|
PREVIOUSLY ON SCIENCE AND SOCIETY —
Dr. James M. Gentile, President, Research Corporation
Professor Michael W. Deem, John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and Professor of Physics and
Astronomy, Rice University
Dr. Catherine T. Hunt, 2007 President of the American Chemical Society
Dr. Eric D. Isaacs, Director, Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, and
Professor of Physics, James Franck Institute, University of Chicago
Dr. Charis Eng, Chair and Director, Cleveland Clinic Genomic Medicine Institute; Member, Taussig Cancer Center; and
Professor and Vice Chairman, Department of Genetics,
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
|
|
Dr. David Lemberg,
Executive Producer of SCIENCE AND SOCIETY, delivered
his keynote address,
"Science Fiction Becoming Science Fact",
at The Molecular Convergence Conference, Tulsa, OK,
9-21-07 — available here (6-MB Power Point file)
|
|
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY PODCASTS
SUBSCRIBE to SCIENCE AND SOCIETY PODCASTS on
iTunes
Subscribe to the SCIENCE AND SOCIETY weekly
announcement list
|
|
|
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY is featured in the new book, Talk Radio for Authors—Getting Interviews
Across the U.S. and Canada
|
Listen to the SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview with . . .
Dr. James M. Gentile
Dr. James M. Gentile is president of Research Corporation, America’s second-oldest foundation and a major proponent of the advancement of science. He is a leader in the field of science education and a frequent speaker on issues involving the integration of scientific research and higher education.
Dr. Gentile is a geneticist. Before joining Research Corporation he focused his research on the role of metabolism in the conversion of natural and xenobiotic agents into mutagens and carcinogens. Among many other national and international awards, he has received the Alexander Hollaender Research Excellence Award from the Environmental Mutagen Society, and he has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was also the editor-in-chief for the international research journal Mutation Research for more than a decade.
Dr. Gentile is a national associate of the National Research Council (NRC), where he played a leadership role in the highly praised NRC publication Biology 2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Research Biologists. He currently serves as president for the International Association of Environmental Mutagen Societies and is a current member of the editorial boards of four international journals.
Dr. Gentile came to the Research Corporation from higher education. He served as dean for the natural sciences at Hope College in Holland, MI, where he held an endowed professorship. Over the years he has been a program director for grants from many public and private-sector institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the World Health Organization, and the Research Corporation.
Dr. Gentile graduated from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN, received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Illinois State University, and spent two years in postdoctoral studies in the Department of Human Genetics at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is the author of more than 100 research articles, book chapters, book reviews and special reports in areas of scientific research and higher education.
TOP
For nearly a century, Research Corporation, America’s first foundation for science advancement, has played a key role in creating the modern world and in improving our understanding of the universe.
Begun in 1912 by progressive science visionary Frederic Gardner Cottrell before the term “foundation” was in wide use, Research Corporation was supported in the early years by proceeds from the sale of Cottrell’s major invention, the electrostatic precipitator. The first major smokestack pollution-control device, it cleared the air of particulate matter over many 20th-century American factories.
Cottrell’s vision was that socially conscious academic scientists whose work Research Corporation supported would also contribute the rights to their inventions to the foundation. Over the years the foundation has benefited from patents for vitamins, antibiotics and the maser (precursor device to the laser), among other advancements. In return it has funded thousands of science projects at the nation’s colleges and universities, where most American research is conducted. More than 30 Nobel laureates, including Albert Einstein, have benefited, at some stage in their careers, from Research Corporation funding.
Among its accomplishments, which cover nearly all of the physical sciences, has been early support of research into rocket propulsion systems, atomic physics, nutritional diseases and astronomy. The foundation helped Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry; it funded the first large cyclotron; almost single-handedly wiped out pellagra and beriberi; and was instrumental in creating the field of radio astronomy.
Vannevar Bush, who was instrumental in creating the National Science Foundation, was among the many distinguished scientists, engineers, academicians, business and policy experts who have served on the Research Corporation Board. In the years before World War II – when the benefits of science advancement became starkly apparent – and the subsequent chartering of the NSF in 1950, Research Corporation was the pioneering agency supporting organized research programs in the United States.
