ASBMB LAUNCHES AUDIOPHILES PODCASTS December 2007 Cholesterol Metabolism in the Brain American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2008 ® 42==7@C =2E63C62<:?8 2acZ]&¿* 23DEC24ED www.eb2008.org Da`_d`cd+ 222 December 10, 2007. 22: Wednesday, April 9, 2008. 2AD 2D3>3 www.eb2008.org Wednesday, February 6, 2008. 2D:A www.eb2008.org 2D? 2DA6E [email protected] DRgV>`_Vj contents DECEMBER 2007 ON THE COVER: John Dietschy is studying society news cholesterol processing in the brain to find ways to 2 President’s Message prevent it from accumulating abnormally. 26 4 Washington Update CHOLESTEROL IMAGE CREDIT: KEN BUTENHOF. 10 New Skin Lipids Series in JLR 10 ASBMB Launches AudioPhiles Podcasts 12 Retrospective: Arthur Kornberg (1918—2007) special interest 11 Women in Science is Focus of Hill Hearings, Legislation 14 Trends in Employment and Awards 2008 meeting overview 16 The 2008 FASEB Excellence in Science Award: Mina J. Bissell 17 The 2008 Avanti Award in Lipids: Alexandra C. Newton pg (1918—2007) 12 science focus 26 John Dietschy: Understanding Cholesterol Metabolism Biomedical Science Ph.D. Employment 120,000 departments 100,000 80,000 5 News from the Hill 60,000 8 Member Spotlight 40,000 20,000 18 Minority Affairs 0 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 20 Career Insights Other Government Industry Academia 22 Education and Training py 14 24 BioBits resources 30 Career Opportunities podcast summary 34 For Your Lab This month’s ASBMB AudioPhiles Podcast looks at a line of “mighty mice” bred by Case Western 35 Scientific Meeting Calendar Reserve University researchers as well as the classic work of protein chemist Frank W. Putnam. Download the podcast at: http://www.faseb.org/asbmb/media/media.as December 2007 ASBMB Today 1 president’smessage A monthly publication of The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ASBMB’s Ongoing Officers Heidi E. Hamm President Activities in Gregory A. Petsko President-Elect Mark A. Lemmon Secretary Peer Review Merle S. Olson Treasurer BY HEIDIHAMM Council Members Alan Hall Kuan-Teh Jeang Suzanne R. Pfeffer Linda J. Pike John D. Scott Joan A. Steitz Kevin Struhl James A. Wells SBMB has taken a strong and detail next month. For now, we are Ex-Officio Members Aactive role in providing the pleased to report that the peer review Ellis Bell National Institutes of Health (NIH) system, according to the feedback we Chair, Education and Professional with advice during its year-long effort have received, is in generally good Development Committee Laurie S. Kaguni to review and (we hope) make improve- shape. However, a few storm clouds are Chair, Meeting Committee ments in its peer review system. on the horizon. George Hill Elsewhere in this issue of ASBMB Today Members of the study sections Chair, Minority Affairs Committee Kendall J. Blumer is an article about ongoing peer review generally think the system is working Anna Marie Pyle meetings under the aegis of a working well. Respondents thought the quali- Co-chairs, 2008 Program Committee group of the Advisory Committee to ties of the reviews are mostly fair, the Mary J. C. Hendrix Chair, Public Affairs Advisory Committee the director of NIH. These meetings, expertise on the sections is appropriate, Robert E. Rhoads chaired by ASBMB members Keith and the Scientific Review Administra- Chair, Publications Committee Yamamoto and Lawrence Tabak, have tors (SRAs) for the study sections being Herbert Tabor Editor, JBC been very well attended, and ASBMB looked at were generally competent and Ralph A. Bradshaw has had representatives at all of them. qualified.Th e major problem raised is A. L. Burlingame A parallel track of meetings is being that it is extremely difficult to discrimi- Co-editors, MCP Edward A. Dennis organized by NIH’s Center for Scien- nate between equally meritorious pro- Editor, JLR tific Review. These p“o en houses” have posals when only a limited number can ASBMB Today been held regularly all year, and the be funded. This of course is not a prob- Editorial Advisory Board goal is that when completed, all Initial lem with the peer review system per Alex Toker Review Groups and the study sections se; rather, it is a problem of not enough Chair grouped underneath them will have money in the system (we hope you have Mike Autry Greg P. Bertenshaw Craig E. Cameron A. Stephen Dahms been reviewed for effectiveness. contacted your member of Congress at Irwin Fridovich Richard W. Hanson ASBMB has joined the American some point this year about the impor- Elizabeth A. Komives Bettie Sue Masters Luke A. O’Neill Society for Cell Biology in an effort to tance of funding NIH adequately!). Duanqing Pei Carol C. Shoulders generate data from a survey of some As might be expected, the responses Robert D. Wells of our members on how the study sec- from applicants were somewhat more ASBMB Today tions are functioning, and many of you negative. Only about three-quarters Nicole Kresge Editor received a copy of the survey in late of the respondents believed that their [email protected] October. applications were assigned to the Nick Zagorski Science Writer [email protected] So far, we have received almost appropriate section, and only about Nancy J. Rodnan Director of Publications 400 responses from people who have half of the respondents thought that [email protected] submitted grant applications to the section members in the aggregate had Barbara Gordon Executive Director [email protected] study sections being reviewed in the appropriate level of expertise to Magazine design & production: Amy Phifer November and December and almost review their applications. More worri- 200 responses from current or former some, almost half of the respondents to For information on advertising contact FASEB AdNet at 800-433-2732 ext. 7157 or members of these same study sec- the survey whose sections were being 301-634-7157, or E-mail [email protected]. tions. We are reviewing the data and reviewed at the November open house will share the results with you in more did not think the process was thorough www.asbmb.org December 2007 or fair. Complaints about reviewer These results are not necessarily you. Please write to our public affairs bias or hidden agendas, contradic- surprising. However, as with most officer, Pete Farnham, atp farnham@ tory reviews, slowness, and too much such surveys, the unsolicited com- asbmb.org. Provide Pete with the emphasis on preliminary data were ments, especially from the members name of the study section, whether common. of the study sections in question, are you were an applicant or a member Finally, about 26% of applicants useful and interesting. I will have (and when), and any comments you who submitted to the study sections more results to report in my next have, particularly if you have sugges- being reviewed in November were column. tions on how to improve the system. It funded (only applications with a If you have experiences as a is only by letting NIH know how the priority score averaging less than 150 member or applicant before any system is working (or not) that it will received funding). study section, we’d like to hear from be improved. Errata: An article in the November issue of ASBMB Todayy mistakenly said that David Allis identified the first HAT. This is incorrect. 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