ASCB Newsletter - November 1998
| 1998 ASCB Predoctoral Travel Awards | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The following students were selected from a large candidate pool by the ASCB Education Committee to receive travel awards to attend the ASCB Annual Meeting. Membership gifts help support these awards. Special congratulations to the top ranked awardees, whose awards are sponsored by the Worthington Biochemical Corporation and Bio-Rad International. Additional funding is provided by Genentech, Pfizer, Inc. and PharMingen. 1998 ASCB/Worthington Predoctoral Travel Awardees 1998 ASCB/Bio Rad Predoctoral Travel Awardees 1998 ASCB Predoctoral Travel Awards Activities for Students and Young Scientists High School Program Roger Pedersen and Fay Shamanski will discuss “One Hundred Years of Cloning Research.” Afterwards, students will have the opportunity to visit the exhibit halls, where they will enjoy special hands-on presentations by selected exhibitors. College Student Program Michael Alvarez, Director of the University of California, San Francisco’s Career Center, will lead a panel discussion on “What it’s Like to Be a Graduate Student in the Life Sciences.” Students will be invited to attend the Keynote Symposium following the presentation. Career Panel Frank Solomon of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will moderate a discussion with six panelists who recently began an independent career in various sectors after training in cell biology. Remarks and audience discussion will include how they found their current job; how they would suggest preparing for a job search; what about their training turned out to be relevant; and what their job is like on a daily basis. Women in Cell Biology Program Your Students' Career Choices: Moderator: Panelists: More and more graduate students and postdoctoral fellows have become interested in career possibilities for those with Master's and PhD degrees outside the walls of Academe. Those of us in Academia are doing our best to respond to these interests and to learn about the new types of information, resources and training experiences that might be necessary to encourage our students' professional success. This panel directly addresses how we can help develop our students' talents for a growing number of scientific careers in the 21st Century. Panelists include: Jill Fuss, a senior graduate student in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California at Berkeley; Joseph Gall, professor of Embryology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington; and Michael Alvarez, Director of the UCSF Sciences Career Center. The panelists will discuss the ways to find appropriate information, how to work for changes within graduate and postdoctoral training to accommodate different career interests, and approaches to overcoming difficulties for those trained academically in networking their proteges into non-academic environments. All ASCB meeting attendees are warmly invited to attend to share their questions and their insights. |
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| 1998 Annual Meeting Sponsors | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The ASCB gratefully acknowledges the following 1998 Annual Meeting Sponsors: The National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH |
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| MBC Wins Award | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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Molecular Biology of the Cell received a Pewter Award in the 11th Annual Gold Ink Awards competition of the Printing Industries of America. MBC was selected from among 1,800 entries across a variety of publications categories. It was cited for overall visual effect, technical difficulty, print quality and quality of color separation. |
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| DeHaan Selected for Alberts Award | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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Robert DeHaan of Emory University has been named the first Bruce Alberts Awardee for Distinguished Contributions to Science Education. DeHaan will receive the Award from Alberts at the ASCB Annual Meeting on Sunday, December 13. DeHaan is being honored for establishing the highly successful Elementary Science Education Partners in the Atlanta schools. |
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| New! Cell Biology Notecards | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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Notecards depicting cells in mitosis will be introduced at the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco this year. The six images, showing prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase and cytokinesis in a newt cell as captured in award-winning micrographs by ASCB member Conly Rieder, are printed on high quality stock and are offered in deluxe gift packaging of 12 cards (two per image.) The premium cards, suitable as a gift set, are blank inside so that they can be used for any occasion. Scientists and non-scientists alike will appreciate the brief descriptions on the back of each card, explaining cell division and the particular stage shown. Cards will be introduced at the ASCB Annual Meeting, where they will be offered, along with the Society's popular cell biology t-shirts, at the ASCB booth in the Moscone Exhibit Hall, for $12 per 12-card set. Orders placed directly to the ASCB by December 1 (Order Form) will be mailed by December 11. |
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| Ignarro Wins Nobel Prize | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Robert Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries of nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Ignarro, Professor of Pharmacology at UCLA and ASCB member since 1975, was cited for participating in the search for EDRF’s chemical nature, concluding in 1986 with the discovery that EDRF was identical to NO. |
