When Dr. Fran Berman goes to work at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), she walks down a hall with some of the coolest science pictures around: Images from computer simulations of the Universe after the Big Bang to seismic waves of the biggest earthquakes to detailed images of the brain. All these images are from simulations on SDSC’s computers (among the world’s fastest) which whip through tens of trillions of math calculations every second, or store more than 10 times the information in the Library of Congress.

As the top executive of SDSC, Berman is in charge of a "national treasure" and directs 300 scientists, engineers, technologists, researchers, and educators who push the envelope to make science happen every day. SDSC staff do everything from creating a wireless network in the back country of San Diego used by Cal Fire during emergencies, to executing large-scale simulations helping to find new drugs for Parkinson’s disease.

These days, she is a leading light to plot a course for America's "cyber-infrastructure" – the coordination of information technologies (computers, data, scientific instruments, etc.) to solve some of the most challenging problems in chemistry, physics, geosciences, engineering, and other disciplines. Berman works extensively with universities, government agencies, and global partners to create large-scale cyberinfrastructure that accelerates new discoveries for science and society.

Berman is also a pioneer in “Grid computing” which allows people to link computers in different places to work together on the same problem. Graduates from Berman’s computer science lab have some of the coolest jobs around, from Lawrence Livermore National Lab to Google

She doesn’t spend all her time in “cyber-space” though. Berman has hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (and back out …) and hangs out with her college-age kids – a math and physics major at UCSD and a choreography major who lives in Chicago. Next up will be a “rim to rim” hike from the North Grand Canyon to the South.

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Shu Chien remembers 1949 well. He was 16 years old and just beginning as a pre-medicine student in Beijing, China .It was a tumultuous time in China – the country was immersed in a bloody civil war. When the Communist revolutionary army began shelling Beijing that year, the government sent aircraft to evacuate top scholars.

Shu was summoned home from his university one day and given just minutes to pack his things before boarding a plane that would quickly fly him and his family to Taiwan.

Later, "The intellectuals who stayed in China would be branded criminals during the culture revolution", Shu recalls.

Fast forward to the present. At 76, Shu enjoys the eminence of a scientist truly at the top of his game. His groundbreaking work in applying engineering concepts to biological functions has made him a pioneer in the development of modern-day bioengineering. In addition, he continues to teach and inspire his university students while remaining a leader and motivating force in his field. "I have no intention of slowing down", says the scientist with a smile. "Retirement is not in my immediate plan".

Shu grew up in Shanghai, the middle son of a chemistry professor who would become one of the top intellectuals in Taiwan. “My parents taught us to strive for the greater good in life,” he says.

Torn between practicing medicine (after earning his medical degree from a top university in Taiwan) and becoming a research scientist. He ultimately chose research because "it allowed me to be more innovative."

Specifically, Shu's work involves investigating how the mechanical forces of blood flow affect the cardiovascular system. His research is also providing insight into the spread of cancer cells. And at the molecular level, Chien is discovering how mechanical forces affect genes and influence them to produce proteins that modify cell growth, migration or cell fate (including death), all key factors in disease.

Known for his kind, generous nature, he returned to Taiwan in 1987-88to help shape its direction in biological science and research.

Shu is one of only two individuals who is a member of all three U.S. National Academies and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and he is the only scientist who has served as Presidents of the two large umbrella scientific organizations: Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering.

Says one colleague: He's a pillar in his field and many people here seek his counsel. "When you don't know exactly what to do, you can go to Shu. You'll walk away always knowing exactly what to do and feeling that you are a little bit wiser."

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Named "Woman of the Year" by San Diego Magazine, Gail Naughton is the Dean of the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University.

Holding an impressive 90 patents, Naughton was the first woman to receive the National Inventor of the Year Award by the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

While pursuing post-doctoral studies, Gail made her first in what would become a long list of significant discoveries in the emerging field of tissue engineering. But when she submitted the results to a very large science publication, she received a letter from the reviewer, saying, "this article would be a disservice to dermatology." Through continued persistence, the article was eventually accepted and became the foundation of Advanced Tissue Sciences, a leading San Diego biotechnology company. The field of tissue engineering has transformed many areas of medicine, particularly reconstructive surgery and burn treatment. Techniques developed by early pioneers, such as Gail, have helped thousands of patients worldwide have less painful, more powerful treatment options.

"Traditional science does not train its students into the practicalities of business and management. We need high powered scientists who understand how to manage people– scientists who can see beyond the physical science and evaluate projects based on business strategies that will propel their products into the market."

Her endless dedication to the local community makes her a role model to us all.

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Considered to be a founding father of the biotechnology industry, Ivor is best known as the lead entrepreneur behind San Diego's first biotech company, Hybritech. He was early to recognize that monoclonal antibodies, just recently invented, would be well-suited to use as tests and therapies for cancer. Big pharmaceutical companies turned a cold shoulder to Royston's entreaties, so he decided to do it himself. Hybritech was a roaring success and was bought by Eli Lilly for about $400 million.

Royston's scientific specialty is immunology. He has long believed that cancer patients can overcome the disease if their immune systems are trained to recognize cancer. His impatience with obstacles for improved treatments for cancer led him to found the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Ivor was born in Retford, England in 1945, emigrated to the United States in 1954 and became a naturalized American citizen.

Royston began a tentative additional career of sorts in Hollywood. He wrote a screenplay, titled "The Cure", about a researcher who discovers a cure for cancer. The catch is that other people must be killed to produce this wonder drug. Royston also made a movie called "Soultaker", about two teen-agers who "die" but try to escape the Grim Reaper. The reviews were not good. One review called it a "below sewer-level film".

