WINTER 2010

SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Why Global Academic W. Brian Arthur Meet Stuyvesant Competition is On the Nature of Science Teacher Good for the U.S. Technology Elizabeth Fong

Building communities, advancing science since 1817 • www.nyas.org Board of Governors

Chair Vice Chair Treasurer JOHN E. SEXTON BRUCE S. MCEWEN JAY FURMAN

President [ex offi cio] Secretary [ex offi cio] ELLIS RUBINSTEIN LARRY SMITH

Governors SETH F. BERKLEY WILLIAM A. HASELTINE JEFFREY D. SACHS LEN BLAVATNIK STEVE HOCHBERG DAVID J. SKORTON NANCY CANTOR TONI HOOVER GEORGE E. THIBAULT ROBERT CATELL MORTON HYMAN IRIS WEINSHALL VIRGINIA W. CORNISH MADELEINE JACOBS ANTHONY WELTERS KENNETH L. DAVIS MEHMOOD KHAN FRANK WILCZEK ROBIN L. DAVISSON ABRAHAM M. LACKMAN DEBORAH E. WILEY BRIAN FERGUSON RUSSELL READ MICHAEL ZIGMAN BRIAN GREENE NANCY ZIMPHER

International Governors Chairman Emeritus Honorary Life Governors MANUEL CAMACHO SOLIS TORSTEN N. WIESEL KAREN E. BURKE GERALD CHAN HERBERT J. KAYDEN RAJENDRA K. PACHAURI JOHN F. NIBLACK PAUL STOFFELS

President’s Council

PETER AGRE, Nobel Laureate & Univ. Prof. and Director, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Inst., Dept. Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health RICHARD AXEL, Nobel Laureate & University Professor, Columbia Univ.; Investigator, HHMI LEE BABISS, Global Head, Pharma Research, Roche Pharmaceuticals DAVID BALTIMORE, Nobel Laureate & President Emeritus, Caltech On the cover: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, President, ETIENNE-EMILE BAULIEU, former President, French Academy of Sciences Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. PAUL BERG, Nobel Laureate & Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Biochemistry, Stanford Univ. PHOTO: LONNY KALFUS LEN BLAVATNIK, Chairman, Access Industries GÜNTER BLOBEL, Nobel Laureate & Director, Laboratory for Cell Biology, Rockefeller Univ. SYDNEY BRENNER, Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Prof., Salk Inst. MICHAEL S. BROWN, Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Molecular Genetics, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center LINDA BUCK, Nobel Laureate & Investigator for HHMI; member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center KAREN E. BURKE, Dermatologist & Research Scientist THOMAS R. CECH, Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Professor, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder MARTIN CHALFIE, Nobel Laureate & William R. Kenan, Jr., Prof. of Biological Sciences; Chair, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Columbia Univ. CECILIA CHAN, Managing Director, Gold Avenue Ltd. AARON CIECHANOVER, Nobel Laureate & Distinguished Research Professor, Tumor and Vascular Biology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Inst. of Tech., Haifa, Israel GORDON CONWAY, Chief Science Advisor, UK Department for International Development PETER DOHERTY, Nobel Laureate & Researcher, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN; Univ. of Melbourne MARCELO EBRARD CASAUBÓN, Mayor, Mexico City EDMOND H. FISCHER, Nobel Laureate & Professor Emeritus, Department of Biochemistry, Univ. of Washington EXECUTIVE EDITOR ALAN J. FRIEDMAN, former Director, New York Hall of Science Adrienne J. Burke COLIN GODDARD, Chief Executive Offi cer, OSI Pharmaceuticals JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN, Nobel Laureate & Chairman, Molecular Genetics, Univ. of Texas Southwestern Medical Center CREATIVE DIRECTOR PAUL GREENGARD, Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience, Rockefeller Univ. Ash Ayman Shairzay PETER GRUSS, President, Max Planck Gesellschaft, Germany WILLIAM A. HASELTINE, President, The Haseltine Foundation for Medical Sciences and the Arts; Chairman, Haseltine Global Health, LLC CONTRIBUTORS ERIC KANDEL, Nobel Laureate & Prof., Physiology & Cell Biology, Columbia Univ. W. Brian Arthur, Alan Dove, Jamie Kass, KIYOSHI KUROKAWA, former Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan; Adjunct Professor, RCAST, The Univ. of Tokyo; Adam Ludwig, Alana Range, Professor, Research Institute of Science and Technology, Tokai Univ. Ben Wildavsky, Chris Williams LEON LEDERMAN, Nobel Laureate & Pritzker Prof. of Science, Illinois Inst. of Tech.; Resident Scholar, Illinois Math & Science Academy GREGORY LUCIER, Chairman and Chief Executive Offi cer, Life Technologies Corporation EDITORIAL OFFICE RODERICK MACKINNON, Nobel Laureate & John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Prof., Rockefeller Univ.; Investigator, HHMI 7 World Trade Center JOEL S. MARCUS, Chief Executive Offi cer, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. 250 Greenwich St, 40th Fl GERALD J. MCDOUGALL, National Partner, Global Pharmaceutical & Health Sciences Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP New York, NY 10007-2157 RICHARD MENSCHEL, Senior Director, Goldman Sachs RONAY MENSCHEL, Chairman of the Board, Phipps Houses; Board of Overseers, Weill Cornell Medical College Phone: 212.298.8655 JOHN F. NIBLACK, former President, Pfi zer Global Research & Development Fax: 212.298.3665 PAUL NURSE, Nobel Laureate & President, Rockefeller Univ. Email: [email protected] ROBERT C. RICHARDSON, Nobel Laureate & Senior Vice Provost for Research, Floyd R. Newman Prof. of Physics, Cornell Univ. PETER RINGROSE, Chairman, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, UK; former CSO, Bristol-Myers Squibb MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR EDWARD F. ROVER, President, The Dana Foundation F. SHERWOOD ROWLAND, Nobel Laureate & Prof. of Chemistry & Earth Science, Univ. of California, Irvine David Smith BENGT SAMUELSSON, Nobel Laureate & Prof., Medical & Physiological Chem., Karolinska Inst.; former Chairman, The Nobel Foundation MEMBERSHIP & ANNALS ORDERS CHARLES SANDERS, former President, GlaxoSmithKline Phone: 212.298.8640 IVAN SEIDENBERG, Chairman and Chief Executive Offi cer, Verizon Fax: 212.298.3650 ISMAIL SERAGELDIN, Director, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, The Library of Alexandria, Egypt PHILLIP A. SHARP, Nobel Laureate & Director, The McGovern Inst., MIT Center for Cancer Research Email: [email protected] ELLIOTT SIGAL, Chief Scientifi c Offi cer, Bristol-Myers Squibb MICHAEL SOHLMAN, Executive Director, The Nobel Foundation ADVERTISING INQUIRIES PAUL STOFFELS, Company Group Chairman, World Wide Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals Group, Johnson & Johnson Phone: 212.298.8655 MARY ANN TIGHE, Chief Executive Offi cer, New York Tri-State Region, CB Richard Ellis Email: [email protected] SHIRLEY TILGHMAN, President, Princeton Univ. HAROLD VARMUS, Nobel Laureate & President & CEO, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center FRANK WALSH, Professor, King’s College London, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases Visit the Academy online GERALD WEISSMANN, Prof. of Medicine, NY Univ. School of Medicine www.nyas.org JOHN WHITEHEAD, former Chairman, Lower Manhattan Development Corp.; former Co-Chairman of Goldman Sachs GEORGE WHITESIDES, Mallinckrodt Prof. of Chemistry, Harvard Univ. TORSTEN N. WIESEL, Nobel Laureate & Chairman Emeritus, The New York Academy of Sciences; Secretary General, Human Frontier Science Program Organization; President Emeritus, Rockefeller Univ. FRANK WILCZEK, Nobel Laureate & Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics, MIT ERNST-LUDWIG WINNACKER, Secretary General, Human Frontier Science Program, former Secretary General, European Research Council; former President, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Germany ELIAS ZERHOUNI, Professor of Radiology & Bioengineering, Johns Hopkins University; Senior Fellow, Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Senior Science & Technology Adviser, Sanofi -Aventis GUANGZHAO ZHOU, former Chairman, Chinese Association of Science & Technology 1144 1166 2288

CContentsonteWintern 2010 ts

2 SCIENCE IN OUR SCHOOLS 16 COVER STORY: SOLVING THE by Ellis Rubinstein SCIENCE EDUCATION CRISIS A letter from the president of the Academy by Alan Dove Acts of Congress, research studies, passionate scientifi c community leaders, and a new Academy initiative all 3 MEMBER NEWS aim to stem the collapse of American STEM education Awards, appointments, and announcements about Academy members 22 BOOK EXCERPT: WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY 5 INSIDE THE ACADEMY AND HOW DOES IT EVOLVE? Reports from the directors of Academy programs by W. Brian Arthur and news about Academy activities Adapted from Th e Nature of Technology, a new book by a pioneer of complexity theory 8 ESSAY: SCIENCE EDUCATION ACROSS BORDERS 26 ACADEMY CALENDAR by Ben Wildavsky NYAS conferences and meetings in January, Why academic globalization should February, March, and beyond be welcomed, not feared 28 DONOR PROFILE: 11 eBRIEFINGS: TYPE 2 DIABETES IN PENNY & THOMAS CAMPBELL JACKSON MINORITIES, GREEN BUILDING SOLUTIONS, by Adam Ludwig WATER & HEALTH, AND MORE Th e merger of science and the humanities in education is by Chris Williams an ongoing theme for one couple behind the Academy’s new Summaries of recent Academy eBriefi ngs NYC Science Education Initiative

14 MEMBER MEMOIR: TEACHING SCIENCE AND IMPARTING A PASSION as told by Elizabeth Fong Why the Chairman of the Biology and Geosciences Department at NYC’s Stuyvesant High School loves her job Letter from the President

Science in Our Schools

o Americans, a recent paragraph On p.19, you will learn about the Unlike in November 2002, when I ar- in Science may at fi rst seem un- brand new science educators’ initiative rived at the New York Academy of Sciences T surprising. It reads: that has been funded by Academy Gover- to discover that we had just over 200 student “In today’s economic crisis, the disin- nor for Life Herb Kayden and his highly members, today in the greater New York terest of [our] youth in scientifi c careers accomplished pharmacologist wife, Ga- area alone we have 6,500 graduate student and the public’s poor understanding of brielle Reem, and the founders of the and post-doc members! Th ese individuals science greatly threaten [our] future at a Pamela B. and Th omas C. Jackson Chari- have invigorated our Academy and shown time when science and logical problem- table Fund, Penny and Th omas Campbell us the power of this institution as a tool for solving skills are critical. Yet the perfor- Jackson (profi led on p. 28). Th e nascent mentoring and career development. mance of [our] young people on science eff ort has also attracted the support of the Further hope for the future of sci- tests … is barely average, and many stu- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ence education in New York comes in the dents leave middle school being illiterate Th e goal is to “hug” our city’s belea- form of a small but powerful committee in science. Moreover, the content of sci- guered science educators. We know how that has formed with the support of the ence education is oft en questioned and isolated they are and how demoralized Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Led even disparaged.” they can become. Th anks to the generos- by State University of New York Chancel- Sound familiar? Yes, except this para- ity of the Kaydens and Mr. Jackson, up to lor (and new Academy Governor) Nancy graph is not about America. Pierre Lena 1,300 New York City science teachers will Zimpher, along with the experienced of the French Academy of Sciences wrote be honored with full memberships in the and savvy American Museum of Natural it (“Europe Rethinks Education,” Science, Academy, where they can participate in History President Ellen Futter and City October 23, 2009) to express his frustra- scores of professionally useful events and University of New York Chancellor Matt tion about the failure of education sys- engage with our city’s great researchers Goldstein, this committee has dedicated tems throughout Europe. and the scholars who visit us from all over itself to removing the decades of road- Even in India and China—countries the world. Th e Academy will host get- blocks that have prevented formal and in- that have arguably saved Europe and the togethers for them on topics of their formal programs from reforming STEM United States from an intolerably leaky choosing to help them become the best education. I’m proud to have been asked pipeline of new scientists—leaders worry science educators they can be. to be a member of this committee, and I about these issues. For example, India real- Th e launch of the Academy’s initia- will report back to you on progress that I izes it cannot achieve the status of a world- tive coincides with the announcement hope we will make. leading innovator unless it can tap into its of President Obama’s “Educate to Inno- Returning to India for a moment, “youth dividend.” Unlike in China, where vate” campaign, which aims to improve imagine my admiration to learn from enormous amounts of money and energy the participation and performance of that country’s Department of Science & are being invested in education reform America’s students in science, technology, Technology Secretary, Th irumalachari for a one-child-per-family base, in India engineering, and mathematics. Our fi rst Ramasami, that his ministry has funded 40 percent of the population is under age response to the President’s call to action to a science prize for 11- and 12-year-olds in 15. Th e Indian Prime Minister’s solution? address this national priority is a program every district in his country. Th e Ministry Turn this youthful population into an as- that will allow educators to recharge their funds not just the prize itself, but under- set by nurturing an educated class of un- scientifi c batteries and to exchange their writes local publicity about the winners precedented size, a large subset of which experiences of classroom challenges and who are supported all the way to post- will be innovative scientists and engineers. best practices. Our science educators will graduate school if they stick with science. I provide this necessarily superfi cial direct this program for their own benefi t. You see the agenda that awaits us, not global overview to introduce the special And we will expect many individuals and merely in New York but in the U.S., Eu- content in this issue of our magazine. Edi- institutions to support them for the long- rope, and throughout the world. Who will tor Adrienne Burke has put together a se- haul. Th e New York City Department of champion the value of science education ries of articles on science education, and Education’s partnership in this initiative if not you and us? one of the special things she gets to de- gives me hope that this project can be a scribe is how the generosity of two pairs of tremendous success, as does the enthusi- esteemed Academy members, has led your asm we have already elicited from founda- Academy back into the service of New tions, companies, and well-heeled Acad- Ellis Rubinstein York City high school science educators. emy Members. President & CEO

