Trends 4:5 (December 1997)

The 1997 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony | Recent Articles of Interest from The Scientist | More on "The Messenger Under Attack" | Teaching Note

The 1997 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony

"The event was presented by The Annals of Improbable Research (which has been described as 'the MAD Magazine of science'). It was co-sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association, the Harvard Computer Society, and the brand new book The Best of Annals of Improbable Research, Marc Abrahams editor, published by W. H. Freeman, ISBN 0716730944, priced reasonably at 14.95." Select on the title, above, to see the full text describing the ceremony.

Recent Articles of Interest from The Scientist

Trends often reprints articles on research ethics from The Scientist, a biweekly periodical that describes itself as "the newspaper for the life sciences professional." There have been more articles of interest in the last several months than I can reasonably reprint, but you can find them on-line at http://www.the-scientist.library.upenn.edu.

"Observers Say Fisher Case Highlights Flaws in System," by Steven Benowitz (March 31, 1997, pp. 1, 3).
"Animal Research Articles Draw Fire," by Thomas W. Durso (March 31, 1997, pp. 1, 7).
"Studies Call Attention to Ethics of Industry Support," by Karen Young Kreeger (March 31, 1997, pp. 1, 4-5).
"Top P.I.'s Say that Their Presence in Labs Acts as Safeguard against Fraud, Sloppiness," by Billy Goodman (May 12, 1997, pp. 1, 4-5).
"Bioethics Literature Grows as Academic Interest Expands," by Karen Young Kreeger (May 26, 1997, pp. 1, 3).
"Veterinarians in Research Labs Address Conflicting Agendas," by Robert Finn (May 26, 1997, pp. 1, 4-5).
"Insider-Trading Case Poses Concerns for Researchers," by Thomas W. Durso (June 9, 1997, pp. 1, 7).
"Scientists Exonerated by ORI Report Lingering Wounds," by Billy Goodman (June 9, 1997, pp. 1, 3).
"The Ethics of Citation: A Matter of Science's Family Values," by Barry A. Palevitz (June 9, 1997, p. 8).
"Cancer Center Misconduct Case Raises Thorny Issues," by Billy Goodman (August 18, 1997, pp. 1, 6-7).
"Editors' Advice To Rejected Authors: Just Try, Try Again," by Thomas W. Durso (September 15, 1997, p. 13).
"Embryonic Stem Cells Debut Amid Little Media Attention," by Ricki Lewis (September 29, 1997, pp. 1, 4).
"Genetic Testing For Cancer Presents Complex Challenges," by Ricki Lewis (October 13, 1997, pp. 1, 3).
"We Must All Be Equal Partners In The New Age Of Genetics," by Ilana Suez Mittman (October 13, 1997, p. 8).
"Instructors Reconsider Dissection's Role In Biology Classes," by Ricki Lewis (November 10, 1997, pp. 13-14).
"Lessons From The Trenches," by C. K. Gunsalus (November 10, 1997, p. 9)
"National HIV Reporting Approaches, But Privacy Remains Paramount," Steve Bunk (November 10, 1997, pp. 1, 3).

More on "The Messenger under Attack"

If you found “The Messenger under Attack: Intimidation of Researchers by Special-Interest Groups,” by Richard A. Deyo, Bruce M. Psaty, Gregory Simon, Edward H. Wagner, and Gilbert S. Omenn, reprinted last issue from The New England Journal of Medicine, April 17, 1997, Volume 336, Number 16, pp. 1176-1180 to be of interest, you might want to look at the October 30 issue of NEJM (Volume 337, Number 18). The “Correspondence” section includes a number of very lively letters in response to the article.

Teaching Note

Jay Keehley of Mississippi State University, a 1997 TRE workskhop participant, says that an episode of Seinfeld called “The Soup Nazi” can be used effectively to teach the responsible conduct of research. Issues covered include secrecy; protection of data; authorship; fraud; theft; and the motivation to share. Plus, it’s got to be funny.

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