Luckily for the biotech community and cancer patients, Royston kept his day job.

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Ivan Schuller is one of the 100 most-read physicists worldwide (out of 500,000). Born in Transylvania (!), lived long periods of time in Israel and Chile, speaks 7 languages, has friends all over the world; a "typical" American. Solid State Physics and Nanoscience are his passions.

So why is everybody laughing at him? In addition to being a world-renowned prize winning, physicist at UCSD, he can often be seen playing a wacky version of himself on stage and TV. He believes people learn better and faster when humor is involved. He says "Being a physicist is as much fun, but way easier than being an actor."

Ivan has really stuck it with the production of "When Things Get Small." It’s a wacky, irreverent romp about his real-life quest to create the smallest magnet ever known or, in technical terms, to overcome the super paramagnetic limit to create sub-domain size magnets – or magnetic nanodots. (Yikes!)

Anyone who knows Ivan would not hesitate to say he’s – well - at the very least, a singular individual. Most would call him Inspired. And others would simply call him a Wild Man.

His interests are as diverse as cave diving, writing plays and producing critically acclaimed scientific movies. Does he ever sleep ?

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As a recurring mid-wife to the birth of the national information infrastructure (the Internet, the Web, and the emerging Grid), Larry Smarr is currently the founding director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Cal IT2) at UCSD.

An astrophysicist by training, Larry has long been a pioneer in the prototyping of a national information infrastructure to support academic research, governmental functions, and industrial competitiveness.

Larry has an impressive track record when it comes to creating as well as forecasting the next paradigm in computation. His accomplishments include the development of the first national supercomputer center, from which came the first graphical Web browser (Mosaic), the browser software that detonated the explosive growth of the Web and the most popular Web server: httpd (now Apache).

He passionately believes information technologies and telecommunications can dramatically improve California's future. He imagines bridges that are covered with a fabric of computerized sensors that will automatically tell engineers where earthquake damage has occurred or a world in which intelligent buildings whisper directions to visitors on the way to their destinations.

Dr. Smarr is a tireless champion of the revolutionary nature of the Information Age. His views have been quoted in Science, the New York Times, the Lehrer NewsHour , the Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Business Week, Red Herring, Wired, and Boing Boing.

His next major conquest, OptIPuter, is to develop a blueprint of the network of the future. By combining optical networks, super-computing and grid technologies, Smarr believes that OptIPuter will be the model for a SuperInternet.

His message is his mantra, "A gigabit or bust."

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Although he is a world-renowned chemist, KC Nicolaou has a certain way of explaining his craft so that anyone can understand.

"When you think of it," he muses, "everything from the beginning of time has been rooted in chemistry – in action and reactions, in bonding and separation. The job of the chemist is to make sense of it all by figuring out how matter forms, how it changes and how we can make it work for the betterment of all of us."

He breaks it down even further: "Chemistry is all around us. It's not just what happens in labs and clinics, in the development of new drugs and such. It's anything we can feel or sense. It's molecules. Chemistry is all about molecules –two or more atoms combined to make a substance."

And it is those elusive molecules that have been the focus of his long career, much of it spent pushing the boundaries of organic chemistry and biology to modify (or synthesize) the structure of molecules to create drug compounds to treat disease and medical conditions. Aspirin® and steroids are examples of drugs developed in this way.

Among his many achievements, KC, who was born in Cyprus and is of Greek heritage, is noted for leading the successful effort more than a decade ago to synthesize Taxol®, a powerful anti-cancer drug, which at that time, was extremely scarce. The drug was derived from the bark of an extremely rare tree known as the Pacific yew. To make the drug, many yews had to be cut down, thereby displacing the animals that lived in them, including the spotted owl.

But, at the same time, says KC, "cancer patients were dying because we didn't have very many effective treatments." Chemical synthesis facilitated new ways of making the drug without harvesting Pacific yew trees. Taxol® became, for a time, the premier anti-cancer drug in the world. It is still used today, primarily against ovarian and breast cancers.

Saying "we need more scientists now than ever before," he believes it will be chemists, in collaboration with other scientists, who will create the new, still-undiscovered drugs, materials and processes that will help ensure the survival of the species and the planet.

KC is the Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UCSD. He is the co-author of three highly cited and used for teaching books on chemical synthesis, the most recent one titled, Molecules That Changed the World (Wiley-VCH, 2008), is meant to inspire young students and to inform the public about the impact of chemistry and molecules on society.

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It is not easy keeping up with John Reed, President and CEO of Burnham Institute for Medical Research. He has consistently been Number 1 on the list of scientists ranked by the number of ''hot papers'' they have published and is among the top few scientists in terms of the amount of competitive grants they receive to fund their work.

John is a marathon runner and triathlete. His drive and endurance show in his approach to a typical day at work. By 3:30 a.m., Dr. Reed is already awake and writing scientific papers, works out, then switches on his Presidential hat.

John grew up wanting to become a doctor and a surgeon. But at medical school he became enthralled with gene cloning. He found himself drawn into an ever-deepening investigation of life and death at the molecular level.

His research focuses on cellular suicide, also known as programmed cell death or apoptosis. In contrast to the more familiar and messy death known as necrosis, which is caused by an injury or attack, apoptosis is a neat way to eliminate cells without leaving any evidence behind.