2 www.nyas.org Member News

Elizabeth Blackburn Steven Gubser Ruslan Medzhitov

Elizabeth Blackburn, a biochemistry and biophysics professor Steven Gubser, a professor of physics at Princeton University, at the University of California, San Francisco, along with her col- has written Th e Little Book of String Th eory, to be published in leagues Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, was awarded the 2009 April 2010 by Princeton University Press. Gubser, who was one Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in December. Th e scien- of three faculty winners in the Academy’s 2008 Blavatnik Awards tists were recognized for their discovery of how chromosomes for Young Scientists competition, off ers a short, accessible, and are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. entertaining introduction to one of the most talked-about areas Th e three solved a major problem in biology, the committee of physics today. announced: “how the chromosomes can be copied in a complete Gubser’s publisher promises readers that, aft er reading his way during cell divisions and how they are protected against book, “you’ll be able to draw your own conclusions about string degradation... [they have] shown that the solution is to be found theory.” Gubser begins by explaining Einstein’s famous equation, in the ends of the chromosomes—the telomeres—and in an en- E = mc2, quantum mechanics, and black holes. He then gives zyme that forms them—telomerase.” readers a crash course in string theory and the core ideas behind Th e Nobel Committee praised Blackburn and Szostak for it. In plain English and with a minimum of mathematics, Gubser their discovery that a unique DNA sequence in the telomeres covers strings, branes, string dualities, extra dimensions, curved protects the chromosomes from degradation. Th e committee spacetime, quantum fl uctuations, symmetry, and supersymme- credited Greider with identifying, with Blackburn, telomerase, try. Th e publisher says that Gubser describes eff orts to link string the enzyme that makes telomere DNA. “Th ese discoveries ex- theory to experimental physics and uses analogies that non- plained how the ends of the chromosomes are protected by the scientists can understand in “the most up-to-date beginner’s telomeres and that they are built by telomerase,” the committee guide to this elegant, multidimensional fi eld of physics.” announced. “Th e award of the Nobel Prize recognizes the dis- covery of a fundamental mechanism in the cell, a discovery that Ruslan Medzhitov, a winner of the 2007 Blavatnik Awards for has stimulated the development of new therapeutic strategies.” Young Scientists, has been awarded the 2010 Lewis S. Rosenstiel Blackburn co-authored a paper that was published last Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Science. Med- year in a volume of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sci- zhitov is the David W. Wallace Professor of Immunobiology at ences, “Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive the Yale School of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical In- Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres” (Volume 1172, Issue 0, Au- stitute Investigator. gust 2009, p. 34-53). She also hosted a meeting, “Chromosome Th e Rosenstiel Award, founded in 1972 at Brandeis Univer- Ends—Life and Diseases,” at the Academy in May 2008. sity, has a long record of identifying and honoring pioneering scientists who have subsequently been honored with the Lasker Stanley M. Forman, a Professor Emeritus of Physics at Cooper Award and Nobel Prize. Th e award to Medzhitov, for his “elu- Union College, died on September 16th, 2009, at the age of 90, cidation of the mechanisms of innate immunity,” comes with aft er a nine-year battle with prostate cancer. He was a member a $30,000 prize. Medzhitov’s studies helped shed light on the of the New York Academy of Sciences from May 1967 through critical role of toll-like receptors in sensing microbial infections, April 2009. Forman’s work developing a nuclear-energy operated mechanisms of TLR signaling and activation of the infl ammato- gyroscope at Republic Aviation was described in a 1962 Time ry and immune response. Medzhitov says, “Recent discoveries of magazine article. He also worked for the U.S. War Department’s TLRs and other pattern recognition receptors uncovered the key Army Service Forces Corps of Engineers in the Clinton Labora- pathways that control immune responses. Targeting these recep- tories in Chicago where, in 1945, he participated in work essen- tors should help to manipulate the immune system with vaccines tial to the production of the atomic bomb. and other interventions.”

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 3 Member News PHOTO: MICHAEL IAN PHOTO: ELSA RUIZ PHOTO: MICHAEL IAN Eva Pastalkova Elizabeth Phelps Joseph LeDoux

Eva Pastalkova, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Mo- non-invasive technique to block the return of fear memories in lecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, New- humans. Th e technique, reported in the December 9 edition of ark, and one of four postdoctoral winners in the Academy’s 2009 Nature, may change how memory storage processes are viewed Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists competition, has been se- and could lead to new ways to treat anxiety disorders. lected as one of two national recipients of the 2009 Peter and Pa- Th e four Academy members and their colleagues showed tricia Gruber International Research Award for Young Scientists that fear memories can be updated with non-fearful informa- sponsored by the Society of Neuroscience. tion, to prevent the return of fear responses. Th e experiment was Th e Gruber award recognizes prominent young scientists conducted over three days: the memory was formed in the fi rst who have demonstrated international collaboration in advanc- day, rewritten on the second day, and tested for fear on the third ing the fi eld of neuroscience. Along with the award, the society day. To examine the eff ect’s endurance, some participants were presented her with a $25,000 grant to support her research. tested again about a year later. Th e fear memory did not return in With her advisor, Professor György Buzsaki, Pastalkova those subjects, suggesting that the old fear memory was changed developed a method for studying internally generated brain from its original form and that this change persists over time. activity in rats. She was also part of the team at SUNY Down- “Our research suggests that during the lifetime of a memory state Medical Center in Brooklyn that identifi ed the molecule, there are windows of opportunity where it becomes susceptible PKM{zeta}, that plays a central role in maintaining memories, to be permanently changed,” says Schiller. “By understanding the recognized as a major advancement in the fi eld of neuroscience. dynamics of memory we might...open new avenues of treatment When the activity of the protein PKM{zeta} was blocked in the for disorders that involve abnormal emotional memories.” rat hippocampus, long-term memories were erased. Th is work also demonstrated that the mechanisms that maintain long- Xin Zhou, an MRI radiologist in the lab of chemist and leading term memory potentiation, or long-lasting connections between MRI technologist Alexander Pines at the University of Califor- neurons, are the same mechanisms that sustain spatial memory nia, Berkeley, made headlines in October for his work developing in rats, a fi nding that was hailed by Science as one of 10 major a novel NMR/MRI methodology for molecular imaging. Zhou’s breakthroughs in 2006. invention, which he says enables early stage detection of cancer tumors, is described in a paper in PNAS, “Hyperpolarized xenon Charles A. Sanders, a past chairman of the New York Acad- NMR and MRI signal amplifi cation by gas extraction.” Th e tech- emy of Sciences, has been elected to the board of directors at nique, dubbed Hyper-SAGE, has the potential to detect ultra low BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in Birmingham, Ala. Sanders is concentrations of clinical targets, such as lung and other cancers. retired from Glaxo, Inc., where he served as CEO from 1989- Th e key is xenon gas that has been zapped with laser light to 1994 and Chairman of the Board from 1992-1995. Before join- “hyperpolarize” the spins of its atomic nuclei so that most are ing Glaxo, Inc., Sanders spent eight years with Squibb Corp., pointing in the same direction. where he held a number of posts, including the position of vice “Hyper-SAGE is a totally novel way to amplify a solvated chairman. He also served as CEO of the Science and Technology xenon MRI/NMR signal in that instead of a chemical process, Group and chairman of the Science and Technology Commit- which is what previous signal enhancement techniques relied tee of the Board. Previously he was general director of Massa- upon, it is a physical process,” says Zhou. “Because gas can be chusetts General Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard physically compressed, the density of information-carrying po- Medical School. larized gas in our detection chamber can be much greater than the density of an information-carrying solution. Th is means we Daniela Schiller, Elizabeth Phelps, Marie Monfi ls, and Joseph can detect MRI signals from concentrations of molecules many LeDoux, researchers in the New York University Department thousands of times smaller than can be detected with conven- of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, have developed a tional MRI.”

4 www.nyas.org Inside the Academy

Winners Announced in Third Blavatnik Awards Competition Eight young researchers were named in November as winners in the Academy’s third annual Blavatnik Awards for Young Sci- entists competition. Th e awards, made possible by a generous grant from the Blavatnik Family Foundation, recognize “highly innovative, impactful, and interdisciplinary accomplishments in the life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering made by faculty and postdoctoral researchers at institutions New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.” All fi nalists receive unrestricted fi nancial prizes, and fac- ulty and postdoctoral awardees receive $25,000 and $15,000, re- spectively. Winners this year, chosen from an initial pool of 154

applicants, were recognized for high-caliber scientifi c research PHOTO: MICHAEL IAN in astrophysics, chemical biology, environmental sciences, gene Winners and Finalists of the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, with therapy, immunology, mathematical physics, neurobiology, and Len Blavatnik. neuroscience. Postdoctoral fellow awardees are Sreekanth Chalasani Annals Publishes Report on NYC (Th e Rockefeller University), Ofer Feinerman (Sloan-Kettering Institute), Eva Pastalkova (Rutgers University), and Alexan- Climate Change Preparedness der Pechen (Princeton University). Faculty awardees are Paul Chirik (Cornell University), Carmala Garzione (University of Th e New York City Panel on Climate Change has published its Rochester), Ben Oppenheimer (American Museum of Natural First Assessment Report in the Annals of the New York Academy of History), and Shai Shaham (Th e Rockefeller University). Len Sciences. Th e expert body was convened by Mayor Michael Bloom- Blavatnik, founder and chairman of Access Industries, present- berg with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation to advise the ed the awards. City on issues related to climate change and adaptation as it relates to infrastructure. Th e panel’s report details the localized eff ects of Greening Transportation Group climate change on New York City and includes a set of workbooks to assist the City’s Climate Change Adaptation Task Force with To Discuss City Infrastructure developing plans for mitigating the risks associated with rising sea levels, warmer weather, and extreme weather events. In autumn 2009, the New York Academy of Sciences launched Th e report was the focus of a December 2, 2009, meeting the Greening Transportation and Infrastructure Discussion at the Academy that included Task Force members, scientists, Group, a timely addition to the Academy’s Green Science and and other key stakeholders. It was presented a week before the Sustainability Program as New York’s City and State govern- United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen ments focus on urban sustainability and smart grid initiatives. to highlight the fact that cities will play a large role in climate Led by a steering committee composed of academics, policy change adaptation. Building on the International Panel on Cli- experts, and representatives from the city’s transportation au- mate Change Fourth Assessment Report, the NPCC report is the thorities, the group will focus on how to employ new technol- fi rst in-depth report on responses to climate change in a major ogy to solve the city’s pressing transportation and infrastructure city with a focus on infrastructure adaptation. According to the problems and reduce the adverse impact of transportation on report, New York City will face risks such as increased street, the environment and human health. basement, and sewer fl ooding, reduced water quality, increased Th e group will sponsor a series of public lectures and panel peak electricity loads in summer, and increased structural dam- discussions featuring engineers, planners, and policymakers. age and impaired operations. Th e Academy’s online multimedia eBriefi ngs will extend the Th e NPCC is co-chaired by Academy member Cynthia reach of the symposia with meeting summaries by professional Rosenzweig of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies/ science writers; speakers’ slides and audio; and links to other re- Columbia Earth Institute and by NYAS Green Science and Envi- lated information, including relevant journal articles, Web sites, ronmental Policy Steering Committee member William Solecki books, and speakers’ home pages. of the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 5 Highlights from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Volume 1185, January 2010 ISBN: 978-1-57331-800-6

Given the impacts of climate change and the high costs and long-term planning needed to adapt effectively, it is essential that investments be made today to begin the adaptation process. Taking action now will limit damages and costs through the coming decades and, in many cases, can provide near-term benefi ts and operational cost savings. Funded through a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) was launched in August 2008 as part of the City’s long-term sustainability plan (PlaNYC) to advise on issues related to climate change and adaptation. This report outlines the need for early and ongoing adaptation actions in New York and suggests approaches to create an effective adaptation program.

