TweeT abouT The annual meeTing: use #ASBMB2010 April 2010 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Abstract Submission and Registration Opening Soon! September 30 – October 4, 2010 Transcriptional Regulation by Chromatin and RNA Polymerase II Granlibakken Resort, Tahoe City, CA Organizer: Ali Shilatifard Stowers Institute for Medical Research October 14 – October 17, 2010 Biochemistry and Cell Biology Of ESCRTs in Health and Disease Snowbird Resort, Snowbird, UT Organizer: James Hurley National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Phyllis Hanson Washington University School of Medicine October 21 – October 24, 2010 Detection and Physiological Evaluation Granlibakken Resort, Tahoe City, CA Organizer: Katalin Medzihradszky University of California, San Francisco Gerald Hart Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine October 28 – October 31, 2010 Secretory and Endocytic Pathways Granlibakken Resort, Tahoe City, CA Organizer: Stanford University School of Medicine Vivek Malhotra Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, Spain www.asbmb.org/meetings contents April 2010 On the cover: Read about the work of Jorge Cham, society news our cover artist, 2 Letters to the Editor and other science cartoons. 16 4 President’s Message Cover imAge reprinted with permission from Jorge ChAm. 6 News from the Hill 9 Washington Update 10 ASBMB Journal Innovations 11 ASBMB Announces Diversity in Science Award 12 Retrospective: Philip Siekevitz (1918 – 2009) Social Media at the Annual Meeting. 13 Retrospective: 23 Marshall Nirenberg (1927 – 2010) 14 Member Spotlight feature stories 16 The Graduate Student Experience, In Four Panels 2010 annual meeting 20 Getting the Most Out of the Annual Meeting 22 Back by Popular Demand: The Annual Meeting Compendia in every issue 23 Sci.comm The ASBMB 2010 special symposia lineup. 28 24 Education 27 Minority Affairs 28 Meetings 32 BioBits asbmb today online 34 Career Insights In this month’s podcast, you can hear JBC Associate Editor Dale Benos talk about a new 36 Lipid News thematic minireview series he is coordinating on the biochemistry of hypertension. To hear this and other podcasts, go to www.asbmb.org/Interactive.aspx. April 2010 ASBMB Today 1 letters to the editor A monthly publication of the American society for harm— ironically one of the main rea- Biochemistry and molecular Biology Advice and sons he was chosen to head the ACMD. Officers According to the now ex-chief of the Gregory A. Petsko President Dissent Suzanne R. Pfeffer President-Elect ACMD, he got approval of both the Mark A. Lemmon Secretary lecture slides and text from the relevant Merle S. Olson Treasurer Dear Editor, I would start by saying that “El government department (http://bit.ly/ Council Members Dafna Bar-Sagi Ruma V. Banerjee Presidente’s” messages are one of the cGo8UV). The lecture was in the public Benjamin F. Cravatt Joan A. Steitz reasons I browse ASBMB Today. I not domain in July 2009, and the sacking Thomas E. Smith Ann M. Stock James A. Wells Adrian Whitty only find myself generally in agree- did not occur until it was published as a briefing pamphlet by the organizers Ex-Officio Members ment with the opinions expressed in Ellis Bell his messages on various subjects, but I at the CCJS in October 2009 (which, I Chair, education and professional development Committee also enjoy his refreshing outspokenness guess, if it had not been at the center Joan W. Conaway on controversial issues (such as on the of the sacking, would have been read Chair, meetings Committee John D. Scott financial crisis and big pharma, ASBMB by fewer readers than those of ASBMB Chair, membership Committee Today, May 2009) and his tendency to Today). Craig E. Cameron Chair, minority Affairs Committee tell the truth to power (i.e., his critiques The transcript (http://bit.ly/cfWVoD), Laurie S. Kaguni of the former U.S. administration). I which is not bedtime reading, is evi- 2010 Annual meeting program Coordinator William C. Merrick was, therefore, surprised to see coy- dently meant for connoisseurs and the Chair, public Affairs Advisory Committee ness and a nod about the actualité highly referenced. It appears that the Toni M. Antalis Chair, publications Committee politique from the United Kingdom— assessment that Nutt had delved into Herbert Tabor namely the dismissal of the chief of policy and politics rather than sticking editor, JBC Ralph A. Bradshaw the Advisory Council on the Misuse of to science (a judgment both the home A. L. Burlingame Drugs (ASBMB Today, Dec. 2009). This secretary and Petsko seem to arrive at) Co-editors, MCP Edward A. Dennis particular case, in my view, is an issue is the result of the last paragraph of the Joseph L. Witztum of academic freedom. It ought to be lecture: Co-editors, JLR an important freedom, particularly for “Another key question we have to ASBMB Today Editorial Advisory