REGIONAL GROUPS

by Suzanne Clancy

Georgia

Suzanne Clancy

In May, members of the Georgia Area Science Writers Association (GASWA) took a trip into a future in which surgeons will have access to "off-the-shelf" replacement blood vessels, bone, cartilage, and even complex organs like hearts-thanks to tissue engineering research. Robert Nerem, director of the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues, explained the promises and challenges of growing blood vessels, hearts, and other replacement parts in the lab. Robert Guldberg of Georgia Tech and Ioannis Constantinidis of Emory University detailed their work in bone growth and a bioartificial pancreas. Following the presentation, doctoral students toured GASWAns through labs where cartilage was being grown and the mechanical properties of cultured blood vessels studied. The NSF-sponsored Center is a project of Georgia Tech and Emory University, both located in Atlanta.

Philadelphia

In April, the Philadelphia Area Science Writers (PaSWA) met at the Franklin Institute for a planetarium show that included an overview of current theories concerning the origins of the universe and some of the latest images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Afterwards, exhibit developer Jim Moskowitz led a tour of Sports Challenge, an exhibit demonstrating the physics, physiology, and material science involved in such sports as surfing, rock climbing, and skiing. Moskowitz also gave PaSWA members an advance look at KidScience, an exhibit that opened May 18. KidScience lets five- to eight-year-olds explore, in an interactive context, some of the scientific principles pertaining to light, water, earth, and air.

PaSWA met in May at the Academy of Natural Sciences to learn about biodiversity informatics-what it is, and why it matters-from Dr. Meredith Lane, senior vice president for science at the Academy. Dr. Lane showed the group the Academy's digitized collections of birds, fish, and mollusks, and discussed how digital technologies will help advance biodiversity research in the future.

PaSWA also continues meeting for dinner and drinks, including recent excursions to sample Indian and Thai cuisine as well as a visit to a local brew pub.

New York

In March, SWINY members toured behind the scenes at The American Museum of Natural History to learn about genomics, including a visit to its state-of-the-art molecular laboratory with its version of a museum collection-a frozen tissue bank-as well as its supercomputing facility. Members got opportunities for personal DNA screening and to quiz experts on the museum's research, including Rob DeSalle, Ph.D., co-director of the Molecular Systematics Laboratories, curator of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, and curator of The Genomic Revolution; Darrel Frost, Ph.D., associate curator of the Division of Herpetology; and Ward Wheeler, Ph.D., curator of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology.

In April, SWINY held a panel discussion on fellowships, workshops, and other interesting opportunities for science writers. Speakers included representatives from the Knight Fellowships at MIT, the Marine Biological Laboratory, Council on the Advancement of Science Writing, the Kaiser Foundation, and the Fullbright committee. Also available at the meeting was a wide selection of brochures and applications from programs around the country (ranging from weekend courses and travel grants, to project support and year-long university stays).

In May, SWINY's own Bob Cooke shared his 10-year adventure of reporting for Newsday on Judah Folkman's research on angiogensis and how he developed this work into his book Dr. Folkman's War: Angiogenesis and the Struggle to Defeat Cancer. Cooke discussed dealing with the incredibly media-shy Folkman and the details of how the book got published, including the effect on his book proposal of the media hoopla after Gina Kolata's controversial front-page story in the New York Times. Cooke also reviewed the current status of angiogenesis-related drugs as well as his experiences during his 35-year career as a science and medical journalist at Newsday and other major newspapers.

And finally, SWINY reports a change of leadership. Carol Ezzell is stepping down as co-chair after two-and-a-half years of excellent service. She will remain on the board and continue in the role as SWINY treasurer. Mariette Di Christina Gerosa, who recently joined Scientific American as executive editor, assumes the duties of SWINY co-chair together with Marion E. Glick of Porter Novelli. Joe Bonner of Rockefeller University remains as secretary.

San Diego

In April, the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society was held in San Diego. In conjunction with that meeting, SANDSWA members attended a media reception hosted by the ACS communications office. Several conference speakers were on hand, which facilitated the gathering of background information by writers covering the meeting.

Four SANDSWA equestrians have started a special-interest group known as the "Science Writer Riders." Back at the barn, they recently discussed a paper on horse locomotion (Preferred Speed and Cost of Transport: The Effect of Incline) that appeared in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Another SANDSWA special-interest group is "Pitch and Bitch," a half dozen science and nature writers who meet once a month for pizza, support, and critiquing of work.

Washington, DC

In March, DC science writers met on Capitol Hill for an informal Q&A with Congressman Sherwood ("Sherry") Boehlert, the new chairman of the House Science Committee.

April's event highlighted the newest trend in the science of the ancient: reconstructing dinosaurs digitally. Ralph Chapman and Linda Deck, paleontologists at the National Museum of Natural History, have CT-scanned the museum's Triceratops-the oldest such museum specimen in the US-and created computer models that let researchers see how the bones fit together as the dinosaur moved. Chapman and Deck use rapid prototyping, creating small scale models from the CT data, to test theories of how the dinosaur stood, how it defended against enemies, and what it ate.

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Suzanne Clancy is science writer at The Salk Institute, in La Jolla, CA. Send information on regional meetings and events to clancy@salk.edu.