The human body replaces about a million cells a second. Over the course of a year, that is roughly the equivalent of the entire body. Without an orderly process for getting rid of cells, people would balloon out of control. Either too much or too little cell death is implicated in many major human diseases. Cell suicide involves molecular clippers that cut the cell to pieces. John was a co-founder of a company, Idun Pharmaceuticals, which made a medicine that operates like a molecular sheath to block these clippers. The company was acquired by Pfizer when the clinical trials showed promising results. More recently, Dr. Reed co-founded another company, Apoptos, Inc., that is making medicines that neutralize anti-death gene products in cancers.

John says that cell death research is a microscopic way of looking at the yin-yang relationship of life and death.

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Frieder Seible, the Dean of UCSD’s Jacob’s School of Engineering really shakes things up.

Rest easy when you drive in California - earthquake country - as you are bound to encounter Frieder’s work. It may be in the seismically reinforced columns of a freeway overpass or the soaring bridge towers going up in the San Francisco Bay Area, or a walk across his cable-stayed bridge, the Scripps Crossing in La Jolla.

Frieder, a world-renowned structural engineer, devises ways to strengthen structures to withstand earthquakes and bomb blasts. He believes in damage control. He designs smart structures with "sacrificial elements" that will fail on purpose when put under stress – out-smarting the earthquake or blasts by planning in advanced where the structural failure will occur, saving lives and saving structures. Frieder draws his inspiration from world-renowned architect Walter Gropius who espoused the design philosophy that "form follows function."

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You might call him a true modern-day Indiana Jones. For Maurizo Seracini has turned his passion for science, art, engineering, architecture and sleuthing into a career that has taken him across the globe to decode the mysteries of Leonardo Da Vinci’s artistic masterpieces.

Maurizo is a world pioneer in using diagnostic technology (such as ultrasound and infrared imaging) to analyze artwork and historical structures. His achievements in employing such high-tech wizardry to study Da Vinci’s paintings earned him praise in Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel, The DaVinci Code.

Where did he begin to cultivate his curious mind? At UCSD during his undergraduate years where exposure to a wide range of academic disciplines taught him to “think outside the box.” When he was not studying, Maurizo (a member of the Italian national volleyball team while growing up in his native Florence) played volleyball for the UCSD Tritons, spear fished off La Jolla shores and used his accomplished culinary skills to prepare dishes for UCSD professors. Known as an industrious, hard worker, Maurizo was deeply influenced in this regard by his father who owned a legendary ice cream store in Florence).

The ambitious Maurizo’s career began to take off when he established Editech, a Florence-based company that was the first to actively use diagnostic imaging technology to determine the age, authenticity and history of artwork and architectural structures.

Working similar to a CSI investigator (dealing with art instead of corpses), Maurizo received worldwide acclaim for zeroing in on the location of Da Vinci’s long-lost "Battle of Anghiari" painting – which he believes has lain hidden since the 1540s behind a brick wall in Florence. He has also shed light on one of the master’s best-known works, "The Adoration of the Magi," which he determined that someone had actually painted over centuries ago, turning the work into the painting we see today.

Says Maurizo: "We do justice to Leonardo (Da Vinci). We are using technology to understand his masterpieces. I think he would have been happy about that."

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Joanne Chory studies the secrets of plants.

The world-renowned biologist is investigating the mystery of how plants compete for and respond to sunlight in their effort to grow and survive, and her understanding of this process stands to have global importance.

Says Joanne: "If we want to feed over nine billion people by the year 2050, then understanding the basic mechanics of plant growth is required This knowledge will ultimately lead to our ability to increase the amount of crops (such as wheat, corn and rice) produced, while decreasing the need for fertilizer and pesticides."

In her scientific quest, Joanne is uncovering the mechanisms plants use to detect changes in the sunlight that they receive, not only when seasons change but also when they grow in shady, crowded conditions.

"When plants perceive that they are not getting enough sunlight to thrive," Joanne says, "they undergo a series of developmental changes, like making longer stems and fewer leaves, all in an effort to soak up more sun. If that fails, they resort to flowering early, producing a "desperation" flower to ensure the survival of at least some offspring."

Joanne and colleague Sigal Savaldi-Goldstein made international news in biology when they showed clearly for the first time how plants coordinate the growth of all the cells within an organ. Their research demonstrated that a plant’s signal to grow originates in its epidermis (the outer waxy, protective skin). "We also found the cells in the epidermis "talk" to the cells in the inner layers of the plant stem or leaf, communicating that they too should expand."

And Joanne’s lab found a gene that controls the level of a steroid that regulates plant stem length and controls senescence. This could lead to a "no-mow lawn" that stays green and utilizes less water. In a special issue of the New York Times Magazine published in June of 2000 ("Tech 2010"), "the lawn that never needs mowing" was featured as one of 100 technologies that could change Americans’ lives by the year 2010.

A self-described scientific "late-bloomer" (no pun intended), Joanne attributes her success in science to love of discovery, hard work, a little luck, and a loving and a supportive family (both growing up as the 3rd of 6 children and her current family of 2 "tweens" and a scientist husband who is CEO of a local biotech). "It didn’t hurt that I was toughened up by 4 brothers who teased me relentlessly and an older sister who excelled at everything academic".

Although her work is demanding, Joanne has a keen interest in giving back to the community by serving as a mentor in science research. She’s mentored over 50 PhD level scientists, and scores of high school and college students. "I hope I’ve conveyed a message that the joys of new discovery far outweigh any of the negatives that accompany a career in science."

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Kevin Kinsella, is a globe-trotting La Jolla entrepreneur and venture capitalist with the Midas Touch.