Board Alex Toker scientists who advise politicians, and, in address as a society is whether our Chair my view, distinguishes them from being attitude to drugs is driven because of Greg P. Bertenshaw Craig E. Cameron A. Stephen Dahms Irwin Fridovich perceived as politicians. their harms or are we engaging in a Jonathan Gitlin Richard W. Hanson The purpose of my letter is not to moral debate? One thing this govern- Elizabeth A. Komives Bettie Sue Masters ment has done extremely well in the Luke A. O’Neill Duanqing Pei defend David Nutt, who, I am sure, is Carol C. Shoulders Robert D. Wells more than capable of his own defense. last ten years is to cut away much of the ASBMB Today I also do not wish to speculate on moral argument about drug treatments. Nicole Kresge Editor why the home secretary of the United They have moved in the direction of [email protected] Kingdom government decided Nutt was improving access to harm-reduction Nick Zagorski Science Writer [email protected] surplus to requirement. I am writing treatments, an approach that, I think, is Nancy J. Rodnan Director of Publications because I disagree with the implica- wholly endorsed by the scientific com- [email protected] tion of the president’s message that munity and by the medical profession. Barbara Gordon Executive Director [email protected] somehow there are clear dividing lines For reasons that are not clear, the same Magazine design & production: Amy Phifer between scientific assessment and pol- evidence-based change has not hap- icy advice, particularly when the public pened in relation to the classification for information on advertising, contact Capitol media solutions at 800-517-0610 perception of risk and risk assessment of drugs of misuse. I think it should or [email protected] are under consideration. happen, because, while I’m not a moral The reasons given for sacking Nutt philosopher, it seems to me difficult to are in the public domain: publication of defend a moral argument in relation an academic lecture given to the Center to drugs if you don’t apply it to other www.asbmb.org for Crime and Justice Studies at Kings equally harmful activities.” College, London, in July 2009. Nutt In the context of a lecture that pur- gave the lecture in his capacity as an ports to identify and compare various expert in the area of drug misuse and risks and harm (including devising a 2 ASBMB Today April 2010 letters to the editor drugs harm ranking), and the audience scientific and religious thought. districts, to give them the information to which it was delivered, I leave it to I feel that we should be doing they need to make science current and the readers of ASBMB Today to decide something to engage the public, to let relevant to their students. I believe that if the offending paragraph is reason them know about the excitement and it is incumbent upon us to engage the enough to justify having an “agenda,” fascination of science. If every college public in this dialogue. In our experi- as Petsko suggests. The debate about and university in the country were to ence, the faculty members are elated to risks afflicting modern existence is develop a lecture series focused on engage in this sort of outreach, and, in fraught with irrationality and politics. science for the public, it would advance our neck of the world, at least, we are It could do without sane, rational men our cause enormously. having great success. advocating for more of its politiciza- Here, in inland Southern Califor- Thomas O. Baldwin tion. I would finish by quoting from nia, where I landed 18 months ago, Dean, College of Natural and the condemned man’s lecture: “I think religious conservatives make up a Agricultural Sciences we need to improve the general under- significant percentage of the popula- University of California, Riverside standing of relative harms. I think we tion. Shortly after arriving, I chal- need to educate people about drug lenged our faculty members to develop harms in relation to the harms of other a five-lecture series on the science Erratum: activities in life, so that it is possible for of evolution. The faculty members The final paragraph in the March them to make sensible decisions about initially were concerned that the public Lipid News article “The Unmask- relative harms.” would either torch the campus or just ing of Plasmalogens: Chlorinated Aamir Ahmed not show up. They wanted to hold the Lipids” contains some factual University College London lectures in a small classroom since they errors. The corrected paragraph were sure that no more than 20 people should read: would attend. I insisted that we use the “In the future, we should university theater, which seats about Engaging consider the significance of the 500. As it turned out, the series was accumulation of chlorinated lipids the public standing-room-only— people literally filled the aisles— at all five lectures.