To get the New York City Panel on Climate Change 2009 Report for 70% off the cover price, purchase the volume online at www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/ WileyTitle/productCd-1573318000.html and enter code NYC09 at checkout. Alternatively, customers can call the Customer Care number (877-762-2974) at Wiley-Blackwell and place an order over the phone. You would need to provide the code (NYC09) along with the title and ISBN number 978-1-57331-800-6. This offer is good until January 30, 2010.

The Year in Immunology 2 The Year in Neurology 2 Edited by Noel R. Rose (Center for Edited by Richard T. Johnson (The Autoimmune Disease Research, The Johns Hopkins University School of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland) Maryland) Volume 1184, January 2010 Volume 1183, January 2010 14 Papers 19 Papers ISBN: 978-1-57331-780-1 ISBN: 978-1-57331-779-5 This second volume in The Year in Neurology This volume in The Year in Immunology series series focuses on present reviews covering focuses on reviews covering novel approaches novel approaches to our understanding to our understanding of immunoregulatory neurological diseases through both basic mechanisms. A wide range of topics is science and clinical approaches. A wide range covered within this volume, including lineage of topics is covered within this volume, including determination of T cells, roles of various vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia, neurological receptors in B-cell activation, activation of nanotechnology, neurologic diseases, sleep plasmactyoid dendritic cells, micro-RNAs disorders, and chronic infl ammatory diseases. (miRNAs) in infl ammation and immunity, and autoimmune disorders.

Recently Released Volume Cytokine Therapies: Novel Approaches for Clinical Indications Edited by Raymond P. Donnelly (Center for Drug Evaluation & Research (CDER), Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, Maryland)

Academy members have free, unlimited online access to thousands of full-text Annals articles. Members are also entitled to one free Annals volume each year. See insert for ordering information. Inside the Academy

Indra Nooyi Martin Chalfi e Mehmood Khan NYAS Gala Applauds Leaders in In Partnership with Delhi, NYAS Global Sustainability & Science Will Help Build Knowledge City More than 450 global leaders of academia, government, indus- As part of its initiative to promote the development of global try, and media were in attendance for the New York Academy knowledge capitals, the Academy has established a partner- of Sciences’ Sixth Annual Science & the City Gala in New York ship with the government of Delhi, the capital city of India. Th e City on November 16. Th ree Nobel laureates, the presidents of Academy will collaborate with the Delhi Knowledge Develop- more than 15 major universities and research institutions, and ment Foundation to promote science and technology education a dozen foreign dignitaries were among those who gathered for and research in that city. Delhi’s Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, the benefi t dinner and awards banquet on the theme “Celebrat- said that the partnership “is likely to go a long way in helping ing Sustainable Cities.” Th e event raised more than $1 million for and defi ning the vision of Delhi as a knowledge city.” She added New York Academy of Sciences programming. that the areas in which Delhi would seek assistance from the Th e evening’s honorees, PepsiCo Chairman & CEO Indra Academy would include conceptualizing a science and tech- Nooyi and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate nology university and a pharmaceutical university, promoting Change Rajendra Pachauri, were presented with Sustainability science and technology park, holding scientifi c seminars, and Awards by Academy President & CEO, Ellis Rubinstein. “In hon- facilitating the exchange of ideas among science and technology oring leaders in sustainability, we also celebrate the pursuit of professionals. At press time, a Memorandum of Understanding sustainable cities and fortify our commitment to the continued had been draft ed and approved by the Delhi state cabinet. vitality of New York,” Rubinstein said. Nooyi, introduced by New York University President and Academy Chair John Sexton, is Science Grad Students Meet the chief architect of PepsiCo’s multi-year growth strategy, “Per- formance with Purpose,” which is premised on off ering a broad PepsiCo VPs at “Company Day” array of choices for “healthy, convenient, and nourishment,” re- ducing environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclu- A team of high-level PepsiCo scientists spent a day engaged in sive workplace culture. roundtable discussions with about 50 early-career scientists at Jeff rey Sachs, Director of Th e Earth Institute at Columbia the Academy on December 9. Th e event, PepsiCo Company University and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary Day, was coordinated by PepsiCo in partnership with the Acad- General, introduced Pachauri, who accepted his award via video emy’s Science Alliance program as a way for graduate students, from India. Pachauri is a prominent researcher on environmen- postdocs, and young faculty from a variety of scientifi c back- tal subjects, recognized internationally for his eff orts to develop grounds but with a common interest in nutrition and global and disseminate greater knowledge about manmade climate sustainability to learn about the company’s new initiatives. change and to lay the foundations for the measures that are “Th e goal was to allow a company to access our pipeline of needed to counteract such change. In addition to his role as chair young talent in the areas of expertise it needs,” said Derek Brand, of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel director of business development at the Academy. “For PepsiCo, on Climate Change, Pachauri is Director General of the Energy the event was an opportunity to explain the new directions in its and Resources Institute, an independent research organization R&D focus and to set up an interactive forum with young scien- providing knowledge on energy, environment, forestry, biotech- tists in a discussion-based, as opposed to interview-based, forum.” nology, and the conservation of natural resources. He is also the Th rough roundtable discussions on various topics in global Director of the Yale Climate and Energy Institute. sustainability, the young scientists had the chance to interact Th e Academy also presented the annual Science & the City with scientists who work for PepsiCo at the VP level and above Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in New York City. Th e such as Vice President of Nutrition, Dondeena Bradley; Global award went to Martin Chalfi e, Chair of Biological Sciences at Vice President of Long Term Research, Greg Yep; Senior Vice Columbia University and a winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in President, R&D Global Beverages, Jonathan McIntyre; and Vice Chemistry. Chalfi e, who is a member of the Academy’s Presi- President, Worldwide Packaging Innovation & Equipment De- dent’s Council, was introduced at the event by Lee Bollinger, velopment, Robert Lewis III. PepsiCo Chief Scientist Mehmood President of Columbia University. Khan also attended the event, and gave a lunchtime keynote ad- dress explaining the PepsiCo vision for contributing to global sustainable health.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 7 Inside the Academy

Global Audience Celebrates 150 Academic-Industry Leaders Years since Darwin’s Great Book Examine R&D Innovation Deals A Webinar broadcast enabled several hundred lay people, fac- Executives from IBM and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical ulty, and science students, including classrooms full of biology Research & Development, LLC, joined Cornell University Presi- students at Hyderabad University in India and at Georgia Tech, dent David Skorton, SUNY Senior Vice Provost for Research to attend an Academy event celebrating the 150th anniversary of James Weyhenmeyer, and the Academy’s Chief Business Offi cer, the publication of Charles Darwin’s book, Th e Origin of Species. Rene Baston, on a panel in December to discuss best practices in Th e event, which drew a live audience of more than 300, was part accessing innovation through academic/industry collaborations. of the Academy’s Autumn 2009 Science & the City Series, Pro- Steven LaFleche, IBM’s Managing Director for New York vocative Th inkers in Science. Th e celebration featured lectures State and Stef Heylen, Medical Director and Head of R&D for by three prominent scientists explaining how Darwin’s work in- JANSSEN Alzheimer Immunotherapy, a newly formed subsid- fl uenced their own research and progress in their diverse fi elds iary of Johnson & Johnson, represented industry in the discus- of science. Th e Academy partnered with the Darwin 150 Project sion of models for driving a robust exchange of ideas and tech- to promote the event to a global audience. nologies between the two sectors. Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman, chairman of the Depart- All panelists agreed that exchange of knowledge and in- ment of Neurobiology at the Scripps Research Institute, spoke novation between industry and academia is crucial for fi nding about Darwin and the evolution of the human brain, and shared scientifi c solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. And new observations about the emergence of consciousness. Paul Baston pointed out that “there is a strong appetite in academia Ekman, a psychologist famous for his understanding of human for interacting with industry.” But Skorton lamented that there is deception and facial expression, spoke about Darwin’s observa- “long way to go to make people feel that the boundaries between tions of compassion across species. And University of California, academia and industry are lowered.” Berkeley, Professor of Biological Anthropology and Neurosci- Th e Academy’s Vice President for Innovation and Sustain- ence, Terrence Deacon spoke about the evolution of language. ability, Karin Ezbiansky Pavese, moderated the event, which was A Science & the City podcast featuring interviews with the sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. A video recording of the event three speakers is availabe at www.nyas.org/darwin. is available at www.nyas.org/collaboration-webinar.

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8 www.nyas.org Essay

Science Education Across Borders Why academic globalization should be welcomed, not feared. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS STRONG PHOTO COURTESY By Ben Wildavsky

or several years now—and not for tutions such as New York University and Malaysia, which places a fi ve percent cap the fi rst time in our nation’s his- the University of Nottingham are creating on the number of foreign undergraduates F tory—CEOs, politicians, and edu- branch campuses in the Middle East and who can attend the country’s public uni- cation leaders have regularly decried the Asia—there are now 162 satellite campus- versities (just as the University of Tennes- shortcomings of STEM (science, technol- es worldwide, an increase of 43 percent see once placed a 20 percent cap on the ogy, engineering, and math) education in just the past three years. At the same percentage of foreign graduate students in America’s elementary and secondary time, growing numbers of traditional stu- in each department). Perhaps the silliest schools. And they have vigorously pro- dent “sender” nations, from South Korea, example of this protectionist mentality moted a reform agenda aimed at tackling China, and Saudi Arabia to France and can be found in Germany, which for years those problems. Germany, are trying to improve both the prevented holders of doctorates earned But what about our colleges and quantity and the quality of their own de- outside the European Union from using universities? On the one hand, America’s grees, engaging in a fi erce—and expen- the title “Dr.” Even a recent reform plan research universities are universally ac- sive—race to create world-class research would extend that privilege only to hold- knowledged as the world’s leaders in sci- universities. ers of doctorates from 200 U.S. research ence and engineering, unsurpassed since universities and a limited number of uni- World War II in the sheer volume and ex- BRAIN DRAIN & COMPETITION versities in Australia, Israel, Japan, Can- cellence of the scholarship and innovation All this competition has led to consider- ada, and Russia. they generate. On the other, there are signs able handwringing. During a 2008 cam- Th ere are other impediments to glob- that the rest of the world is gaining on us paign stop, for instance, then-candidate al mobility, too, not always explicitly pro- fast—building new universities, improv- Barack Obama spoke in alarmed tones tectionist, but all having the de facto eff ect ing existing ones, competing hard for the about the threat such academic compe- of discouraging or preventing open access best students, and recruiting U.S.-trained tition poses to the United States. “If we to universities around the world. In the PhDs to return home to work in university want to keep on building the cars of the post-9/11 era, for example, legitimate se- and industry labs. Should we be worried? future here in America,” he declared, “we curity concerns led to enormous student Th ere is no question that the aca- can’t aff ord to see the number of PhD’s in visa delays and bureaucratic hassles for demic enterprise has become increasingly engineering climbing in China, South Ko- foreigners aspiring to study in Great Brit- global, particularly in the sciences. Over- rea, and Japan even as it’s dropped here in ain and the United States. As the problem all, nearly three million students now America.” was recognized and visa processing was study outside their home nations—a 57 Nor are such concerns limited to the streamlined, international student num- percent increase in the last decade. In the U.S. Beyond anxious rhetoric, in a num- bers rebounded and eventually increased. United States, by far the largest magnet ber of nations worries about brain drain By 2009, however, visa delays became for students from overseas, foreign stu- and educational competition have led to common again, particularly for gradu- dents now dominate doctoral programs outright academic protectionism. India ate and postdoctoral students in science in STEM fi elds, constituting, for example, and China are notorious for the legal and and engineering, who form the backbone 65 percent, 64 percent, and 56 percent, bureaucratic obstacles they erect to West- of many university-based research labo- respectively, of PhDs in computer sci- ern universities wishing to set up satellite ratories and thus serve as key players in ence, engineering, and physics. Tsing- campuses catering to local students. And the U.S. drive for scientifi c and technical hua and Peking universities together some countries erect barriers to students innovation. Th en there are severe lim- recently surpassed Berkeley as the top who want to leave: Th e president of one of its on H-1B visas, which allow highly sources of students who go on to earn the prestigious Indian Institutes of Tech- skilled foreigners, usually in science and American PhD’s. nology eff ectively banned undergraduates engineering, to work temporarily in the Faculty are on the move, too: Half the from taking academic or business intern- United States and serve as an enticement world’s top physicists no longer work in ships overseas. Elsewhere, educators in- for the best and brightest to study and their native countries. And major insti- stitute quotas on foreign students, as in perhaps remain here. With just 85,000 or