He founds and invests in "cocktail napkin" startups, arguably the riskiest part of business and has created from scratch or been an early investor in over 70 biotechnology and high-technology companies, now worth billions of dollars.

After a unusual start - he taught algebra in a high school in Beirut, worked for an oil company in Paris, ran a fellowship program in Mexico and was a consultant to the government of Peru - he set his sights on Venture Capital. But the VC firms wouldn't have him.

With $250 in his pocket, he moved to La Jolla and started his first computer company with a group of MIT graduates. Not a scientist himself, but with an exacting intelligence, a steely competitiveness, and a passion for big ideas, he preceded to start up one company after another based on the work of leading scientists from academia and industry. And the rest is history.

Son of a New York model mother and with the gift for gab from his Broadway actor father, he recently made a high-risk, personal investment in the musical "Jersey Boys," which went on to win four Tony Awards, including Best Musical and won the Grammy for best CD.

For Kevin, "Everything is a calculated risk".

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There's a virtual "big bang" explosion going on in pharmaceutical science, making it possible for researchers to harness vast amounts of scientific information like never before to develop life-saving drugs.

At the center of this technological revolution is Frank Brown, who is credited with starting the field of "chemoinformatics" (or "cheminformatics"), --an emerging area of science in which drug chemists and others apply computer technology to chemistry to crunch enormous volumes of complex research data. He also coined the name of this field.

Frank designs high-tech computer software, helping scientists visualize how newly developed drugs will react in the body and to aid these researchers in interpreting data more rapidly.

Through these methods, scientists can now store, screen, analyze and interpret the raw data on thousands of chemical compounds in record time as this information is transformed into useful therapies in the war against disease.

"New developments in scientific software hold the key to the discovery of new drugs and materials and in increasing their potential in patient care," says Frank. This also includes helping researchers design computer models of drug compounds that can actually simulate, or mimic, the molecular and chemical behavior of real drugs.

"Simulation aids us in solving scientific problems and answering questions regarding how drugs interact in a live biological system, and it also helps us avoid unnecessary and sometimes dangerous experiments," says Frank.

"Career potential in this field is tremendous, especially if you expand your horizons beyond chemistry," he says. For example, he received his doctorate degree in physical organic chemistry before going for further training in computer simulations, specializing in biological systems

Nowadays, even experimental chemists have some experience in simulation computer software, adds Frank who grew up in a modest blue-collar neighborhood outside Baltimore, Maryland. "Although neither of my parents went to college, they taught me the meaning of working hard in order to achieve one's goals," he says.

The future is indeed bright in exploring the frontiers of research, Frank is quick to tell young students. "This is indeed an exciting time within our industry and in science where there is an equal playing field for everyone willing to devote the necessary time and effort," he says.

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Stem cell research–with its potential to one day enable diseased and damaged cells to be replaced with healthy ones -- represents one of the most promising and controversial areas of medicine and science today. And when government policy makers need a strong advocate and expert scientist on the topic, they call on Larry Goldstein, Ph.D.

Larry, who directs UCSD’s Stem Cell Program, is one of the nation’s leading experts in stem cell investigation and calls it perhaps the biggest medical breakthrough in decades. He’s spoken regularly on stem cell’s promise before Congress, the California state legislature, the news media and at public gatherings, and was a vocal proponent of California’s Proposition 71, the $3 billion state bond measure to fund embryonic stem cell research. That proposition was voted into California law in 2004.

"The scientific and medical opportunities provided by stem cell research," he says, "are unprecedented and have the potential to revolutionize the way researchers seek to find improved treatments for the many terrible diseases for which we currently lack adequate therapies."

These conditions include cancer, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and heart disease. Goldstein, like many other scientists and physicians, believes the use of viable embryonic stem cells will enable damaged and diseased cells to be replaced with healthy ones in some of these diseases. "That's the long-term goal," says Larry. "It's going to be a hard one but it's potentially doable. And in the shorter term, stem cells could serve as a valuable research tool in understanding human disorders and in developing new types of therapies for them."

But with most technological advances come ethical questions, and stem cell research has its share, Larry adds. There are probably two major ethical issues of concern in this field. One is that some of the most valuable cells for the research are found in the human blastocyst, a very early stage of human development, and there is controversy -- both religious and philosophical-- about whether these groups of cells should be thought of and treated as if they are viable people.

The other issue, he says, is that this technology is very powerful. Can humans be trusted to use this technology appropriately? "However, I'm optimistic about the ability of humans to draw the line between appropriate uses and inappropriate uses," he says.

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Should we use human embryos for stem cell research? Who is watching what you do when you surf the World Wide Web? Does it matter? If someone’s body is alive, but their brain is dead, are they still alive? If we could put your brain in the head of someone else, would that person now be you?

We live in an amazing time. On a regular basis, science is changing science fiction to science fact. But improvements to our daily lives have a cost. Part of that cost is new questions about what it right and what is wrong. And, most importantly, who decides?

Welcome to the world of Michael Kalichman, a professor specializing in the ethical questions facing today’s scientists, medical professionals and technology experts.

Science has always raised some tough ethical questions, but the field of research ethics was practically unheard of 20 years ago. In today’s complex and rapidly changing world of high tech, it is now a growing and necessary area.

The ethics of science is not just an issue for scientists. It is something that should be a concern for everyone, says Michael, who, with colleague Lawrence Hinman, founded a San Diego ethics center to help move these important ethical questions from private to public forums. "Ethics is everyone's responsibility," he says. "This means we must learn enough about science so that we can be part of the conversations that will decide what we want to do and what we should not do."