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| Letters To The Editor | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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To the Editor: I would like to comment on your article about “Juggling Family and Career”1. While the article was interesting, I took exception to Truth 4: “realize that laboratory expansion and publication rates will be less than those of colleagues without children”. It is the perpetuation of this false statement that promotes scientists to frown upon other scientists who have children, and that makes women scientists afraid to have children, and afraid to go into a career in science. First, the statement is not a truth: numerous prominent women scientists have had children, and their careers have charged forth successfully regardless. Scientists do not and need not accept that having children slows down their expansion, or their productivity. It just takes more organization. Many women, and men who share equally in childraising, spend just as many hours working on their careers before as after having children. The difference is the work is done while the other spouse (or babysitter) babysits, or after the children have gone to bed. Even if the writer has the statistics that support a more moderate version of this issue, as with any correlation, other factors need to be considered. For example: many scientists start a faculty position and a family at the same time: the new faculty position may be the cause of the publication slowdown, not the new baby. Hopefully this message will empower women to go for it, publish up a storm, and show them! —Name withheld at writer’s request 1 ASCB Newsletter, WICB Column, September 1998 To the Editor: I distributed a collection of the Web site reviews that Bob Blystone contributes for the Education Committee to the ASCB Newsletter monthly, and asked my students at the end of class if this kind of thing was useful. All those in the room, even after a tough lecture about signal recognition particles that inevitably leaves them a bit shocked, were very strongly positive. I told them I'd convey their thanks as well as my own. —David G. Shappirio, University of Michigan |
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| Gifts | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The ASCB is grateful to the members below who have given gifts to support Society activities: Bruce Alberts |
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| Grants & Opportunities | |||
| 11/01/1998 | |||
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The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is offering up to 60 Research Training Fellowships for Medical Students for 1999. This program is designed to enable selected medical students with an interest in fundamental research to spend a year at intensive work in a research laboratory. Upon completion of the fellowship year, a small number of fellows may be selected to receive continued support for a second year of research; further, a small number of fellows may be selected for continued fellowship support for up to two years while completing their studies toward the M.D. HHMI welcomes applications from all qualified students and encourages applications from women and members of minority groups. Application deadline: December 2, 1998. For more information and downloadable applications. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is offering up to 30 Physician Postdoctoral Fellowships for 1999. Fellowships are for three years, for training in fundamental research — that is, directed toward an understanding of basic biological processes or disease mechanisms. HHMI is especially interested in applicants who seek training in research that physicians are particularly qualified to carry out. HHMI welcomes applications from all qualified students and encourages applications from women and members of minority groups. Application deadline December 4, 1998. For more information and downloadable applications. On behalf of the Ford Foundation, the National Research Council is offering approximately 25 Postdoctoral Fellowships for Minorities for 1999. The awards will be made in April 1999 to those applicants who show the greatest promise for future achievement in basic research and academic scholarship on college and university campuses. Major disciplines eligible for support include the life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, engineering sciences, behavioral & social sciences, education, and the humanities. Application deadline: January 4, 1999. For more information, contact the Fellowship Office at (202) 334-2860. |
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| Members In The News | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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ASCB President Elizabeth Blackburn was selected for the Charles-Leopold Mayer Prize from the French Academie des Sciences. This prize aims to further the advancement of science and encourage fundamental research, particularly in biology, biochemistry and biophysics. Lee Hartwell of the University of Washington and ASCB member since 1984, and Paul Nurse of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London and ASCB member since 1992, were selected for 1998 Albert Lasker Awards for Basic Medical Research. They were cited with others for pioneering genetic and molecular studies that reveal the universal machinery for regulating cell division in all eukaryotic organisms, from yeast to frogs to human beings. Lynn Riddiford of the University of Washington, an ASCB member since 1982, was selected to receive the J.G. Mendel Honorary Medal for Merit in the Biological Sciences, the highest distinction from the National Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. She was recognized for her work in comparative endocrinology, biochemistry, and developmental biology of insects. Carla Shatz of the University of California, Berkeley, and ASCB member since 1991, was elected to the Council of the National Academy of Sciences. She will serve a three-year term overseeing the activities of the NAS and helping to determine the organization's priorities and national science policy. |
