STEP Science Policy Journal Club

Inauguration day special!

"Scientists in the Obama Administration: a discussion of the backgrounds, and challenges for Obama Science appointees" presented by Natasha Keith.

We will be discussing a one-page summary of National Academy alumni appointed to the Obama Administration http://www.nationalacademies.org/headlines/20081223.html and a one-page summary of all of Barack Obama's announced appointments http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/12/name_by_name_barack_obamas_cab.html. For the very interested, we are also providing access to a National Academy of Sciences booklet on recommendations to the president on the process of selecting science advisers. 

Appetizers from India Palace Restaurant will be served!

January 27, 2009
6:30-7:30 pm
621 Stanley Hall

White Paper Competition Kick-off Event

Come learn about the STEP White Paper Competition from STEP organizers. We will also have a panel of last year's finalists to describe how they wrote their proposals and answer any questions about the experience.

Pizza will be served!

White Paper Competition Intent to Submit Deadline

If you intend to submit a proposal for our White Paper Competition, please e-mail an abstract of no more than 300 words and proposed title for your submission as well as your expected team members, e-mail addresses, and affiliations to step.whitepapergmail.com as soon as possible. Put "STEP Intent to Submit" in the title line. Only one e-mail is needed per team. This is non-binding and will ensure you are kept up to date with information on the competition.

STEP Science Policy Journal Club

"Science Education: No Country Left Behind" presented by Lindsay Glesener

We will be talking about science education in the US, and take a look at the "No Child Left Behind" and COMPETES acts.

Discussion of Science education:  http://www.issues.org/21.2/bybee.html

The official policy: http://science.house.gov/legislation/leg_highlights_detail.aspx?NewsID=1938 http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/execsumm.html

Gourmet meat and vegetarian skewers from Whole Foods will be served!

White Paper Competition Science Writing Workshop

A panel of experienced science writers will each give a short presentation, followed by a general Q&A session, and time for independent questions.

Space is limited and on a first come, first served basis. If you are interested in participating, please RSVP by emailing step.whitepapergmail.com.

STEP Science Policy Journal Club

"Stem Cells and Public Policy" presented by Melanie Prasol

We will be discussing the politics of Stem Cells.  

Readings for this time:

A recent New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/us/politics/09stem.html?_r=2&hp
A UCSD website about separating costs:
http://stemcells.ucsd.edu/faq-separation.asp
And this article (pdf):

Appetizers from the Thai House will be served!

White Paper Competition Final Submissions Due

Please submit essays electronically in pdf or doc format by 5pm on March 23, 2009 to step.whitepapergmail.com. Put "STEP Paper Submission" in the subject line.

White Paper Competition Finalists Announced

Last STEP Science Policy Journal Club for this academic year!

"Personal Genomics: Expectations and Regulation" presented by Matt Davis

Readings for this time:

Hogarth, et al, "The Current Landscape for Direct-toConsumer Genetic Testing: Legal, Ethical, and Policy Issues"
Hunter, et al, "Letting the Genome out of the Bottle--Will We Get Our Wish?"
And for fun:   http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/magazine/11Genome-t.html?_r=2

Gourmet bread, cheese, fruit, and cake from the Virginia bakery will be served!

April 23, 2009
2:00 - 6:00 pm
Boalt Morrison Foerster Lounge, Simon Hall

White Paper Competition Finalist Symposium

Finalists will present their proposals and be competing for $8000.00 in cash prizes.

2pm: Keynote Address
3pm: Student Presentations
5pm: Reception - Food will be served.

Keynote:

Darwin, Dover, and Intelligent Design: science teaching and public policy
Kevin Padian, PhD
Professor of Integrative Biology and Curator of the Museum of Paleontology. President of the National Center for Science Education. Expert witness in the Dover (PA) intelligent design trial.

Finalists:

Magneto-optic technology hits the field: A pilot program to implement a new malaria diagnostic device in Southern Benin (Natasha Keith and Terry Yen)
Policy Proposals to Reduce Overharvest from Marine Fisheries (Evelyn Chang)
KnowPrivacy (Joshua Gomez, Ashkan Soltani, and Travis Pinnick)
Medical Smart Card System for Patient Record Management (Changui Xiao and Arthur Yu)
Neurological priming of ASD patients in human-robot interaction studies reveal need for novel approach in technology regulation (Julia Piper)

Judges:

Michael Eisen (Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, UC Berkeley)
Jane Mauldon (Goldman School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley)
Tony Kingsbury (Center for Responsible Business, Haas Business School, UC Berkeley)
Brandon Conrad (BlueMap, Inc.)

