARCS has awarded more than $11 million to students pursuing degrees in science, math, engineering, and medicine. As a membership organization, membership dues cover all administrative costs of the scholars program, so 100% of grant dollars received go directly to students. The impact of the ARCS program in the lives of students is best described in their own words.

"I believe that the ARCS Foundation is doing a tremendous service to our society by investing in the next generation of scientists and engineers, and I applaud their strategy of direct investment, straight to the students," said Adam Siepel, ARCS Foundation scholarship recipient and student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "As a husband and new father, struggling to make ends meet on a graduate student's income, I can personally attest to the importance of financial support for beginning scientists."

Genentech funds the Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences, founded in 1988, by providing payments and royalties from license agreements under the Riggs-Itakura family of patents.

The Genentech Foundation for Biomedical Sciences is an independent, nonprofit organization that supports biomedical education and research in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Foundation supports educational programs at junior high and high schools, colleges and universities, museums, and community organizations that foster science education for local students, including under-represented minorities and underprivileged groups.