Michael is often sought after by local and national news media when questions of ethics in science, medicine and technology arise. Himself a neuroscientist, his career has moved from studies of the brain and nerves to teaching and research about the ethical dimensions of science.

Preparing the next generation of scientists to grapple with the ethics of their research is something that also drives Michael in his work. In this vein, he can often be found meeting with students in the classroom and in his office. "Teaching the next generation of scientists about ethics," he says "is one of the primary responsibilities of this generation of scientists. Ethics must part of, not separate from, our science."

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Eleven years ago, Fred "Rusty" Gage shocked the world of neuroscience when he showed that the human brain is capable of growing new nerve cells throughout life.

This milestone forced scientist to rethink the resiliency of the brain and nervous system, and sparked realistic hope that one day methods can be found to replace or enhance brain and spinal cord tissue which is lost or damaged due to disease or trauma.

But years earlier, a tough personal experience of his own threatened to knock Rusty’s budding research career off its track.

Living abroad with his parents, Rusty attended high school in Rome where he gravitated toward classical liberal arts. Pursuing science was the farthest thing from his mind.

After high school graduation, he returned to the U.S., enrolling at a college in Gainesville, FL, where he still couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do. "In Gainesville, I mostly floundered around," Rusty remembers.. "However, one day I met someone in the back of the bus whom I had known in Germany, where my parents lived at the time, and he was working in a well-known brain researcher’s lab."

On his friend's recommendation, Rusty got his first college summer job at this lab, doing experimental research on epilepsy. Then, misfortune struck.

"I had a very bad auto accident and was seriously injured and hospitalized for months," he recalls. "The graduate students from the lab came almost every day and tutored me in my course assignments. They really put time in with me. This was a very important period since their help allowed me to stay in school and graduate on time; more importantly, I was exposed to the camaraderie among scientists that has stuck with me.."

Rusty has gone on to become a leading brain researcher, demonstrating that the growth of new nerve cells in the brain is enhanced by enriched environments and physical exercise. He is a Past President of the Society for Neuroscience, and has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

"Ever since I found my true life's work," Rusty says, "I never thought about doing anything else. I decided that I would do this as long as it's fun, and it still is fun."

His advice to aspiring scientists: "If you enjoy science, establish a real commitment of time and effort. Being a scientist is not just a job, it is a way of life. If science really gives you joy, then you must stay with it, through the good times and the bad times."

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His first love was flying.

"If I hadn't become a scientist, a fighter pilot is definitely what I would have wanted to be," says top biophysicist Stephen Mayo.

Although poor vision dashed his hopes of entering the Air Force Academy and becoming a fighter jockey, the young Stephen continued nurturing his dreams of flight, later gaining recognition as a nationally ranked hang glider and sail plane pilot when in grad school.

But while flight remained an avid interest, Stephen as a teenager had begun to prepare himself for a career in another area that had fascinated him since childhood: science. Today he is combining his long-held love for biology, chemistry, physics, electronics and computers technology in the emerging field of biophysics to design proteins on computers.

Why is this work important? Proteins play a crucial role in biological and genetic function, but their activity is highly complex, especially their part in disease processes. If scientists can design accurate protein models, the role of proteins can be better understood and effective disease therapies devised.

Stephen, in fact, developed one of the first successful computer programs to study proteins. His most significant career achievement, he says, was a highly acclaimed scientific paper he and his colleagues published showing not only that one could indeed design a protein on a computer, but show in a laboratory that it really works. "This was a significant achievement," Stephen says," because at the time the level of skepticism was high that it could not be done."

The product of a close-knit family, Stephen credits much of his scientific prowess and interest in flying to his father who was a career professional in the Air Force. Stephen recalls: "He would always have some home project, which involved building computers or televisions, or radios." He also remembers the chemistry set his parents bought him for Christmas when he was 10, "which occupied me for hours on end."

Although his research keeps him extremely busy, he finds time to motivate young students, especially minority students, toward science careers. His advise to tomorrow's researchers? "Get broad training in mathematics and physical sciences early to be adequately prepared for the increasingly complex nature of the biosciences, chemistry and other disciplines."

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In the field of industrial research, technological change can seemingly occur at the speed of light. It’s no wonder that this profession boasts some of the best futuristic thinkers around -- like Darlene Solomon of Agilent Technologies.

As chief technology officer, Solomon knows success in this fast-moving arena depends on how well you plan, not months, but years in advance. Her passion is being able to do things that have never been done before – and that make a positive contribution to the world we live in. And you can bet, she and her team at Agilent Laboratories are already doing their homework examining future trends that will impact their business, especially in the areas of science and high technology.

These are just some of the futuristic things on her radar screen:

• Health care: Imagine devising a new breed of cell phones that not only help us communicate and entertain us but can also collect health information letting us know when to see a doctor.
• Traffic and urbanization: As population and traffic increases in various areas, a traffic monitoring and management solution with networked low-cost sensors could map and communicate traffic patterns for real-time optimization. At the same time, carbon emissions and energy usage could be monitored in a similar way.
• Smart Medicines: We know that each of us is unique, not only in how we look and sound, but also in how our bodies and metabolisms work on the inside. Every day researchers learn more about health and disease. With new measurements, we can more accurately classify diseases and different people’s responses to a particular disease. Experts believe that these capabilities will give rise to the next generation of personalized medicine and molecular diagnostics, enabling better therapeutic drugs with fewer side effects.