More recently, anyone who has undergone magnetic resonance imaging has benefited from Research Corporation funding; and the foundation is currently helping to make possible the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). In conjunction with Google and many academic partners, the LSST will deliver a continuing torrent of information about our changing universe to anyone with access to the Worldwide Web, beginning in a few years.
Dr. James M. Gentile, current president of Research Corporation, says the foundation intends to continue supporting the best American science far into the future. “With every success, with each bit of knowledge gained, science becomes ever more complex, even as the problems facing a burgeoning humanity seem to grow more urgent,” Dr. Gentile adds. “In the face of our 21st century challenges – from global warming to energy scarcity, from genetic engineering to space exploration – Research Corporation will strive to be the ‘tip of the spear,’ opening new areas of study to benefit humankind.”
TOP |
|
|
|
Listen to the SCIENCE AND SOCIETY interview with . . .
Dr. Michael Deem
Dr. Michael W. Deem is the John W. Cox Professor in Biochemical and Genetic Engineering and Professor of Physics and
Astronomy at Rice University. His speciality is statistical mechanics, specifically the computer simulation of complex molecular systems. In many instances, the
methods employed allow investigation of the increasingly tailored microscopic properties of material and biological systems. Moreover, new field-theoretic techniques
in statistical mechanics allow computation of meso- and macroscopic material properties from such atomistic simulations. Professor Deem is interested in four main areas
of research: bioinformatics, immune system response, protein structure and drug discovery, and zeolite structure and nucleation. His group uses both simulation and
analytical statistical mechanics to attack these problems.
Professor Deem's many honors include the NSF CAREER Award (1997-2001); Northrop Grumman Outstanding Junior Faculty Research Award (1997); a Top 100 Young Innovator, MIT
Technology Review (November 1999); Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2000); and the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2002).
TOP |
|
|
|
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY focuses on medical breakthroughs, energy and the environment,
space exploration, nanotechnology, and K-12 science education. SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
promotes public awareness and understanding of science and enhancement and enrichment of math and science education.
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY provides extraordinary resources for a wide variety of projects for middle school, high school, and college students. SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
materials may be used for new research, curriculum development, and course design, and to promote the growth and development of the next generation of scientists,
mathematicians, and public policy experts.
Beginning our fifth year of broadcasting in June 2007, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY has presented conversations with more than 500 world leaders in science, industry,
and education, including Nobel Laureates, best-selling authors, visionary executives, and Federal and State public policy makers.
SCIENCE AND SOCIETY provides a supportive
conversational environment, allowing guests to present their mission and message to a wide-ranging
and inclusive international audience. SCIENCE AND SOCIETY participates in the process of strengthening the links between science and society, helping
to improve daily living, health, and well-being for
all of us for decades to come.
Dr. David Lemberg is Executive Producer and Host of SCIENCE AND SOCIETY.
David is a keynote speaker and media expert, focusing on science and public policy. His interests include communicating science to the public, promoting and
supporting the public understanding and awareness of science, and addressing
public concerns about science and how science is done. David has a formal background in biochemistry research. Previously, he
practiced chiropractic in Manhattan for more than 20 years.
David's television appearances as a featured expert include
WABC Sunday Eyewitness News and Good Day, New York. In September 2005 David was Moderator/MC for the "Oklahoma BioLife Science Symposium", in Oklahoma City.
In April 2005 he moderated the Boston conference, "The Health of Nations: Scotland and America
Life Science Partnerships".
Sam Kephart, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Producer Emeritus, of "Science and Society", is President and CEO of Virtual Acumen, a digital
media developer, e-learning, and creative production firm, based in Spearfish, SD. Sam has hosted and/or produced more than 250 television
and digital media projects for a wide range of clients.
Sam has been an award-winning salesman with over 30 years experience in
direct sales, sales training, sales management and marketing, with a
special emphasis in dealing with senior level executives,
dealer networks, and independent entrepreneurs.TOP
|
|