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 9 Essay

so H-1B visas issued each year—and per- ard Freeman says these gains should ac- manent-resident visas for skilled workers crue both to the U.S. and the rest of the also scarce—waiting lists are long, which world. Th e globalization of higher educa- sends some talented students elsewhere. tion, he writes, “by accelerating the rate Perhaps some of the anxiety over the of technological advance associated with new global academic enterprise is under- science and engineering and by speeding standable, particularly in a period of mas- the adoption of best practices around the sive economic uncertainty. But setting up world … will lower the costs of produc- protectionist obstacles is a big mistake. Th e tion and prices of goods.” Just as free trade globalization of higher education should in manufacturing or call-center support be embraced, not feared—including in the provides the lowest-cost goods and ser- U.S. In the near term, it’s worth remem- vices, benefi ting both consumers and the bering that, despite the alarmism oft en most effi cient producers, global academic heard about the global academic wars, U.S. competition is making free movement of dominance of the research world remains people and ideas, on the basis of merit, near-complete. A RAND report found more and more the norm, with enor- that almost two-thirds of highly cited arti- mously positive consequences for indi- cles in science and technology come from viduals, for universities, and for nations. the U.S. Seventy percent of Nobel Prize Today’s swirling patterns of mobility and winners are employed by U.S. universities, knowledge transmission constitute a new which lead global college rankings. And kind of free trade: free trade in minds. Yale president Richard Levin notes that the U.S. accounts for 40 percent of global EXPANDING GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE spending on higher education. Still, even if the new world of academic Ben Wildavsky is a senior fellow in globalization brings economic benefi ts, research and policy at the Kauff man FREE TRADE IN MINDS won’t it weaken American universities? Foundation and a guest scholar at Th at said, it’s quite true that other coun- Quite the contrary, says Freeman, who the Brookings Institution. Th is essay tries are scrambling to emulate the Amer- predicts that by educating top students, is adapted from Th e Great Brain ican model and to give us a run for our attracting some to stay, and “positioning Race: How Global Universities Are money. Yet there is every reason to believe the U.S. as an open hub of ideas and con- Reshaping the World, forthcoming that the worldwide competition for hu- nections” for college graduates around the from Princeton University Press in man talent, the race to produce innovative world, the nation can hold on to “excel- May 2010. research, the push to extend university lence and leadership in the ‘empire of the campuses to multiple countries, and the mind’ and in the economic world more so rush to produce talented graduates who than if it views the rapid increase in grad- can strengthen increasingly knowledge- uates overseas as a competitive threat.” of ambitious new competitors in Asia, based economies will be good for us as National borders simply don’t have the Europe, and the Middle East means that well. Why? First and foremost, because symbolic or practical meaning they once American universities are on some in- knowledge is not a zero-sum game. Intel- did, which bodes well for academic qual- evitable path to decline. Th ere is nothing lectual gains by one country oft en benefi t ity on all sides. Already, the degree of wrong with nations competing, trying to others. More PhD production and bur- international collaboration on scientifi c improve their citizens’ human capital and geoning research in China, for instance, papers has risen substantially. And there to reap the economic benefi ts that come doesn’t take away from American’s store of is early evidence that the most infl uential with more and better education. By elimi- learning—it enhances what we know and scholars are particularly likely to have in- nating protectionist barriers at home, can accomplish. In fact, Chinese research ternational research experience: Well over by lobbying for their removal abroad, may well provide the building blocks for half the highly cited researchers based in by continuing to recruit and welcome innovation by U.S. entrepreneurs—or Australia, Canada, Italy, and Switzerland the best students in the world, by send- those from other nations. “When new have spent time outside their home coun- ing more students overseas, by fostering knowledge is created, it’s a public good tries at some point during their academic cross-national research collaboration, and can be used by many,” RAND econ- careers, according to a 2005 study. and by strengthening its own research omist James Hosek told the Chronicle of Th e United States should respond to universities in science, engineering, and Higher Education. the globalization of higher education not other fi elds, the U.S. will not only sustain Indeed, the economic benefi ts of a with angst but with a sense of possibility. its own academic excellence but will con- global academic culture are signifi cant. In Neither a gradual erosion in the U.S. mar- tinue to expand the sum total of global a recent essay, Harvard economist Rich- ket share of students nor the emergence knowledge and prosperity.

10 www.nyas.org Academy eBriefi ngs eBriefi ngs are online multimedia reports documenting recent Academy events. Find the new and noteworthy ones previewed here and more at www.nyas.org/ebriefi ngs. Compiled by Chris Williams

Type 2 Diabetes Disparities in Ethnic Minorities Origin, Challenges, and Solutions

n the United States, type 2 diabetes is disproportionately example, laboratories are now required to report test results for more common in ethnic minorities. African American, Na- hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, an indicator of diabetes risk, I tive American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Pacifi c Islander regardless of diabetes diagnosis. Elizabeth Walker of the Albert populations show higher rates of the disease, as well as higher Einstein College of Medicine is spearheading a pilot program in rates of complications and comorbidities such as coronary artery collaboration with the NYC Department of Health that utilizes disease or stroke. data from this registry to improve medication adherence, physi- Th e reasons for this disparity are many. Insulin sensitivity cal activity, and healthy eating in some of the poorest areas of the and fat deposition vary by race and ethnicity, and certain popu- city. Th e goal is to overcome health disparities in the Bronx by lations have a greater tendency to accumulate intra-abdominal/ off ering behavioral interventions in a culturally sensitive man- visceral fat than others. Traits such as insulin resistance, abdomi- ner and training bilingual health educators from the community. nal obesity, and beta cell dysfunction have genetic components A key challenge of treating diabetes in any population is that that are also known to predispose an individual to develop dia- most patients present with multiple comorbidities. Several stud- betes. Th e reasons why insulin resistance manifests diff erently ies have shown that addressing glycemic control alone does not in diff erent populations are not yet known, but researchers now decrease mortality. Guillermo Umpierrez of Emory University believe that metabolic diff erences between populations must be believes that in diabetic patients, African Americans especially, taken into account when considering treatment for patients. blood pressure should be a primary concern. Improving blood At the same time, social and cultural factors appear to infl u- pressure control will decrease micro- and macrovascular com- ence the development of diabetes. As Harvard Medical School plications, and mortality in general. To reduce cardiovascular endocrinologist Enrique Caballero reported at the Academy, morbidity and mortality in diabetic and non-diabetic patients, studies show that members of low socioeconomic groups are Umpierrez stressed the need to increase access to care, including more likely to develop diabetes and complications. Access to drug benefi t programs; increase access to educational programs; healthcare is a key factor, as are daily life choices such as the will- and improve cardiovascular risk factors by managing blood glu- ingness or ability to follow a healthy meal plan, or to engage in cose, blood pressure, lipid profi le, and obesity/overweight. physical activity. Eff ective communication is also a problem, as Several of the speakers also suggested that the primary goal language barriers and lack of cultural understanding on the part should be improving primary prevention strategies, patient edu- of physicians can interfere with helping patients to best manage cation, and close clinical follow-up. Th ese will remain the key their condition. components of risk reduction eff orts. Public health agencies have begun to look more closely at diabetes risk among minority populations, and at what kinds On the Web of approaches could improve outcomes. In New York City, for See the full eBriefi ng at www.nyas.org/diabetes-minorities.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 11 Academy eBriefi ngs

Green Building Solutions: Water and Health: Global What’s Working? Issues and Our Shared As concerns about climate change have grown, it’s become clear Responsibilities that some of the greatest opportunities to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and accomplish other environmental goals In the 21st century, ensuring that all of humanity has access to are in making buildings more effi cient. One development that suffi cient supplies of clean water has emerged as a major chal- shows great potential in this mission is so-called “smart” build- lenge for health and development. Th e UN Commission on Sus- ing technology. Utilizing increasingly aff ordable sensing devices tainable Development projects that demand for water will double and high-powered data analysis soft ware, smart buildings off er by the middle of this century, and increase at a rate of 50% with ways to optimize a structure’s overall performance. Th is can help each subsequent generation. Africa, the Middle East, and Asia in making buildings more sustainable while at the same time re- are likely to be particularly vulnerable, and it is estimated that ducing operational costs and ensuring occupants’ comfort. the portion of the world’s population that will not have access to Th e fi rst event in this four-part series on the state of the art suffi cient or clean water will increase from 1/3 to 2/3. in green building design featured three engineers who are work- “In eff ect, we are on countdown,” remarked Erik Peterson, ing to leverage the power of information management systems director of the Center for Strategic & International Studies, at to improve building operation. As Gregory Provan of Univer- a recent NYAS symposium organized in collaboration with the sity College Cork and Jane Snowdon of IBM explained, the goal John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Captured in here is integration, developing tools that can analyze informa- this new eBriefi ng, the event off ered a wide-ranging look at the tion from all of a building’s systems holistically, identify faulty water problem. equipment or design, and help to make improvements. Provan As population grows and developing countries require more develops model-based tools and machine learning algorithms resources to sustain themselves, the agricultural, energy, and that defi ne parameters of optimal performance during construc- municipal sectors must increasingly compete for fi nite or dwin- tion, and then evolve as the building is occupied and undergoes dling water availability. At the same time, many countries have renovation. Th is “continuing commissioning” process helps to insuffi cient water infrastructure, forcing people to use the same identify whether the initial designs are accomplishing the own- water sources for both cooking and sanitation purposes. From er’s performance goals, and to identify defects by extracting use- declining national productivity, to increasing child mortality, ful information from sensing data. to malnutrition, to limitations on women’s ability to earn an in- For MIT’s Stephen Samouhos, the real challenge in bringing come, poor sanitation is having a wide range of consequences. smart technology to buildings isn’t so much technical as cultural. At the same time, global climate change will raise new chal- Factors such as the common lack of drawings that accurately lenges related to water and human health. As Rita Colwell ex- represent what’s behind the walls, competing interests between plained, for example, scientists have correlated periodic changes environmental and economic performance, and the fundamen- in sea surface temperature and sea surface level with fl uctuations tal conservatism within the industry are all problems that will in zooplankton populations in the Bay of Bengal. Because the need to be addressed to make smart technology ubiquitous. Ul- bacteria that cause cholera are associated with these organisms, timately, it will only be adopted once clear value is articulated. it’s become clearer that increasing ocean temperatures and sea Th e speakers expressed hope that as building information levels could lead to more severe cholera outbreaks. In addition, management systems become more pervasive, engineers will be- as glaciers melt, perhaps permanently, the rivers that so many come more skilled at identifying what to measure. As Snowdon people rely on could shrink in volume. remarked, “Th e more data that we have from smart sensors and Even developed countries such as the United States could smart meters, the better the models will get. It’s defi nitely a ripe face trouble. Development in the South and West are straining area for research in terms of better understanding all the interac- water supplies, while older pieces of the nation’s infrastructure tions that go on in a building and to holistically optimize.” are decaying, and will be very expensive to upgrade.

On the Web On the Web See the full eBriefi ng at www.nyas.org/solutions. See the full eBriefi ng at www.nyas.org/water-health.

12 www.nyas.org Recent and Forthcoming Find these eBriefi ngs at www.nyas.org/ebriefi ngs.