With these changes will come challenges, says Solomon. "Many people who will use the next generation of technology will not have technical training. So the big challenge will be to design products so that it is easy for everyone to use and maintain."

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Rated among the nation's top space and rocket scientists, Mark Thiemens is the epitome of "cool." He has spent an entire career studying and analyzing meteorites, chunks of space rock that survive the fiery plunge through Earth's atmosphere. He even has an orbiting space rock—an asteroid or "minor planet"—named in his honor.

"I've loved space and space science since I was a kid," says Mark, "and it's been great doing something that I enjoy so much – studying space and rockets-- throughout my research career."

As a scientist, he is best known for his discovery of the "mass-independent isotope effect," which has improved scientific understanding climate change, the origin of the solar system, chemical physics, acid rain, the accumulation of greenhouse gases and other areas.

Work in his laboratory has also concentrated on measuring meteorites from Mars and on studying the oldest-know rocks on Earth, which together have revealed new information about how the atmospheres of the two planets evolved more than 2 billion years ago.

In addition, Mark and his team work closely with scientists from other fields. These are new, emerging fields of science such as nanotechnology and bioinformatics – areas that require physicists and chemists to interact with mathematicians and biologists in new ways to study Earth and space.

In recognition of his outstanding work in studying meteorites, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics named a minor planet orbiting the inner part of the main asteroid belt in outer space in his honor. The space rock is called (7004) Markthiemens.

Now how cool is that?

Another interesting fact about Mark: he’s an accomplished glass blower, and blows his own glass for the various flasks and tubes needed for certain experiments in his lab.

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After 34 years, renowned cancer researcher and geneticist Inder Verma still gets a thrill when he arrives to work each day at the famous Salk Institute for Biological Studies. "I come to work as excited as I was the first day I stepped through the door...I have a great job. It feels more like a hobby or like playing."

The source of his enthusiasm? The challenge of dealing with complex research problems. His work centers on studying cellular genes whose alteration can cause cancer. He has developed techniques for treating cancer with gene therapy. Inder and his research group created a carrier that is now used worldwide for gene therapy. The genetically engineered virus is used to insert new genes into cells in a test tube; the cells can then be returned to the body, where they produce an essential protein that the body is missing.

Inder, who is also investigating two genes implicated in familial breast cancer, predicts that science will see the first successful use of gene therapy for treating cancer within the next 10 years. "Most of the work we do is deductive," he says, with new ideas for experiments often coming from a research paper, or a talk we hear."

Inder was barely 19 when he left his native India to pursue a Ph.D. Under his mentor, Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, Inder came into his own. "David allowed me to follow my interests and intuition. I had been trained very differently in India. There, the system was feudal, and students were not allowed to think for themselves."

In addition to returning to India two to three times a year to visit family, Inder has been helping to improve India’s basic science research infrastructure, and more recently, has been working to enhance cancer research in his native country.

But no matter where he travels, he still calls the Salk his professional home. "As an immigrant, I was eager to put down roots here," says Inder, who as honored nationally this year for his excellence in biomedical science and his contributions as a foreign-born professional.

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If you have visions of pursuing a career in forensic science, Bob Countryman has some solid advice: Don’t believe the Hollywood hype.

Television hit series, such as CSI, although entertaining, often don't tell the true story about the field, says Bob, a seasoned forensic chemist formerly with the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "Such TV shows are strictly Hollywood's attempt to simplify the work of forensic scientists, including the lengthy chemical analyses normally involved which take a considerable amount of time to complete," he says.

"Also, forensic scientists do not carry guns, nor do they go out and solve cases and confront criminals," he adds. Working behind the scenes, "forensic scientists are chemists who are trained in the analysis of drugs, DNA, trace elements, fingerprints, and other relevant materials."

To do this job well, one must have a love for science, math and computers, Bob says. "For me, there is nothing like working in a lab doing experiments and recording results, especially when your results are correct. The rush is immense and exhilarating," he says. The love of laboratory science runs through Bob’s lengthy career like a tapestry. But his story would not be complete without the people who helped him along the way, says Bob, who was the first in his family to graduate from college.

Raised by his parents in Hartford, CT (his father Baurel was a barber and his mother Eunice, a housemaid), Bob was one of 13 children in the family. Sports was his first love. He was a three-year starter on the high school basketball team, helping to guide it to two consecutive Connecticut State Championships. He continued with basketball in college, playing on the freshman team and two years on the varsity, before giving it all up in his senior year to concentrate on his newly found major, chemistry.

"I remember the encouragement I had received earlier in life from my older brothers, plus several coaches and counselors who motivated me to reach my educational potential," says Bob. "But the thing is I wasn't that interested in chemistry during high school and my college freshman year."

However that changed later in college when he met a Black chemistry lab instructor by the name of Ted Williams who took an interest in Bob and told him about the demand for good chemists, and that he thought Bob had the talent to be one of them. That discussion changed Bob’s life. Once thinking about majoring in either physical education or engineering, he quickly changed his major to chemistry. Says Bob: "I stayed in touch with Dr. Williams for years after that until he died two years ago. I attended the funeral, and the church was packed with other past students he had also mentored."

While making his mark as a forensic chemist, Bob found a way to help other students toward science, just as others had helped him. He helped establish the San Diego Chapter of NOBCChE (the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers), a program that encourages young African Americans to pursue science and mathematics. Now retired from forensic chemistry, Bob remains actively involved with NOBCChE and other endeavors that help youths. Says Bob: "My mentors had the passion to give of themselves for my benefit. What I am doing with that same passionate fervor is to give back what was given to me."