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| ASCB Members Go for MBC Online in Large Numbers | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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David Botstein, Editor-in-Chief of MBC, comments that he isn't "at all surprised by the high percentage of members opting for the online edition of MBC. There are three things driving this change: the first (and most important) is that the online journal is more useful to everyone except the casual reader. Anyone doing research values the convenience of jumping from one article to another relevant one through a hyperlinked reference. Second, the improvements in technology are raising the quality of the PDF files that users can print locally on demand, lessening the need for a print copy of the full journal every month. The quality of material that you can now print on your office printer is far better than a simple photocopy. Finally, the online journal is increasingly offering more material than the print, such as videos." MBC Online pioneered the use of video enhancement to scientific journal publishing; the introduction of video essays coincided with a 30% increase in online traffic for the journal when they were launched in July. I ordered a subscription to MBC Online. What next? Subscribers to MBC Online will receive a letter in December detailing login procedures and providing their password. |
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| Ignarro Wins Nobel Prize | |||
| 11/01/1998 | |||
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The 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Robert Furchgott, Louis J. Ignarro and Ferid Murad for their discoveries of nitric oxide as a signalling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Ignarro, Professor of Pharmacology at UCLA and ASCB member since 1975, was cited for participating in the search for EDRF’s chemical nature, concluding in 1986 with the discovery that EDRF was identical to NO. |
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| Cell Biology Notecards | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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Notecards depicting cells in mitosis will be introduced at the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco this year. The six images, showing prophase, prometaphase, meta-phase, anaphase, telo-phase and cytokinesis in a newt cell as captured in award-winning micrographs by ASCB member Conly Rieder, are printed on high quality stock and are offered in deluxe gift packaging of 12 cards (two per image.)The premium cards, suitable as a gift set, are blank inside so that they can be used for any occasion. Scientists and non-scientists alike will appreciate the brief descriptions on the back of each card, explaining cell division and the particular stage shown. Cards will be introduced at the ASCB Annual Meeting, where they will be offered, along with the Society's popular cell biology t-shirts (see page 28), at the ASCB booth in the Moscone Exhibit Hall, for $12 per 12-card set. Orders placed directly to the ASCB by December 1 will be mailed by December 11. |
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| Postdoctoral Associate Position, Cornell University | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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(molecular genetics, motor proteins in mitosis) We now have available a minimum of two years of support (starting salary $23-24k annually, plus fringe benefits) for a Postdoctoral Associate. The primary responsibility will be to conduct molecular genetic research into the microtubule-associated motor proteins that generate mitotic forces in the ascomycete fungus, Nectria haematococca. We have cloned, sequenced and mutated cytoplasmic dynein, kinesin and two kinesin-related proteins (KRPs) and have studied the mitotic phenotypes of the dynein and kinesin mutants. Our present priorities are to obtain an additional dynein mutant, to localize microtubules and motor proteins in wild type in vivo using corresponding protein-GFP fusions, and to express the KRPs in E. coli and characterize their in vitro motility. The molecular work will be done under the supervision of Drs. B.G. Turgeon and O.C. Yoder, whereas Dr. J.R. Aist will supervise the microscopical analyses and experiments. For further information, e-mail Dr. Aist. Interested candidates should submit a letter of application and have three letters of recommendation sent by December 7, 1998, to Dr. James R. Aist, Department of Plant Pathology, 334 Plant Science Building, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. International Symposium on Biochemical Roles of Eukaryotic Cell Surface Macromolecules January 4-8, 1999 Organizers: Scientific Program: For more information, contact Prof. A. Surolia, Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012; Phone: 91-80-309-2714/-2389; Fax: 91-80-334-8535/-1683 |
