The Brown Daily Herald Wednesday, M arch 12, 2008
Volume CXLIII, No. 34
U. makes its case on young faculty’s need for NIH funds By Michael Skocpol News Editor
Stagnant funding for the National Institutes of Health may be taking a toll on young researchers and threatening the United States’ longterm status as the world’s leader in biomedical advancement, according to a glossy report released Tuesday by Brown and six other research institutions. Following a major federal investment in biomedical research that doubled the NIH’s budget between 1998 and 2003, the report says, budget increases have slowed and allowed inflation to “erode the purchasing power” of the NIH, a multibillion dollar federal agency that provides the vast majority of public funding for biomedical and health research in the United States. As a result, competition for NIH research funding among professors at Brown and nationwide has increased dramatically, plac-
O n e st e p at a t i m e
ing a particular burden on young investigators tr ying to establish themselves. The report, entitled “A Broken Pipeline? Flat Funding of the NIH Puts a Generation of Science at Risk,” was released Tuesday in Washington by Brown, Har vard, Duke University, Ohio State University, the University of California at Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University and Partners Healthcare. It presents the institutions’ concerns and profiles 12 early-career researchers — including Assistant Professor of Chemistr y Carthene Bazemore-Walker and Assistant Professor of Medical Science Tricia Serio — whose potentially important research endeavors have been hindered by the dwindling availability of funds, the report says. Brown derives about 45 percent of its external research funds from the 27 institutes that make up the continued on page 4
Rahul Keerthi / Herald
The Fusion Spring Dance Show runs March 12 to March 16 at 8 p.m. in Ashamu Dance Studio.
Concerts sell out, students cry fiasco BCA may later release 1,000 tickets for M.I.A. By Sam Byker Senior Staff Writer
“Buy one ticket!” Nicholas Carter ’11 yelled at the line in front of him in lower Faunce House Tuesday afternoon. Brown Concert Agency members had been walking through the Post Office, breaking the news to hundreds of students waiting for Spring Weekend tickets that they were likely to walk away emptyhanded, and Carter worried he would be among them. After record-breaking sales on
Monday — when almost two-thirds of the tickets for each concert sold in just four hours — hundreds vowed to arrive early. But many were shocked when tickets sold out at 1:30 p.m., leaving students dejected and BCA members reeling at the unprecedented two-day surge. “To give you an idea, last year, the first six days were a record for us. We sold 1,453 packages,” said Elliot Colbert ’09, the BCA board member in charge of ticketing. “Yesterday, we sold 1,506.” And though demand was high in 2007, he said, sales continued for weeks before tickets for both shows sold out. This year, it took seven-and-ahalf hours.
When sales began Tuesday, at 10 a.m., two separate lines already wound to the back of the Post Office. Lamya Khoury ’08 joined one at 11 a.m. but failed to get a ticket. “I’m more upset than angry,” she said. Though she’s been a fan of rapper M.I.A. for years and was excited to see her at Brown, Khoury is now facing the prospect of “all my friends out at Spring Weekend going crazy while I’m sitting alone in my room listening to my Spring Weekend playlist,” she said. Many students were unhappy with the BCA’s sales policies. “There’s no way tickets should sell continued on page 8
Times editor tells women how to succeed By Joanna Wohlmuth Senior Staff Writer
Female scientists should know what they want out of their careers and pursue those goals, Cornelia Dean ’69, former science editor at the New York Times, told about 25 female students, faculty and community members in Petteruti Lounge Tuesday night. Though many barriers prevent women from advancing in the sciences, they can succeed by networking, believing in their abilities and learning how to negotiate, she said. Dean is currently a lecturer in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard and a trustee of the Corporation, Brown’s highest governing body. The lecture, which was organized by the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, was part of a series of events for Women’s History Month to explore the theme of “Women Inside/Outside Tradition.” Dean drew on statistics, personal
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experience and the observations of others to address the underrepresentation of women in science. The National Academy of Sciences is less than 20 percent female; the National Academy of Engineering is “thrilled” that five percent of their members are women; and top-tier research institutions have very few female professors in science fields, Dean said. Studies “demonstrate very clearly that people judge Ken’s resume better than Karen’s,” she added. But, Dean said, it “is a mistake to dwell on these things.” “There are real things still happening that we can work on,” she said. Many problems affecting women in science stem from a double standard applied to women in sciencerelated fields and cultural constructs that associate science with “masculine characteristics” such as aggression and curiosity, Dean said. To be successful, women must
free iphones... Abilene Christian University is giving incoming freshmen iPhones, upsetting some
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Rahul Keerthi / Herald
Cornelia Dean ‘69, a former editor at the New York Times
be high-achieving, develop negotiation skills and “find a mentor,” Dean said. Because of the disadvantages women must work through to gain prominence as scientists, it is crucial to network and find people whose opinions are respected who will “be in your corner and on your side,” she said. “Even if you have to hold your nose and look the other way,” continued on page 8
Last-minute paper? Writing Fellows in libraries can help late-night writers find their mojo
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U. looking at political speech policy, parking By Emmy Liss Senior Staff Writer
Brown’s general counsel and top student life officials reviewed the University’s policy regarding political speech on campus for members of the Brown University Community Council in its monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon. Members also heard a presentation on campus safety and discussed efforts to manage rising demand for parking on College Hill. Clarifying the University’s policy on campus political speech, administrators said they believe it’s important to encourage student political activity on campus, but that, as a non-profit organization, Brown must comply with certain rules. The University can’t hold any fund-raising events on its campus, but it can host speakers. Administrators are in the process of redrafting a policy to better reflect the school’s goals, said Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, interim vice president for campus life and student services. The current policy is not as helpful as it could be, said Ricky Gresh, director of student activities. Student groups looking to bring speakers to campus should be able to follow a set policy, he added. But there should not be a standard for political speakers different from the rules that govern any event sponsored by a student group, Gresh added. Candidates may also rent University facilities, independent of an invitation to campus, just like any other individual or group can, Carey said. Beverly Ledbetter, vice president and general counsel, said IRS guidelines apply to all universities, but must be “context-driven” and interpreted in developing a Brown-specific policy. “You’re not going to find crosscampus consistency,” she said. “It’s
You’ve got votes Max Chaiken ’09 thinks Dems should save money by holding online elections
195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island
an integration of the law and the campus culture, (though) there will be some underlying themes across all campuses.” The University is required to stay neutral and allow all candidates to receive equal access to the campus, she said. If multiple candidates are invited to campus and only one accepts, that individual still may speak here. “It’s all about giving opportunity,” Gresh said. “Not how they use it.” Council members asked about candidate propaganda around campus, including stickers on dorm windows. One council member asked whether it’s permissible for candidates to appear at Brown on the same day they hold fund-raising events off-campus. Ledbetter said that as long as no University mechanisms or resources are used, Brown cannot preclude fund raising from occurring on the same night that a candidate visits Brown. Stickers are acceptable, but there is a prohibition against using the campus as an advertisement space, she said. Michael McCormick, assistant vice president of planning, design and construction, also presented on the University’s parking crunch at the meeting. He first showed council members a 1925 newspaper clipping that argued Providence needed to fix its transportation issues. Since then, however, parking and transportation have been perennial problems for the city. The three main areas that need to be addressed are demand, management and parking, he said. McCormick presented recommendations from the College Hill Parking Task Force, which is comprised of businesses, neighborhood associacontinued on page 6
tomorrow’s weather You might see the sun, just like you might see the Spring Weekend concert
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