When David Webb looks back on his childhood, it is clear that the role models and heroes that influenced him still occupy an important part of his psyche today as a scientist.

First there were his parents. "Both my mother and father were my primary role models and had wide ranging interests and were strongly supportive and encouraging," says David, an only child who grew up in La Jolla and Newport Beach.

Although he had no brothers or sisters, he benefited from a strong extended family. "Because my parents both came from large families, I had an abundance of aunts, uncles and cousins who provided a lot of intellectual stimulation, not to mention fun times as well," says David. In fact, three of his aunts were librarians who acquainted him "with many outstanding historical figures, in particular, early scientists from the 16th to 19th centuries who made monumental contributions to mankind." Included among his heroes were such scientific giants as William Harvey, Frances Bacon, Isaac Newton and Galileo.

Today, David is an executive in pharmaceutical research and drug development – a field he calls both challenging and rewarding. He fondly recalls the myriad adventures he experienced throughout his journey to becoming a distinguished and well-known scientist. His passion for science was kindled in grammar school, when he began to avidly collect rocks and pass the hours visiting museums in Balboa Park. In high school, David became fascinated with chemistry and developmental biology, an interest he pursued in college. He entertained thoughts of going to medical school, but changed his mind when he was introduced to the study of immunology by a professor who "opened my eyes to the exciting research going on in that field." From that point on, David knew he wanted to be an immunologist (a scientist who studies the immune system).

In drug development, David helps discover new and important drugs to treat life-threatening diseases, particularly those that affect the immune system. His most notable professional achievements include demonstrating the role that prostaglandins (a group of chemical compounds produced by nearly all of the body's cell membranes) play in regulating our immune responses. These compounds were previously thought to be involved mainly in causing pain and inflammation. He was also part of a research team to develop the first new drug treatment approved in the United States in 23 years that allows the body's immune system to accept transplanted organs without rejection, permitting many patients to live long, productive lives after transplant surgery.

What does the future hold in drug development? "We are likely to see some remarkable advances in this field for treating such difficult neurological diseases as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's and neuropathic pain, and better treatments for cardiovascular, inflammatory disease, obesity and diabetes," he says.

For those students interested in pursuing a career in science, he strongly advises: "Make sure you get a very solid grounding in the basics of mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology."

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The clock is ticking….and scientist Steven Kay, the man whose lab determined how flowers know when to bloom, sits in his laboratory pondering the research topic that has come to define his illustrious career: circadian rhythms.

You wouldn't be incorrect to say that the mystery of circadian rhythms – the internal 24 hour clock that controls the sleep-wake cycle in humans and animals, and photosynthesis in plants – has kept him awake many a night.

How did his obsession with circadian rhythms begin? It had its early origins in his long-time fascination with how light regulates plants, admits the British-born researcher. Steve had always wondered why when a fairly weighty object (such as a bucket) is left on the lawn for a couple of days, all the grass beneath it turns yellow.

As a Ph.D. research student he focused like a laser upon this question, and later discovered the enzyme which was responsible for the phenomenon. "The grass turns yellow in this case because this enzyme cannot function unless light is present," he says. Steve had discovered the enzyme that catalyzes the light-dependent step in chlorophyll synthesis in plants.

Later, Steve and scientist Nam-Hai Chua at Rockefeller University began to study how light regulates gene activity in plants –particularly how plants use photoreceptors to decide which genes to switch on and off under different light conditions. This led to their landmark discovery of the CAB gene, the first gene ever found to function in a circadian-like fashion – switching on in the morning and off in the afternoon.

This discovery lit a flame of curiosity in Steve for circadian rhythms that has never gone out. In his work, Steve performs studies on fruit flies, the Arabidopsis species of plant, and mice. He is perhaps the most cited researcher in the world on circadian rhythm among scientists, and he is now turning his sights intently on how the internal clock affects mammals and humans.

The clock continues to tick…

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Internationally known neuroscientist Terry Sejnowski is famous for many accomplishments – from inventing a procedure that allows a computer to teach itself to translate written text into speech, to studying how the brain learns and stores memory.

But many people are surprised to learn that Terry, who first trained as a physicist, stumbled on to neuroscience by accident one summer in graduate school while cramming for his qualifying exam in theoretical physics.

"To give myself a break between studying I started to read books on the brain." Through this pastime, he discovered an important thing: "Scientists still had a lot to learn about the brain," he says. For example, "They didn't know the answers to basic questions, fundamental questions, like how memory is stored."

Terry was hooked on the brain and biological sciences after that.

But as his career expanded, he found a way to combine his skill in physics with his love of biosciences in an emerging field of neurobiology –an area of science that studies the brain and nervous system. As a physics-trained scientist in this field, he could use his flair for computers and computation, and as a neuroscientist, he could use his interest in biological experimentation, to explore a variety of processes in the nervous system.

By weaving together computers and biology in this way, he is widely credited for effectively launching the field of computational neuroscience.

Today, his work involves the study of two key brain areas: the hippocampus (a region believed to play a major role in learning and memory) and the cerebral cortex (an area which contains our knowledge of the world and how we react to it). In studying how the brain learns and remembers, Terry and his research team use sophisticated electrical and chemical monitoring techniques to measure changes occurring in nerve cell connections in these regions.

They then use results of these studies to instruct large-scale computers to mimic how nerve cells in the hippocampus work. This knowledge ultimately may provide medical specialists with critical clues to combating Alzheimer's disease and other disorders that rob people of the critical ability to remember faces, names, places and events.