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| Call for Visiting Professor Hosts | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The ASCB Minorities Affairs Commit-tee (MAC) seeks ASCB members willing to host a visiting professor in the member's laboratory during the summer of 1999. The goal of Visiting Professorship Program is to give professors from primarily teaching institutions a research experience in cell biology or a related field, to provide experience with new research tools and techniques, and to allow visitors to enhance their research programs. In addition, a major goal of the Professorship is to establish long-term associations between visiting professors and research-intensive universities. The Visiting Professor Program, which is funded by a grant from the Minorities Access to Research Careers program of the NIGMS/NIH, provides research support for professors at minority-serving institutions to work in the laboratories of members of the American Society for Cell Biology for an eight-to ten-week period during the summer of 1999. Professors receive support of $12,000, plus $700 for travel expenses; $2,000 is awarded to the host institution for supplies. Women and minority professors and professors in colleges and universities with a high minority enrollment are encouraged to apply for this Award. For Professorship application or to volunteer as a host scientist, contact ASCB. Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science SACNAS seeks to encourage Chicano/ Latino and Native American students to pursue graduate educations in order to obtain the advanced degrees necessary for research careers and science teaching professions at all levels. ASCB members Harold Varmus delivered the Nobel Laureate address, Michael Gottesman, Martha Zuniga and Maria Elena Zavala served on panels, and Dan Chavez and Zavala staffed the ASCB information table. ASCB Councilor Lydia Villa-Komaroff and ASCB Membership Committee member Eugene Vigil as well as many other ASCB members with their undergraduate and graduate students stopped by the ASCB booth to take information to share with friends and associates. Incoming SACNAS President and former ASCB MAC member David Burgess expressed his pleasure in the MAC support offered at the 1998 meeting and was particularly enthusiastic with the ASCB's commitment to organize a Cell Biology Symposium at the 1999 SACNAS meeting in Portland, Oregon. ASCB members Dan Chavez and Maria Elena Zavala staffing the ASCB information table at the SACNAS |
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| Abstracts Now Searchable on ASCB Website | |||
| 11/01/1998 | |||
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All abstracts submitted electronically (78%) and the titles and authors of every abstract accepted for the ASCB Annual Meeting are searchable by keyword on the ASCB website. |
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| Identifying Scientific Careers | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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Do you love science, but hate what you’re doing? Perhaps you’re on the wrong career path. Many fields are available for people with science degrees at any level. However, identifying a career path outside of academia when everyone you know is an academician can be challenging. The suggestions offered in this article on searching for a job in science are based partially on those in the book Career Renewal1, and on the authors’ personal experiences. Identifying your skills is the first step in recognizing the field(s) that will bring you the most satisfaction. The technical skills learned in school or at a previous job are obviously important. However, most scientists also possess excellent analytical, problem solving, and computer skills. Some people also have good human relations or oral and written communication skills. When considering your abilities, it is important to keep an open mind about how scientific skills can be applied in other areas. For example, the person who is the diplomat in a large laboratory, solving the group’s interpersonal problems and facilitating collaborations, possesses excellent leadership skills which are highly valued in managerial positions. Once you have clearly defined your strengths, identify the ones you enjoy most, since a satisfying career is one that utilizes them on a regular basis. Because of the large number of potential career choices, identifying the one or two most interesting ones usually requires a good deal of research. If no career path is immediately appealing, then the best place to start may be with assessment tests. Some examples of these include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Test2, which produces individual personality profiles. The “Self-Directed Search”3, “Introduction to Type and Careers”4, and the book Do What You Are5 are designed to match skills and personality types with different occupations. In addition, there are standardized tests such as the “Life Styles Inventory”6 and the “Personal Effectiveness Inventory”7 that chart individual behavior patterns and thought processes. Career counseling resources available on-line or in the community library are also excellent means for identifying alternative career paths. The classic What Color Is Your Parachute?8 is updated annually to provide job-hunting tactics. This book also lists reputable career counselors across the country, who will help a candidate define goals and stick to them in a job search. Especially interesting to scientists is Alternative Careers in Science9. This book contains narratives by scientists in many different fields describing their typical day, how they became interested in the field and how they apply their scientific skills to fields as diverse as investment banking and public policy. If you are considering a career change, The Doom Loop System10 is an interesting book, which outlines the predictable stages of career development and constructive ways to master the inevitable plateaus. Once a career path has been identified, the most important, but