Results of surveys and studies suggest that too few African-American and female students aspire to and achieve doctoral degrees in biological sciences. It has also been suggested that gender and racial inequities exist in teaching and research faculties in higher education, especially in the biomedical sciences. Thus, few role models are available…

In order for the United States to hold its long-standing position as an international leader in research and development, current as well as future generations must be made aware of the relationship between basic research and improvements in the quality of life. Seven subcommittees were asked to present overviews and discussions of their…

Provides a summary of some of the recent activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from the perspective of the current director. Emphasizes making NIH better known to the American people and presenting the attractions of the many roles in health-related research to young people formulating career plans. (TW)

Reviews the literature regarding the teaching of ethics in medical schools. Defines medical ethics and attempts to determine the scope of medical ethics teaching. Discusses ways medical ethics could be taught and how that teaching can be assessed. Calls for increased attention into the teaching of medical ethics. (TW)

Sequencing of the human genome has ushered in a new era of biology. The technologies developed to facilitate the sequencing of the human genome are now being applied to the sequencing of other genomes. In 2004, a partnership was formed between Washington University School of Medicine Genome Sequencing Center's Outreach Program and Washington…

This document outlines the issues of importance to higher education that face the 102nd Congress of the United States Government of which three have paramount importance: (1) securing adequate funding of student assistance programs; (2) assuring tax policies which provide maximum incentives to enlarge the nation's technical and professional skills…

Much of U.S. public policy reflects what is valued most in the United States--entrepreneurship, the productive interaction of market forces, individual achievement, and inventiveness. It appears to some that the United States has become preoccupied with short-term concerns and has not been acting with its accustomed determination to maximize…

It is argued that changes in the biomedical research environment and health care system call for reexamination of the mission and value of research and graduate education programs in basic sciences in pharmacy schools. Trends in research funding and graduate-level basic sciences are noted though contributions of these efforts to the field are…

Describes the Mayo Minority Scholars Program, which helps American Indian and other minority students become doctors, medical faculty, or biomedical researchers by matching them with appropriate mentors. Relates the authors' perspectives and experiences as mentor and student. Includes program and contact information. (JAT)

Science is many things to many people: a way of thinking and an activity of individuals in the laboratory; a highly structured institution that recruits, instructs, and regulates its members; and a sensitive, interactive, and integrated segment of modern culture and society. This book presents an introduction to these aspects of science from the…