Sponsors:

The Associated Students of the University of California, Berkeley
Big Ideas @ Berkeley
Synthentic Biology Engineering Research Center, UC Berkeley
Invitrogen
Gilead Sciences, Inc
The Elsevier Foundation
The Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program

Arthur Reingold, M.D.
Professor and Head of Epidemiology
Associate Dean for Research
UC Berkeley School of Public Health

The Policy Challenges of Preparing for a Possible Avian Flu Pandemic in Humans

Abstract: H5N1 influenza virus (Avian Flu) is circulating widely in avian populations in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Over 400 cases of human H5N1 influenza have been documented in humans, as a result of bird to human transmission. When H5N1 is transmitted to humans, over half of those who develop pneumonia die. There is widespread concern that the H5N1 virus could become readily transmissible from human to human and retain its pathogenicity, in which case a human pandemic of H5N1 disease is likely, although it remains unclear whether the H5N1 virus is capable of changing in this way. This talk will discuss the policy challenges posed by the unknown probability that a human pandemic of H5N1 infections will occur at some point in the future.

May 5, 2009
5:00 - 6:00 pm
621 Stanley Hall

Robert Nussbaum, M.D.
Chief of Medical Genetics, UCSF

Genomics and Personalized Medicine: ­ Are we there yet?

Abstract: For more than two decades, human genomics has been touted as promising to revolutionize health care, reduce costs, and usher in an era of truly "Personalized Medicine". There has been an explosion of genomics research with applications to medicine, including: genome-wide association studies directed towards identifying genetic variants that contribute to many common disorders; pharmacogenetics, which attempts to use individual genetic variation to identify individuals who may benefit from particular drug therapy; and tumor profiling, which attempts to correlate patterns of gene expression in the tumor with prognosis and treatment response. Genetic testing has been steadily growing into a multibillion dollar business with a variety of providers. The purpose of the session will be to review the basic science of how human genetics analyzes complex traits and introduce the concept of the Translational T1 through T4 steps, a paradigm for translational medicine that is frequently invoked to describe how to bring genomic medicine to bear in regular clinical practice.

Sept 15, 2009
5:00 - 6:00 pm
177 Stanley Hall

Dr. William J. Perry
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense

Technology and National Security

4:45 pm - Coffee served in Stanley Hall atrium
Food and beverages will be served at a reception following the seminar.

Speaker Bio: Dr. William J. Perry was the 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States during the Clinton administration, serving from February 1994 to January 1997. Perry was instrumental in implementing and strengthening the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program to secure nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union. He also served as Deputy Secretary of Defense and Under Deputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

Dr. Perry currently serves as the Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor at Stanford University, with a joint appointment in the School of Engineering and the Institute for International Studies. He is a senior fellow at the Institute and serves as co-director of the Preventive Defense Project. He is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security and arms control.

Dr. Perry has extensive business experience, currently serves on the boards of several high-tech companies and is Chairman of Global Technology Partners. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received a BS and MS from Stanford University and a PhD from Penn State, all in mathematics.

STEP Science Policy Journal Club

"Real Lives and White Lies in the Funding of Scientific Research"

A discussion of problems and possible improvements in the academic grant-writing process Presented by Natasha Keith Vidangos

READINGS: "Real Lives and White Lies in the Funding of Scientific Research", Peter A. Lawrence, PLoS Biology http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1000197

Refreshments from the Thai House will be served!

Siegfried S. Hecker
Co-Director, Center for International Security and Cooperation
Stanford University

Nuclear Challenges in North Korea, Iran and India

Abstract: On Oct. 9, 2006 North Korea conducted a nuclear test and declared itself a nuclear power. It erased lingering doubts about its ability to field a nuclear device with a second test this May. Iran continues to develop the nuclear weapon option, while agreeing to limited international inspections and diplomatic dialogue. India signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States and is moving ahead with an ambitious nuclear power program. I will share my observations based on visits and discussions with the nuclear communities in these countries on how these countries challenge the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

Co-sponsored with the Department of Nuclear Engineering

STEP Science Policy Journal Club

"Debating an Active Bill: Congressional Policy for Safe and Profitable BIological Generic Drugs"

A discussion of an active bill and the debate to balance company patent rights, stimulate innovation, develop cheaper drug alternatives, and guard patient safety. Presented by Terry Lang

READINGS:
--House of Representatives Bill 1548 (pdf)
--'Assessing the Impact of a Safe and Equitable Biosimilar Policy in the United States'  Subcommittee on Health Hearing (May 2007)
--Letter from FDA in response to Subcommittee on Health Q&A (Sept 2008)

Cookies and coffee will be served!

Dr. Mim John
Vice President Emeritus, Sandia National Laboratories

Defending the Homeland Against Weapons of Mass Destruction

Abstract: The threat of another serious terrorist attack on the U.S. homeland has brought into focus the nation's need to prepare for some of the worst cases imaginable – namely, the threats posed by nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, or in common parlance, WMD (weapons of mass destruction). The three WMD modalities pose distinct challenges, but they can be addressed from a common framework from which technical and operational commonalities can be exploited and priorities unique to each modality established. Drawing on nearly a decade of work by the Department of Defense's Defense Science Board and the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, the speaker will provide an example of such a framework and point out the technical challenges associated both generally in defending against WMD and uniquely with each modality.