also hardest, thing to do is establish a network. In many fields, the best jobs are filled through referrals rather than through advertisements, so networking is vital to a successful job search. In the book Career Renewal1, the authors suggest calling or writing to people in the chosen field simply to collect information about their jobs. Some questions to ask include, “what steps did you take to obtain your present position?” and “what developments do you foresee in your field in the next five years?” When an initial contact is made, ask for names of the contact person’s colleagues who can also provide information. It is important to be clear at this point that you are not asking for a job, only information. The idea is to establish a network of people who know you and will help you look for a job. It is also important to take advantage of other opportunities for networking. For example, the ASCB Annual Meeting is an excellent venue for networking. Industrial recruiters, salespeople and exhibitors, and representatives from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are in attendance and accessible. The WICB/EdComm Careers Discussion Lunch also brings together scientists from different scientific positions. Moreover, in large cities, science editors, grants administrators, technology transfer experts and others can be contacted by phone. Also particularly helpful are the recruiting staffs in the professional schools at major universities, who often are willing to meet with enthusiastic candidates to answer questions. Preparing an attention-grabbing resume is the next step in the job searching process. A generic resume that is mass mailed to human resources departments is not likely to attract attention. Be prepared to revise your resume for each job application so that the skills and experience most relevant to that job are immediately apparent. Career Renewal1 has a particularly good chapter describing how to target a resume for a particular job announcement. The interviewing techniques described in the October WICB column apply equally to non-academic job interviews. Briefly, these are carefully researching the company prior to the interview and preparing a list of questions designed to probe the work environment. In the business and industrial worlds, it is also important to stress how you can advance the goals of the company. One critical rule of etiquette is the practice of writing a thank you/follow up letter after the interview. This letter can also be used to reiterate your qualifications or discuss a skill that you forgot to mention during the interview. If the job is particularly appealing, then sending the letter by overnight mail may be a good idea. In many interview situations, the person who gets the job is the one who wants it most, so having your thank you letter arrive first may be the only thing that separates you from other qualified candidates. Landing a job in any field is a combination of skill and luck. Tailoring your job search around these suggestions should put you in control of your scientific future. -Maureen Brandon, Idaho State University and Sally Amero, the National Institutes of Health, for the Women in Cell Biology Committee The authors invite interested readers to send comments or additional suggestions on this topic to ASCB. References 2. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Introduction to Type and Careers. Isabel Briggs Myers, Revised by Linda K. Kirby and Katharine D. Myers, Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc., 3803 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, California 94303 3. Self-Directed Research, Form R 4th Edition. John L. Holland, Ph.D., Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc., P.O. Box 998, Odessa, Florida 33556; Phone: 1-800-331-TEST 5. Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type, Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 0316845221 6. Human Synergistics: Lifestyles Inventory, Personal Effectiveness Inventory. Center for Applied Research, Inc., 216 Campus Drive, Suite 102, Arlington Heights, IL 60004; (847)-590-0995 8. What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press 9. Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower. Ed. Cynthia Robbins-Roth, Academic Press, 1998 10. The Doom Loop System: A Step-by-Step Guide to Career Mastery. by Dory Hollander, Viking Press |
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| WWW.Cell Biology Education | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The ASCB Education Committee calls attention each month to several Websites of educational interest to the cell biology community. The Committee does not endorse nor guarantee the accuracy of the information at any of the listed sites. If you wish to comment on the selections or suggest future inclusions, please send a message to Robert Blystone.
These sites were checked October 16, 1998. Previous ASCB columns reviewing Educational WEB sites with the links to the sites may be found online . Please note that this is a new URL listing for the ASCB column archive. —Robert Blystone for the ASCB Education Committee |
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| New Cell Biology T-Shirt! | ||
| 11/01/1998 | ||
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The ASCB proudly presents its sixth and newest t-shirt in the popular cell biology series. The complete series of t-shirts will be available for purchase at the 38th ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco this December, or may be ordered through the ASCB website. Phone: (301) 530-7153 The cost is still just $13 per shirt, or $12.50 each if ordering 2 or more (Maryland residents add 5% tax) plus shipping ($3 per order in the U.S., $10 per international order). |
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