Collaborative Health Care 1 2 3

For Older Adults: Uniting 1. Innovate New York: Envisioning the Inventive City Medicine and Dentistry (updated with report on innovation in the life sciences) As the baby boom generation gets older and lives longer, the 2. Executive Regulation: Non-coding RNAs in Nervous System United States healthcare system shows few signs of being ready Development and Function to address its needs. A 2008 report from the Institute of Medicine points to a fundamental lack of preparedness in the healthcare 3. Out of Line: Cell Polarity in Cancer Progression, workforce for this demographic shift . Medicine and dentistry Invasion, and Metastasis are already experiencing higher demands for individuals trained in geriatrics, even as woefully few professionals are choosing to work in the area. Sheer population numbers alone mean that cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and other medical condi- 4 5 6 tions related to aging are likely to increase in prevalence in the coming years. Th e picture is similar in dentistry. Although there 4. Th e Ninth Cooley’s Anemia Symposium has been a marked reduction in the percentage of adults 60 and older who have lost all of their teeth compared with prior gen- 5. Pattern Recognition: Systems Approaches to Studying Cancer erations, root caries, oral fungal infections, oral cancers, and osteonecrosis of the jaw (a rare side eff ect of taking bisphospho- 6. Something Borrowed, Something New: Drug Discovery nates to prevent osteoporosis) are emerging as areas of increas- Approaches in Chemical Biology ing concern. In addition, while good dental care will be important for the aging population—and mounting evidence suggests that oral health is a refl ection of and contributes to systemic health—few 7 8 9 dentists are trained in treating older adults or cognizant of their oft en complex oral health needs. Meanwhile, because Medicare does not cover routine dental care and many Americans lack 7. Short RNAs in Stress and Longevity: Regulatory Pathways dental coverage, the cost of such care is out of reach for many who need it. 8. Growth Networks: Systems Biology Meets What is sorely needed is a collaborative approach between Developmental Biology medical and dental professionals to provide a continuum of care for the whole person, and several new initiatives are attempting 9. Trends in Chemical Biology 2009: Year-End Meeting of the to bridge the gap. A recent NYAS symposium organized in col- Chemical Biology Discussion Group laboration with the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and its College of Dentistry explored several of the areas where oral and systemic health overlap in the aging population. Speakers also considered issues related to how doc- tors and dentists are trained, suggesting that if fewer medical professionals choose to specialize in geriatrics, curricula should ensure that even generalists have adequate knowledge to provide the best possible care to their older patients.

On the Web See the full eBriefi ng at www.nyas.org/collaborative.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 13 Member Memoir

Teaching Imparting Science a Passion

By Elizabeth Fong, as told to Adrienne Burke

’ve been a teacher for more than 20 derstand, hard to do, and that it is only for about getting funding? Oft entimes you years—previously at Brooklyn Tech- a small group of people—the nerds or the have to write grants and not all of us have I nical High School and at Stuyves- technocrats. Th at’s far from the truth. Sci- experience in writing grants and not all of ant High School since July 2001. I teach ence is a discipline that literally helps us to us have experience in where to go to look vertebrate zoology—a lab survey course make our lives better from the moment we for grant money. of the animal kingdom—and I teach an- wake up each day—from the purifi cation Oft en times when we go to work- thropology and sociobiology. I’m also of the water we drink to the food process- shops for teachers, it’s more about the chairman of the biology and geosciences ing or agricultural science that provides pedagogy of delivering a lesson. It’s not so department, so I look at my craft from what we eat. Every aspect of our lives has much about really updating your knowl- two angles. some basis in science or technology. I edge in terms of the sheer academics of it. Our biology department is quite think a lot of people have a fear of science. I think it should be the blend of the two. unique. We off er a lot of advanced biol- One way we can correct this is to For instance, how does a teacher with a full ogy courses—we have more than 20 bi- introduce science at a very young age. schedule of teaching and family and rais- ology electives, including a new one this Science should be brought to students ing kids and other responsibilities update semester, neuroscience, taught by a young in preschool, pre-K, kindergarten, and their knowledge base other than reading neuroscience PhD from the University of primary school. Not to force facts down the Tuesday Science Times or Academy Pennsylvania. My department has more their throats, but to give them a lot of fi eld eBriefi ngs? How do we keep up in our dis- PhDs than any department in the school, trips, a lot of hands-on activities, and in- cipline? A lot of us don’t want to go back and they are all academic research PhDs. I teractions with each other and with the to school in a formal classroom where would say we rival any small undergradu- real world. I believe science education at you have to spend your spare time writing ate biology department in the nation. a very young age should be very hands on. term papers and taking exams. We have three pathways for students Also, science education for elemen- I joined the Academy to attend meet- to take in science. For students who, at tary school teachers has to be improved. ings and workshops and also to get the this early point in their lives, think they Th ere are still some elementary school eBriefi ngs. A lot of the information I get is want to be doctors, we off er biology elec- teachers who approach science from a helpful in running the department because tives in anatomy and physiology that will non-science background. Th ere are cer- I have a lot of teachers who teach very either continue or pique their interest or tainly enough programs out there prepar- highly specialized courses. Dr. Jonathan reassure that they’re going in the right ing teachers to teach science at the high Gastel, our school-wide research coordi- direction. For upper seniors on that path- school level. But we also need programs to nator, helps to organize students’ papers, way, we off er a hospital internship. For teach teachers science on a very basic el- to get them ready for the Siemens Compe- students who are more attracted to aca- ementary school and middle school level. tition in Math, Science & Technology and demic scientifi c research, we have a path- High school science teachers could the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search. way in laboratory research courses. And benefi t from workshops on how to eff ec- If I see an eBriefi ng that’s interesting, I’ll for students who like science but are hu- tively reach the goals of your department just direct the information to him or a par- manities based, we off er what we call “sci- in the wake of these major budget cuts. ticular teacher in my department. ence for the poet.” It’s costly to run a science department I know that department chairs and Th e general public tends to have a because we have to do labs and maintain teachers in other schools work just as hard misunderstanding of science. Th ere’s a the perishables, equipment, and supplies. as we do. But with the population we have, misconception that science is hard to un- Where do we look and how do we go at the end of the academic year when we

14 www.nyas.org I jjoinedo the Academy to attend meetingsme and workshops and also to get the eBriefi ngs. A lot of the information I get is helpful in running the department because I have a lot of teachers who teach very highly specialized courses.”

Elizabeth FONG Assistant Principal and Chairman,hairman, Department of Biology andd Geoscience, Stuyvesant High School, New Yorkk City

NYAS member since: 22008008

Education: MS, and all bbutut dissertation foforr PhD, in biochemistry and mmolecularolecular biology, Hunter College.

Also enjoys: SCUBA diving,ving, gourmet cooking, attending the ballet,allet, and world travel, including twice annualnual trips to FrancFrance.e.

see the results on the Regentsegents or thethe scores on the SAT2 or the AP exams,xams, we get to feelfeel that we’ve done a good dday’say’s work. I really love what I do for a living. I actually wanted to go intoto research,research, butbut de-de- cided to try teaching fi rst.st. One ooff tthehe tthingshings that I like about being a teacherteacher andand men- tor is imparting a body of kknowledgenowledge aaboutbout a discipline. It’s not justt the mechanics of science that you’re imparting,mparting, but yyourour love and passion for it aass an outoutgrowthgrowth of your years of training andnd research. Another thing thatt is satisfsatisfyingying about teaching is seeing youngng people who can’t wait to major in biologygy when thetheyy ggrad-rad- uate from high school.. And then seeinseeing,g, when they come backk for homecominghomecoming or alumni day, how, in justjust one semester or year, they’ve matured.d. In a matter of a few years, you see theirr interest ggrowrow and blossom and I say to myself,myself, “I“I hope we had a little bit to do withth this.this.””

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 15 Cover Story

Science Education Crisis Intervention ON OCTOBER 4, 1957, A ROCKET LAUNCHED FROM THE STEPPES OF Acts of Congress, Kazakhstan delivered the fi rst artifi cial satellite into Earth’s orbit, giving the Soviet Union an early lead in the defi ning technological competition of the Cold War. In re- research studies, sponse, a new generation of American students rushed into careers in science and en- passionate scientifi c gineering. Less than 12 years later, this home-grown talent pool helped land the Apollo 11 spacecraft on the moon, planting the Stars and Stripes in lunar soil and establishing community leaders, the dominance of American science. and a new Academy Or not. Th e Sputnik story has become one of the most enduring myths in American sci- initiative all aim to ence education, but it’s mostly fi ction. While Sputnik did spark widespread public fear stem the collapse and inspire a strong political response in the form of the National Defense Education Act of 1958, the actual number of science and engineering enrollments at colleges re- of American STEM mained virtually fl at throughout the 1960s. Instead of a home-grown talent pool, the education. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs relied heavily on engineers educated in Eu- rope. Th e Apollo landing was a thoroughly impressive engineering feat, but it produced By Alan Dove little new science.

16 www.nyas.org Indeed, as a long succession of international studies and either to India or China ... and this is a phenomenon I think we’ve government reports have argued, American science education seen in academia increasing for the last several years,” says Gates. largely stagnated aft er World War II: Th e average American pub- At the same time, emerging economies such as China and India lic school graduate is scientifi cally illiterate, they say. have made enormous investments in science and engineering On October 23, 2009, Secretary education in order to mine rich veins of Education Arne Duncan addressed of talent in their immense populations. President Obama’s Council of Advi- “…what we’re really talking It’s been a hard threat to quan- sors on Science and Technology, citing tify, though. Th e 2005 National Acad- disturbing statistics about the state of about is innovation capacity.” emy of Sciences report “Rising Above STEM (Science, Technology, Engineer- – Shirley Jackson the Gathering Storm” presented some ing, and Mathematics) education in the attention-grabbing statistics. For ex- United States: “In science, our eighth ample, the report asserted that in 2004 graders are behind their peers in eight countries… Four coun- China graduated 600,000 new engineers, India 350,000, and the tries—Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Finland—outperform U.S. only 70,000. However, the committee’s methods for deriv- U.S. students on math, science and all other subjects.” ing those fi gures came under fi re from critics who pointed out Secretary Duncan outlined a number of goals that must that the defi nition of “engineer” varied considerably from one be reached in order to close the achievement gap and improve country to another. Correcting that error halved the number of American students’ comprehension of the STEM disciplines. Chinese engineers, doubled the American number, and showed Aided by this new Federal push for STEM education, ex- that the U.S. still had a commanding lead in engineers per capita. perts from diverse fi elds and political viewpoints are now try- More recently, a report released in October 2009 by inves- ing to address the longstanding failure. In the process, they are tigators at Rutgers and Georgetown argued that U.S. universi- asking fundamental questions about the way America educates ties are graduating more than enough scientists and engineers, its citizens: how worried does the U.S. need to be about science but many choose jobs outside of their major fi eld. According to education, why has it been so bad for so long, and what can be that report, which was sponsored by the Sloan Foundation, the done to improve it? perceived shortage of technical expertise is more likely due to American companies’ unwillingness to pay for it. BE AFRAID - OR NOT VERY AFRAID Th at viewpoint has its critics, of course. “I’m well famil- Anyone studying American science education must immediate- iar with the Sloan study, but what we’re really talking about is ly confront a paradox: despite decades of documenting its own innovation capacity,” says Jackson, who helped write the 2005 weaknesses in science education at the K-12 level, the nation has National Academy report. She adds that the real problem will remained a world leader in scientifi c and technological achieve- manifest itself over the next few years, as the fi rst rounds of baby ment. If the U.S. is so awful at teaching science, why are Ameri- boomers begin to leave the workforce. “We have a population of cans still so good at practicing it? people ... from the various sectors who are beginning to retire, One explanation is the time lag inherent in scientifi c train- and those retirements are beginning to accelerate.” While cur- ing. “I’ve always called the whole situation the quiet crisis,” says rent employment statistics might show plenty of scientists and Shirley Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in engineers for available positions, Jackson and others expect the Troy, NY. “It’s quiet because it takes years to educate a world- impending retirements to alter that. class scientist or engineer. It starts with the very early education- al years and goes all the way through levels of advanced study,” TOWARD A SCIENCE-LITERATE PUBLIC she says. As a result, problems in the public school system could While debate about whether the U.S. is adequately training the take a generation to manifest themselves in university laborato- next generation of professional scientists rages on, it’s hard to ries and corporate R&D campuses. disagree with those who argue that the country needs to improve Imported talent also masks the issue. “Aft er World War II the scientifi c literacy of its lay public. “We seem to accept that something like 70 percent of the world’s economic output was cen- people need to be able to read and write in order to be educated, tered here in the United States,” says Jim Gates, professor of physics to be able to function in society, and that is obviously critical, at the University of Maryland in College Park. “Th at meant that as but what we have to also recognize is that people need certain a society we could count on the brightest minds from around the baseline mathematical skills and some knowledge of science and world seeking opportunity to come to us because we were the place technology in order to be literate,” says Jackson. where the most opportunity was apparent.” Gates concurs: “Having a scientifi cally literate public is go- In recent years, though, educators have begun worrying ing to be critical as our nation wrestles with problems whose about two additional trends. “Th ere are stories of very talented solutions seem inherently to involve science and technology.” colleagues from Asia who have essentially decided to re-patriate In particular, he cites climate change, where scientists have had

