Go Vote!

Okay so we all like to talk about what “Change Makers” we are here at FIC and how the Society represents the American people. Well let’s all put our money where our mouth is. Unless you have been under a rock you know that today is Election day. So go make a difference. No matter where you live, what race or gender you are, we all need to get out and vote. So quit reading this and get to it…….

The Ortiz de Solorzano Lab

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet with Carlos Ortiz de Solorzano, PhD, staff scientist in the Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. His research involves doing three-dimensional quantitative analysis of cellular and structural changes in breast tissue, as it progresses from normal to malignant conditions. His lab site reads:

The main goal of my lab is to understand complex biological systems by combining morphological and molecular three-dimensional analysis. For that purpose we use three-dimensional microscopy and quantitative image analysis. Our emphasis is in understanding normal mammary gland development and what goes wrong in breast cancer.

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A worthy goal

The first official issue of the Public Library of Science Biology is online. This is perhaps what you’d call an “open source” approach to science publishing. Scientists with no less prominence than Harold Varmus have been trying to wrest the control of scientific publication from a small group of publishing companies that charge very high prices (exorbitant or not is debatable) for scientific publications. The tradition—serving prestige and career interests of scientists as well as fat bottom lines of publishers—very significantly curtails the circulation of findings for research that is overwhelmingly paid for by taxpayers and by nonprofit funders, e.g., ACS. This is an attempt to create an alternative.

This ought to resonate with the ACS. Hasn’t it been the case that we have always wanted research findings concerning cancer in the public domain?

The articles are freely accessible and downloadable without fees. This is sort of revolutionary and it is achieved by—get this—having the author’s pay PloS $1,500 to cover review and editing costs. It’s not going to come from authors’ personal pockets; they’ll just add a $1,500 publishing cost item into their grant requests. Small change, overall.

“By removing restrictions on the sharing of knowledge — ensuring that anyone, anywhere can access the latest research findings — PLoS Biology will speed the pace of scientific discovery.”

Let’s hope so.

ACSU Asia 2003

The American Cancer Society University (ACSU) Asia will be held in Okaland, CA Spetember 14-20, 2003. The purpose of this international program is to aid patients and those at risk for cancer worldwide by strengthening the capacity of developing cancer societies (NGOs) and outreach programs of institutions to engage in the global fight against cancer. ACSU Asia brings together 19 scholars from 8 Asia countries for a one-week training in California, followed by seed grants, online programs, and regional trainings. The 8 Asia counties include Bangladesh, China (P.R. China, Hong Kong & Taiwan), India, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.