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 17 Cover Story considerable diffi culty explaining a well-established phenom- cently accompanied Education Secretary Duncan and Reverend enon to politicians and citizens who have little understanding Al Sharpton on a tour of high schools in Philadelphia. Despite of basic math and physics. “Having a public that is scientifi cally their radically diff erent positions on other issues, the three agreed illiterate doesn’t bode well for the future of our country,” he says. that American science education urgently needs help. Other education reform proponents are more blunt. “I re- Others point out that improving public science education gard the collapse of math and science education as the greatest is also a prerequisite to training more scientists. “Without that long-term strategic problem the United States has, and likely to ... educational base, we don’t have the base to draw indigenous end our role as the leading country in the world,” says former talent from, talent that may then actually become the next gen- U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. eration of scientists and engineers, so they’re two issues, but they Famous for engineering the 1994 Republican Congressional are linked,” says Jackson. victories, Gingrich, a former college history professor, is outspo- ken about the need to reform a public education system that he RESISTANCE IS FEUDAL says values certifi cation over knowledge. “We ... don’t have physi- Th ere is no shortage of potential causes for the nation’s scientifi c cists teaching physics, we don’t have chemists teaching chemis- ignorance. Indeed, critics of the educational system oft en focus try, and we don’t have biologists teaching biology,” he says. on whichever problems seem most relevant to their agenda. Highlighting the political breadth of the issue, Gingrich re- Advocates of charter schools like to point to powerful teachers’

How NYAS Supports Graduate Science Education

For nearly fi ve years, the New York Academy of Sciences has been mittee for the Gotham-Metro group. She says her involvement in meet- nurturing the next generation of scientists with a special program that ings planning has given her an alternate perspective on the duties of a provides professional development opportunities for graduate students professor. “As a graduate student you mostly do research; I’m not even and post-doctoral fellows. Th e Science Alliance is a consortium of more teaching. You get a view of just one side of what it’s like to be a profes-

than 35 universities, teaching hospitals, and independent research fa- sor,” says Flint, who aspires to run her own lab aft er completing her PhD cilities committed to advancing the careers of students and postdocs next year. “It’s interesting to see what else you need to think about, and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Serving more it’s nice to get a view of something other than research.” than 6,500 junior scientists worldwide, the Alliance provides programs Another way the Academy is nurturing graduate students is and services focused on career education, development, and training. through involving them as members of a student steering committee for In addition to giving students access to all of the traditional benefi ts of the Academy’s Soft Materials Discussion Group. Th e group, headed by a Academy membership, Science Alliance off ers exclusive live events, we- faculty steering committee, regularly convenes investigators in the New binars, and a dedicated website as well as unparalleled opportunities for York region with an interest in soft materials research and development, students to learn and network with individuals across institutions and and provides a forum for exchanging ideas and news of recent advances disciplines, including many highly accomplished members. among scientists, engineers, and other key stakeholders working in aca- Now, two Academy programs for physicists and chemists are also demia, industry, and non-for-profi t entities. Now, six graduate students getting students involved in all aspects of planning, hosting, and pre- from City College, New York University, Queens College, Columbia senting scientifi c meetings. Th e meetings are designed to provide grad- University, and the College of Staten Island have joined with a faculty uate students and postdocs in the fi eld of condensed matter physics a committee to select topics and choose speakers for meetings. chance to forge new research collaborations. “Th e idea is to empower graduate students—provide them with One program is the “Gotham-Metro Condensed Matter Meeting.” opportunities for professional development and a chance to critically An inaugural event held in April 2009, and a second one held in No- judge their own contributions and those of their peers,” says Heidi Per- vember that drew 130 participants for a full day of lectures and poster ry, the Academy’s Program Manager for Physical Sciences, Engineering presentations, were entirely run by graduate students and post-docs. A & Sustainability Initiatives. council of faculty-nominated graduate students from New York area Th e next meeting of the Soft Materials Discussion Group, “Soft universities developed content, invited speakers, and hosted the meet- Materials: Th e Future of Solar,” will take place at the Academy on Janu- ing at the Academy. Th e meetings will now be held once per semester. ary 14, 2010, at 4:00 pm. Th e next Gotham-Metro Condensed Matter Rebecca Flint, 28, a sixth-year hard-condensed-matter theory Meet is being planned for Spring 2010. graduate student at Rutgers University, was handpicked by her advisor, Academy member Piers Coleman, to sit on the student steering com- —Adrienne Burke

18 www.nyas.org unions and administratively bloated school systems. Privatiz- Florida,” he adds. “We want to have a common, internationally ing education with charter schools, they argue, would give these competitive set of standards.” bureaucracies nimble, effi cient competition, forcing the public Getting more than 14,000 school districts in 50 states to system to reform or die. agree on those standards, however, remains diffi cult. Gates has Others emphasize staffi ng problems instead, such as the ten- seen the problem fi rsthand from his seat on Maryland’s school dency for science teachers to have majored in education rather board. “School boards and superintendents basically have their than science, and a transient labor pool in which a third of K-12 own feifdoms,” he says. teachers leave the profession within fi ve years of being hired. In School districts aren’t the only feudal systems. Getting the their view, both public and charter schools must draw and retain national-level education agencies to coordinate their activities more highly trained science teachers. has been a tall order. An analysis by the Department of Educa- Still others point to the balkanization of the American edu- tion found that in 2006, a dozen diff erent Federal agencies spent cational system, which allows each state and even each school a total of more than $3 billion on science education initiatives, district, wide latitude in setting curricula and standards. “Most but a lack of coordination oft en made the eff orts redundant or developed countries have not just national tests, but national counterproductive. curricula,” says Gates. “We can’t say that the quality of educa- To address some of these problems, Congressman Bart Gor- tion can diff er in California and New York versus Wyoming and don, D-TN, introduced the America COMPETES Act of 2007

The Academy Steps up to Support Science Teachers

With the support of several generous and committed members and in potential for advancing science partnership with the New York City Department of Education, the New education through the Academy. York Academy of Sciences in November launched an initiative to serve Th e stakeholders’ meeting pre- science teachers in New York and beyond. sented a diversity of ideas, and, Th e Academy’s New York City Science Education Initiative was he adds “all in attendance agreed unveiled on the heels of President Obama’s announcement of a Federal that it’s a good time to make this campaign to improve the participation and performance of America’s eff ort.” students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Th e Brunschwig led a steering Academy initiative aims to forge a community of science education committee meeting in November professionals and provide a forum where they can convene, learn, and that brought several science edu- collaborate about science education policy, curriculum, and classroom cators together. Th e group agreed best practices. that science teachers could best Th e initiative will also facilitate connections between education be served by events that address professionals and Academy members from the broader scientifi c re- classroom teaching issues spe- search community. Seed funding of $130,000 from the Pamela B. and cifi c to science teachers. “We’re Th omas C. Jackson Fund and from Drs. Gabrielle Reem and Herbert going to be guided by teach- Kayden will underwrite Academy memberships for as many as 1,300 ers—by those on the committee high school teachers and cover the expenses for the Academy to host and others, as well as by the De- Fernand Brunschwig science educators’ events. Another $20,000 from the Alfred P. Sloan partment of Education, in trying Foundation will support development of a dedicated educators’ Website to make events valuable and attractive,” Brunschwig says. By virtue of and underwrite Academy memberships for teachers in schools recog- being members of the Academy, teachers will also gain free admission nized for educational excellence by the Sloan Foundation. throughout the year to more than 100 professional events in various “It’s critical that science teachers have access to up-to-date resources scientifi c disciplines where they can build relationships with practicing and research in order to inform and inspire their students,” says Kiryn research scientists. Hoff man, the Academy’s director of development who spearheaded fund- Th e new initiative will also produce webinars and eBriefi ngs tar- raising for the new initiative. “Th ey are challenged to stay at the forefront geted at science teachers, as well as online social networking and an not only of scientifi c trends and breakthroughs, but also of the best meth- online calendar that tracks events, workshops, and other programs else- ods to shape learning goals and strategies to actively engage students.” where in the New York region specifi cally of interest to science educa- In September 2009, 28 New York City science education stakehold- tion professionals. ers gathered in the Academy’s boardroom. Among the group was New Brunschwig envisions the initiative providing unique opportuni- York’s Deputy Mayor for Education, Dennis Walcott. From the lively ties for educators to meet, interact, and collaborate with others from discussion emerged a proposal for how the Academy could serve the outside their school, institution, or region. As this magazine went to needs of New York’s teachers and students. press, plans for the fi rst science educators meeting of 2010 were being Fernand Brunschwig, a professor of science education at Empire fi nalized and, Brunschwig was “still looking for dynamic, interesting, State College, SUNY, is chairing the new initiative. Brunschwig says that idea-laden individuals to be part of the steering committee,” as well as from the time he was fi rst introduced to the Academy many years ago by for outstanding presenters and workshop leaders. Don Cook, professor of science education at Bank Street College and a past chair of the Academy’s Science Education Section, he has seen great —Adrienne Burke

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 19 Cover Story

which, among other things, established the Robert Noyce Teach- chalkboards, he suggests switching to electronic texts and pre- er Scholarship. Th e fund, which Congress endowed with $115 sentations, and allowing teachers to download new material million this year, encourages math and science majors to become instantly as it becomes available. “We have this incredible tech- teachers, and current math and science teachers to go back for nology that’s remaking the world around us ... and to think that more training. “We found that a very large percent of our teach- somehow education will be untouched by this revolution ... is ers who teach math and science have neither certifi cation nor a extremely naive,” he says. degree to teach those two subjects, so we have set up programs Radical innovations certainly sound interesting, but the to help with that competency,” says Gordon. history of past reform eff orts in American science education Gordon, who chairs the House Committee on Science and provides a sobering counterpoint. Early in the Clinton adminis- Technology, also wrote the STEM Act of 2009. Th at bill aims to tration, for example, the National Science Foundation launched improve the coordination of Federal STEM education eff orts, an ambitious program called Systemic Initiatives to help whole and make them more user-friendly. “We did some digging and school systems make large-scale changes in science education. found that there were a number of STEM education programs all Th e initiatives achieved some notable successes in boosting sci- across the Federal government ... that you couldn’t fi nd just by ence achievement, particularly in poor rural and urban districts. looking down a table of contents, you really had to dig in, and so Th en, in 2002, Congress passed a mammoth set of reforms we felt that by having better coordination, that we would be able called No Child Left Behind. To fund NCLB projects, the NSF to get better leverage there,” says Gordon. Th e STEM Act passed had to drain $160 million from the Systemic Initiatives bud- the House in June, and is now awaiting action in the Senate. get, eff ectively sidelining the program less than 10 years aft er it Besides streamlining the system, national standards and had begun. NCLB, in turn, has been widely panned by educa- more unifi ed Federal eff orts could help tors, politicians, and scientists. Critics nip some antiscientifi c trends, such as argue that NCLB’s heavy emphasis on creationist school boards that attempt to “…a very large percent of our standardized testing has encouraged undermine the central organizing prin- states and school districts to manipu- ciple of biology. American creationists, teachers who teach math late the tests rather than make genuine who preach a literal interpretation of and science have neither improvements. Because of this, NCLB is the Bible, have oft en aligned themselves certifi cation nor a degree to now set for its own overhaul, potentially with conservative Republicans for po- shift ing the science education agenda litical leverage. teach those two subjects.” yet again. Th e party is not of one mind on the – Bart Gordon Th is time, though, reformers have issue, though. “Th ere have been four brought a new constituency into the parallel evolutions of sabre-toothed cats discussion: state governors. Aided by over the last 40 million years ... and you can see literally almost the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the the exact same steps of adaptation. Now, it’s very hard to look at National Governors’ Association has now developed a STEM that and not believe some kind of evolution occurs,” says Gin- Education initiative, including grants to fund reform eff orts in grich. He adds that the lesson for educational policy is equally individual states. Such state-level programs could go a long way obvious: “I have no problem with creationism being taught as a toward improving the system nationwide if they are properly co- philosophical or cultural course, as long as you teach evolution ordinated. “We need to think about what can be done to knit as a science course, because I think they’re two fundamentally together the range of activities across the local, state and Federal diff erent things.” level that involve public, private, and academic sectors, and that’s a challenge,” says Jackson. REDUCING THE ATTENTION DEFICIT Scientists and engineers can also take heart from an inter- Winning the argument for evolution in biology is only a small esting trend in college data: while the Space Race had little eff ect step toward reforming STEM education nationwide, though. on the number of new enrollments in these fi elds, they spiked Indeed, some critics of the current system advocate widespread in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Various commentators have and radical changes. Gingrich, fo example, suggests incentive suggested that students were following an altruistic urge to solve programs to pay students for performance: “I propose in every pressing environmental and energy problems, which were just state that we adopt a position that if you can graduate a year coming to the fore then, or that they simply wanted to improve early, you get the extra cost of your 12th year as an automatic their employability during an epic recession. scholarship to either [vocational] school or college.” In either case, history seems primed to repeat itself. Both Others advocate much faster adoption of technology in the environmental degradation and skyrocketing unemployment classroom. Jim Gates says the average modern science class- are making headlines again, and science and engineering enroll- room has few technological advances over the classroom of 50 ments are once again on the rise. or 60 years ago. Instead of continuing to rely on textbooks and

20 www.nyas.org 2010 The New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnikfor Awards Young Scientists

Celebrate a new generation of scientists and engineers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Nominate leading faculty and postdoctoral candidates today. Deadline: February 15, 2010 Nominate at www.nyas.org/blavatnikawards

Faculty: Awards up to $25,000 Postdoctoral Students: Awards up to $15,000 Impact, Innovation, Interdisciplinarity Book Excerpt What is Technology and How Does it Evolve?

IMAGINE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION OF ALL TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE ever existed, past and present. Imagine, that is, all the processes, devices, components, modules, organizational forms, methods, and algorithms in use and ever used. If we were to list these in a catalog their numbers would be vast. Th is is the collective of technology, and we want to explore now how it evolves. I have been claiming that this collective evolves by a process of self-creation: new elements (technologies) are constructed from ones that already exist, and these off er themselves as possible building-block elements for the construction of still further ele- ments. Now I want to make clear the mechanisms by which this happens. You can see this self-creation of technology in miniature if you look at some small part of this collection building itself. In the early 1900s, Lee de Forest had been ex- perimenting with ways to improve the detection of radio signals, and he had inserted a third electrode in a diode vacuum tube to attempt this. He had been hoping that his triode tube would produce amplifi cation of the signal, something highly desirable given the feebly transmitted radio signals of the day. But it did not. Th en, almost simulta- neously in 1911 and 1912, several engineers—de Forest among them—did manage to combine the triode with other existing circuit components to produce a workable am- Complexity theory plifi er. Th e amplifi er circuit together with a slightly diff erent combination of standard pioneer W. Brian components (coils, capacitors, and resistors) yielded an oscillator, a circuit that could generate something highly sought aft er at the time: pure single-frequency radio waves. Arthur defi nes Th is in combination with still other standard components made possible modern radio invention and transmitters and receivers. And these in conjunction with yet other elements made pos- sible radio broadcasting. innovation in a new And this was not all. In a slightly diff erent circuit combination the triode could be book, The Nature of used as a relay: it could act as a switch that could be opened or closed by a small con- trol voltage on the triode’s grid. If open, the relay could represent a 0 or the logic value Technology “false;” if closed, a 1 or “true.” Relays suitably wired together in combination could yield primitive logic circuits. Logic circuits, again in combination with other logic circuits

22 www.nyas.org and electronic elements, made possible lin possible. All technologies are birthed early computers. And so, over a period from existing technologies in the sense of about four decades the triode vacuum that these in combination directly made tube became the key building element for them possible. a succession of technologies that produced Of course, the elements that make a both radio and modern computation. technology possible go beyond its mere It is in this way that technology cre- physical components; they include those ates itself out of itself. It builds itself piece necessary in manufacturing or assem- by piece from the collective of existing bling it. And pinning down exact “parent- technologies. I want to describe the de- age” may not be simple: the techniques tails of how this happens—how technol- and methods that brought penicillin into ogy evolves. How, from so simple a be- existence were many—which should ginning, technology gives us a world of count as parents? Th e answer of course is remarkable complexity. the important ones, but which these are I have been saying casually that tech- is to some degree a matter of taste. Still, nologies are created from existing tech- this degree of fuzziness does not disturb nologies (or ones that can be created from my central point. All technologies are technologies that already exist). Let me birthed—made possible—from previous explain why this is true. Any solution to a technologies. human need—any novel means to a pur- Where does this leave us? Strictly From Th e Nature of Technology by W. pose—can only be made manifest in the speaking, we should say that novel ele- Brian Arthur. Copyright © 2009 by W. physical world using methods and com- ments are directly made possible by exist- Brian Arthur. Reprinted by permission ponents that already exist in that world. ing ones. But more loosely we can say they of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Novel technologies are therefore brought arise from a set of existing technologies, Schuster, Inc. into being—made possible—from some from a combination of existing technolo- set of existing ones. Always. Th e jet engine gies. It is in this sense that novel elements could not have existed without compres- in the collective of technology are brought sors and gas turbines, and without ma- into being—made possible—from exist- philosophy. But actually, it tells us a lot. chine tools to manufacture these with the ing ones, and that technology creates itself It tells us that every novel technology is precision required. Th e polymerase chain out of itself. created from existing ones, and there- reaction was put together from methods Of course, to say that technology fore that every technology stands upon to isolate DNA, separate its strands, at- creates itself does not imply it has any a pyramid of others that made it possible tach primers, and rebuild double strands consciousness, or that it uses humans in a succession that goes back to the ear- from separate ones. It was a combination somehow in some sinister way for its own liest phenomena that humans captured. of things that already existed. purposes. Th e collective of technology It tells us that all future technologies will Th e reader may object that there are builds itself from itself with the agency of derive from those that now exist (perhaps exceptions—penicillin seems to be one. human inventors and developers much as in no obvious way) because these are the It is a therapeutic means and therefore a a coral reef builds itself from itself from elements that will form further elements technology, but it does not seem to be a the activities of small organisms. So, pro- that will eventually make these future combination of any previous technologies. viding we bracket human activity and take technologies possible. It tells us that his- But consider: creating a working thera- it as given, we can say that the collective of tory is important: if technologies had ap- py from Fleming’s base eff ect required a technology is self-producing—that it pro- peared by chance in a diff erent order, the very defi nite set of existing technologies. duces new technology from itself. Or, we technologies built from them would have It required biochemical processes to iso- can pick up a word coined by Humberto been diff erent; technologies are creations late the active substance within the mold, Maturana and Francisco Varela to de- of history. And it tells us that the value of other processes to purify it, and still other scribe self-producing systems, and say that a technology lies not merely in what can ones to produce and deliver it. Penicil- technology is autopoietic (“self-creating,” be done with it but also in what further lin had its parentage in these means and or “self-bringing-forth,” in Greek). possibilities it will lead to. Th e technolo- methods. It would not have been possible Autopoiesis may appear to be an ab- gist Andy Grove was asked once what in a society that did not possess such el- stract property, the sort of thing that be- the return on investment was for internet ements. Existing means made penicil- longs most properly to systems theory or commerce. “Th is is Columbus in the New

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 23 Book Excerpt

World,” he answered. “What was his return on investment?” the modern era begins—as the method of science. Th e chemi- Autopoiesis gives us a sense of technology expanding into cal, optical, thermodynamic, and electrical phenomena began the future. It also gives us a way to think of technology in human to be understood and captured using instruments—the ther- history. Usually that history is presented as a set of discrete in- mometer, calorimeter, torsion balance—constructed for precise ventions that happened at diff erent times, with some cross infl u- observation. Th e large domains of technology came on line: heat ences from one technology to another. What would this history engines, industrial chemistry, electricity, electronics. And with look like if we were to recount it Genesis-style from this self- these still fi ner phenomena were captured: X-radiation, radio- creating point of view? Here is a thumbnail version. wave transmission, coherent light. And with laser optics, radio In the beginning, the fi rst phenomena to be harnessed transmission, and logic circuit elements in a vast array of diff er- were available directly in nature. Certain materials fl ake when ent combinations, modern telecommunications and computa- chipped: whence bladed tools from fl int or obsidian. Heavy tion were born. objects crush materials when pounded against hard surfaces: In this way, the few became many, and the many became whence the grinding of herbs and seeds. Flexible materials when specialized, and the specialized uncovered still further phenom- bent store energy: whence bows from deer’s antler or saplings. ena and made possible the fi ner and fi ner use of nature’s princi- Th ese phenomena, lying on the fl oor of nature as it were, made ples. So that now, with the coming of nanotechnology, captured possible primitive tools and techniques. phenomena can direct captured phenomena to move and place Th ese in turn made possible yet others. Fire made possible single atoms in materials for further specifi c uses. All this has cooking, the hollowing out of logs for primitive canoes, the fi r- issued from the use of natural earthly phenomena. Had we lived ing of pottery. And it opened up other phenomena—that certain in a universe with diff erent phenomena we would have had dif- ores yield formable metals under high heat: whence weapons, ferent technologies. In this way, over a time long-drawn-out by chisels, hoes, and nails. Combinations of elements began to oc- human measures but short by evolutionary ones, the collective cur: thongs or cords of braided fi bers were used to haft metal that is technology has built out, deepened, specialized, and com- to wood for axes. Clusters of technology and craft s of prac- plicated itself. tice—dyeing, potting, weaving, mining, metal smithing, boat- building—began to emerge. Wind and water energy were har- W. Brian Arthur is an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute nessed for power. Combinations of levers, pulleys, cranks, ropes, and a Visiting Researcher at PARC (Palo Alto Research Center). For- and toothed gears appeared—early machines—and were used merly he was Morrison Professor of Economics and Population Studies for milling grains, irrigation, construction, and timekeeping. at Stanford University. One of the pioneers of complexity theory, he also Craft s of practice grew around these technologies; some ben- formulated the infl uential “theory of increasing returns,” which off ered efi ted from experimentation and yielded crude understandings a paradigm-changing explanation of why some high-tech companies of phenomena and their uses. achieve breakaway success. He is the recipient of the International In time, these understandings gave way to close observation Schumpeter Prize in Economics and the inaugural Lagrange Prize in of phenomena, and the use of these became systematized—here Complexity Science.

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21544-01 NYAS FP advert.indd 1 13/7/09 16:04:44 Academy Calendar Meetings & Conferences

Wed, Jan 20 • 1:00 PM – 5:45 PM Mon, Feb 8 • 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM January The Metabolome: A Window on Genome Integrity Discussion Group Cell Physiology and Portal to Th e Genome Integrity Discussion Group presents Understanding Complex Biological meetings featuring talks by graduate students, Tue, Jan 5 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM post-docs, or laboratory heads from the tri-state Lust, Romance & Attachment: Systems, Diseases and Therapies area with an emphasis on new and emerging data The Science of Love and Whom Th is Hot Topics in Life Sciences symposium will in the area of chromosome biology and function. review recent technical and conceptual advances Reception to follow. We Choose that highlight the unique, but largely unrecognized, Th e Academy’s Science & the City program potential of the metabolomics arm of systems biol- Tue, Feb 9 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM presents an evening with Helen Fisher, Rutgers ogy. Reception to follow. University biological anthropologist and chief Circadian Cycle and Metabolic scientifi c advisor to the Internet dating site, Chem- Dysfunction istry.com. Th e event is the fi rst in the Girls’ Night Tue, Jan 26 • 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Phosphodiesterase Targets Th e Diabetes and Obesity Discussion Group Out at the New York Academy of Sciences lecture presents this symposium to bring together leading series, featuring brilliant women scientists on topics for Cognitive Dysfunction and researchers to examine the link between metabolic of special interest to women (and people who love Schizophrenia function, internal biological timing, and the physi- them). Reception to follow. Th e Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group ological consequences of circadian disruption. presents a symposium that will focus on phospho- Th u, Jan 7 • 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM diesterase (PDE) inhibitors for schizophrenia and Ture Feb 16 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Sustainable City Finance cognitive disorders and review the theoretical basis What to Eat: On Nutrition, Diet, and Th e Urban Age Institute and the New York Acad- of diff erent PDE isoforms as well as the progress the Politics of Food emy of Sciences bring together thought leaders towards human clinical testing of these agents. Th e Academy’s Science & the City program pres- from around the world to explore how dual crises ents an evening with Marion Nestle, a professor in in the environment and the banking industry could Fri, Jan 29 • 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and converge to off er opportunities to transition to a Cardiovascular Protection and the Public Health at New York University. Th e event is cleaner, greener urban age. Reception to follow. Renin-Angiotensin System the second in the Girls’ Night Out at the New York Th e renin-angiotensin system is critical to blood Academy of Sciences lecture series, featuring bril- Mon, Jan 11 • 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM pressure control. Hot Topics in Life Sciences liant women scientists on topics of special interest New York Area Drosophila symposium will highlight the importance of block- to women (and people who love them). Reception Discussion Group ing the deleterious eff ects of Angiotensin II and to follow. Th e New York Area Drosophila Discussion Group describe a mechanistic basis for a more generalized meetings include four presentations by graduate cardiovascular protection. students and post-docs selected from area labora- tories by the program committee with an emphasis on new and emerging data. Reception to follow. March and Beyond Jan 12 – Apr 6 February Idea to IPO: The Technology Venture Th u, Mar 25 • 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM Course (12 weeks) New York Area C. elegans Fri, Feb 5 • 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM David Anthony of 21 Ventures, LLC will be joined Discussion Group by additional guest lecturers to teach this course Electronic Health Records: Where Do Th e New York Area C. elegans Discussion Group presented by the Science Alliance for those in We Go From Here? presents meetings featuring talks by graduate science and technology who want to know how to It has been proposed that the use of electronic students, post-docs, or laboratory heads from the take the right idea from the bench to the market- health records will improve healthcare delivery and tri-state area with an emphasis on new and emerg- place. reduce costs and medical errors. Th e goals of this ing data. Reception to follow. forum include creating dialogue about the latest Wed, Jan 13 • 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM EHR developments; to inform delegates about new Wed, Apr 14 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM New York Structural Biology innovations; to provide an opportunity for expert Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate developers and users to discuss their problems and Discussion Group: 5th Winter Meeting brainstorm solutions; and to provide networking Connection with Trees Th e New York Area Structural Biology Discussion opportunities between leaders in this fi eld that Th e Academy’s Science & the City program Group convenes twice annually and presents talks may lead to future collaborations. Presented by the presents an evening with the ‘Queen of the Forest and poster sessions from graduate students, post- New York Academy of Sciences and the Center for Canopy,’ Nalini Nadkarni, treetop ecologist and docs, and laboratory heads. Reception to follow. Advanced Information Management, Columbia environmental studies faculty at the Evergreen University. College. Th e event is the third in the Girls’ Night Out at the New York Academy of Sciences lecture series, featuring brilliant women scientists on topics of special interest to women (and people who love them). Reception to follow.

26 www.nyas.org For further details on meetings and conferences, check our calendar at www.nyas.org/events. Meetings Policy Policy

Fri, Apr 23 • 7:45 AM – 6:00 PM Sep 24 – 25 » DATES, TIMES, AND TOPICS OF Risk-Benefi t Considerations in Drug Building Better Brains: Neural EVENTS LISTED HERE ARE SUBJECT Regulatory Decision-Making Prosthetics and Beyond TO CHANGE. For up-to-date informa- Th is conference will focus on a formalized, system- Neural prosthetic devices to replace motor, sensory, tion, including ticket prices, please visit our atic approach for assessing drug risks and benefi ts and cognitive function lost by disease or trauma online calendar at www.nyas.org/events. in the context of regulatory decisions about which hold great therapeutic promise. Th e New York drugs should come to market. Discussion will Academy of Sciences and Th e World Brain Forum » Registration is required for most and include ways to improve the transparency and com- Foundation present this conference showcasing the strongly encouraged for all events. To munication of FDA decisions to the general public. most cutting-edge research on using of neural pros- thetics as eff ective therapeutic devices in humans register to attend an event, please use the Tue, May 11 • 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM and discussion of ways to overcome the current Academy events calendar online at www. Survival of the Prettiest: The Evolution limitations. nyas.org/events or contact the meetings department at 212.298.3725 or nymeet- of Aesthetics and Beauty [email protected]. Th e Academy’s Science & the City program pres- Want to propose ents an evening with Nancy Etcoff , psychologist and faculty, Harvard Medical School and member, a conference in » Unless noted otherwise, Academy events Harvard University’s Mind/Brain/Behavior Initia- are held at: tive. Th e event is the fourth in the Girls’ Night Out a cutting-edge Th e New York Academy of Sciences at the New York Academy of Sciences lecture series, 7 World Trade Center featuring brilliant women scientists on topics of interdisciplinary, 250 Greenwich St. at Barclay, 40th Fl special interest to women (and people who love New York, NY 10007 them). Reception to follow. scientifi c topic? Photo ID is required for entry. May 14 – 15 The Academy invites you to contact Fourth Annual Symposium on Dr. Kathy Granger at [email protected] Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis and to submit a proposal or get more Gadolinium Based Contrast Media information on organizing a conference. Ali K. Abu-Alfa and Shawn Cooper, both of Yale Medical School bring together expert scientists and physicians in nephrology, radiology, rheumatology, dermatology and pathology for a CME-accredited Join for meeting to discuss this rare disease.

May 19 – 21 • Spain Towards Personalized Cancer Medicine J. Michael Bishop of Th e G.W. Hooper Research Foundation, University of California, San Francisco is the keynote speaker at this conference presented by the New York Academy of Sciences, Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació, and Fundació la Caixa. Th e conference will discuss advancements, challenges, and future steps in research leading to an individualized understand- ing of cancer and its translation into personalized clinical care. Fri, Jun 11 • 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Girls Night Out Probiotics: From Bench to Market A meeting to discuss how an increased understand- ing of mechanisms and eff ects of probiotic activity At the New York Academy of Sciences will enable scientists to develop probiotic products to improve nutrition, treat diseases, or deliver vaccines. This series will feature leading female scientists speaking on topics of special interest to women (and the people who love them). Speakers will include Helen Fisher, Nalini Nadkarni, Marion Nestle, and Nancy Etcoff. Starts January 5. Reception and book-signing to follow each event. Learn more and get your tickets now at www.nyas.org/girlsnightout.

The New York Academy of Sciences Magazine • Winter 2010 27 Donor Profi le Helping NYAS Hug Science Teachers homas Campbell Jackson met his The Jacksons’ generosity has enabled a wife Penny when they were work- T ing at the old Shakespeare & Co. timely symposium and an essential new bookstore on New York’s Upper West By Adam Ludwig Side. She worked in the fi ction section, initiative. and he in nonfi ction, a detail that contin- ues to resonate for them. Mr. Jackson is She has taught at Chapin and other New initial seed money for the project, which a health policy consultant with a nose for York City schools, and continues to volun- has attracted other investors, who have science; Mrs. Jackson is a novelist, play- teer as an instructor at the United Nations. since quadrupled their investment. wright, and educator. Th eir professional Along the way, she earned a fellowship in Th e Academy’s Science Education and philanthropic interests have evolved creative writing at Stanford, and published Initiative aims to enroll up to 1,300 spon- as if scripted by C.P. Snow’s famous “Two her fi rst novel in 1992. As parents of a 17 sored science educators, who will enjoy Cultures” essay, the 50th Anniversary year-old daughter, it’s not surprising that full membership at the Academy, exchang- of which was celebrated at the Academy the Jacksons share an interest in support- ing ideas about best practices, and creat- in May, thanks in part to Mr. Jackson’s ing science education for young women. ing connections with university professors sponsorship. Merging the streams of sci- One program that embodies this focus is a and museum scientists exploring how to ence and the humanities through educa- new semester school for girls in Freeport, bring new students to science. Important tion has been an ongoing theme for the Maine, where students will study marine advocates have signed on to off er fi nancial Jacksons, one that recently began to take biology and leadership. and strategic support, and the program shape in their advocacy of the Academy’s Th rough friendships made at the will host its fi rst events in early 2010. Science Teacher Education Initiative. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Mr. Jack- Th e Jacksons enthuse unabashedly Mr. Jackson grew up in the suburbs son recently began attending the Acad- about the richness of programming at the of Rockland County, NY, and as a high emy’s public events. He was immediately Academy, and about guests such as Rich- school student attended the honors sci- impressed by the caliber of programming ard Dawkins and Dean Kamen. And while ence program at Columbia. When he en- and with the way the Academy was able the economic downturn makes fundrais- tered college, he knew he was interested to match supporters with its programs. ing daunting, Jackson hopes that with “the in “science for science’s sake,” but ended When he heard about plans for the Two blush off the Wall St. rose,” more students up majoring in German and economics. Cultures Symposium, he decided to make will recognize science as an attractive ca- During a year abroad at the University a deeper investment in the Academy. reer path. He cautions that the explosion of Tübingen, he developed a passion for He subsequently sat down with of popular science programming in New Goethe, another champion of reciproc- Academy leaders to talk about education, York City makes it more challenging for ity between science and art. He worked realizing that if the Academy could bring organizations to capture the public’s atten- in publishing and fi nance before entering together a critical mass of high school tion. But he is energized by the possibili- public health administration in Boston science teachers, it could impact the dia- ties, citing E.O. Wilson’s Consilience as yet city government. Aft er earning a mas- logue in science education. Jackson’s ideas another call to synthesize the sciences and ter’s degree in public health at Columbia’s prompted the Academy to invite him to a unite them with the humanities. As fore- Mailman School, he ran the City of New stakeholder’s meeting with key players in told in their crossing of the bookstore aisles York’s Health Benefi ts Program and went the science community to discuss how a years ago, the Jacksons are doing their part on to work as an independent consultant program might take form. Th e meeting to uphold this vision, matching science in health policy, advising a number of generated much enthusiasm, and Jackson and education with civic-mindedness. think tanks on health care reform. felt compelled to step up his involvement. Jackson’s strong advocacy for educa- Th e Jacksons provided the entirety of the Adam Ludwig is a writer in New York City. tion corresponds in no small part to his wife’s career as a teacher. Mrs. Jackson grew Support the Advancement of Science up in the city and attended Barnard as an The Academy is in the midst of its Comprehensive Campaign for New York’s Future: Sustainability English major before receiving her Mas- through Science & Technology. To contribute or to learn more, contact Kiryn Haslinger Hoffman, ter’s from Columbia’s Teachers College. Director, Development at 212.298.8673 or [email protected].

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FEBRUARY 9 MAY 14-15 Circadian Cycle and Metabolic Dysfunction Fourth Annual Symposium on Nephrogenic Th is symposium will bring together leading researchers to examine the Systemic Fibrosis and Gandolinium Based link between metabolic function, internal biological timing and the physiological consequences of circadian disruption. Contrast Agents www.nyas.org/Circadian Join expert scientists and physicians in nephrology, radiology, rheumatology, dermatology and pathology for a CME-accredited meeting MARCH 23 to discuss this rare disease. How do Pluripotent Cells Enable Drug www.nyas.org/NSF | Poster abstract deadline: March 12 Discovery? MAY 19-21 Recent major breakthroughs are propelling the fi eld of stem cell research. Towards Personalized Cancer Medicine Th is symposium will review the current use and potential future of using Featuring keynote speaker Nobel laureate J. Michael Bishop, this 3-day pluripotent stem cells as enabling technology in drug discovery. conference will discuss advancements, challenges, and future steps in www.nyas.org/Events research leading to an individualized understanding of cancer and its translation into personalized clinical care. APRIL 23 www.nyas.org/PersonalMed | Poster abstract deadline: March 12 Risk-Benefi t Considerations in Drug Regulatory Decision-Making JUNE 11 Th is conference will focus on a formalized, systematic approach for Probiotics: From Bench to Market assessing drug risks and benefi ts in the context of regulatory decisions A discussion on the emerging science of mechanisms behind the possible about which drugs should come to market. benefi ts of probiotic microorganisms in promoting human health and www.nyas.org/RiskBenefi t combating disease and the role of basic science in bringing a probiotic product to market. www.nyas.org/Probiotics | Poster abstract deadline: April 2

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