A tireless professional, Terry is often sought after by fellow scientists not only for his skill as a researcher but also for his broad knowledge and talent as an organizer. “Terry is definitely a real force for good in neuroscience,” says one colleague.

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Ajit Varki believes that in order for us to better understand the many mysteries in biology and medicine, we have to dig deep -- deep into how we evolved as humans.

Although most physicians and many scientists have little or no basic training in human evolutionary history (a field known as "anthropogeny"), Ajit – himself a renowned physician and molecular biologist – believes that understanding our human origins will help shed light on the causes, mechanisms and treatments of some prominent human diseases.

So strongly does he believe this that he (with neuroscientist Fred Gage, anthropologist Margaret Schoeninger and others) recently established a special center where scientists and medical specialists from all over the world can study, discuss and debate human evolution.

This virtual organization, called the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), will examine biological and behavioral similarities and differences between humans and other primates or other animals, "which will give us a richer picture of the past and of today," says Ajit.

One powerful way to understand human evolution is through the study of genetics, which the center will also focus on, he says. "Human genetic make-up is remarkably similar to that of our closest evolutionary relatives—the "great apes" (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orangutans)."

But despite these genetic similarities, there are also curious differences between humans and great apes, and Ajit is studying these as well.

For example, he says, while severe forms of malaria and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) affect human beings, chimpanzees do not fall victim to these diseases even if infected with these microbes. "Also, chimpanzees get Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C but do not often suffer severe liver damage, unlike human beings," he says. In addition, chimpanzees are not affected by colon, ovarian, breast, lung or uterine cancer, unlike human beings. Nor do they get the kind of heart attacks that humans get, Ajit says. Instead, they get other diseases that are rare in humans.

These differences in disease responses may have their origins in how we and great apes evolved -- a perfect example of why it is important that physicians and scientists understand evolution, Ajit says.

Ajit is also renowned in another field of science impacting medicine, genetics and evolutionary study. Ever since he was a medical student at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India more than 35 years ago, he has been exploring a certain set of molecules in the body called glycans, including the role these molecules play in causing viral and bacterial infection in humans.

Today he is internationally recognized as a leading pioneer in this emerging field of glycobiology, the study of glycans, or sugars that cover the surface of cells. Microbes causing such maladies as cholera, influenza and malaria are attracted to the sugar-coated cell surfaces of glycans (particularly to a family of sugars called sialic acids) and thus attack cells through this means. Meanwhile, these sugar chains also have important roles within the human body. Ajit and his team are studying the role sialic acids plays in human vulnerability to disease, and the part these molecules played in the evolution of humans and related animals.

Remarks Ajit: "As a famed genetic scientist Dobzhansky once said, ‘Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.’" - o, "nothing in the biological aspects of medicine should make sense, except in the light of evolution".

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Vice Admiral Walter Davis is the consummate Naval officer.

As a former "Top Gun" fighter pilot he can tell you what it's like to land a screaming jet aircraft on the heaving deck of a carrier in the middle of the Pacific. He can tell you of the nerves of steel that it takes to be a test pilot, to fly in combat, and of the skill and savvy required to command a ship of war.

Walt can tell you these things because during his more than 30 years in the Navy, he's done them, and more. Retired since 1998 from the service, he is now putting the technological and management ability he acquired in the Navy to good use.

He's breaking new ground in a field which he came to love in the service – telecommunications. He serves on the board of CommNexus which serves and provides value to the telecommunications industry. In addition he co-founded a business that provides online services to the fire protection industry.

Says Walter: "My dream in building an efficient information highway involves a pooling of ideas between different services and agencies. And the computer programming we employ must be easy to visualize and use by our customers."

Always motivated and looking for a challenge, Walt grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Upon graduating from college with a degree in electrical engineering, Walt was commissioned a Naval officer and later completed flight training to become a pilot.

He then attended more schooling in the Navy's postgraduate education program where he received a degree in aeronautical engineering and a degree in aeronautical electronics. Walt served two tours of duty as a combat pilot in Vietnam flying F-4 Phantoms and later used engineering talent as Navy Engineer for the famed F-14 Tomcat. During his career, Walt logged over 3,500 flight hours as a fighter pilot and over 800 carrier landings.

His service at sea is equally impressive. He commanded two Naval ships, and served as Battle Group Commander, before concluding his career as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Command, Control, Communications, Computers & Intelligence Systems.

"My ultimate goal is victory..," Walt once wrote as a naval officer. As he looks to the future as an entrepreneur, there is no question that he means business.

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Michael Sailor is on the cutting edge of an emerging field of science called nanotechnology, and what he is doing stands to not only help physicians save lives, but also impact the air we breathe and the water we drink.

In his research, Michael is studying the potential of a collection of microscopic particles known as "smart dust," especially how to harness the power of these particles for use in medicine, drug therapy, and environmental monitoring of air and water.

Trained in chemistry, Michael is using the capability of nanotechnology to make this happen. Nanotechnology refers to the field of science that allows researchers to work with minute elements of matter (at the atomic and molecular level) to develop ultra-tiny devices or materials that aid in technological advancement.

"I often think to myself, 'Wow – isn't it cool that we can do this,'" says the unpretentious scientist about his work. "I like the idea of serving a need and making a difference."

The potential of smart dust is great. For instance, a smart dust particle (which is prepared from silicon) can act as a microscopic sensor able to be loaded with a medicine and then targeted at a specific area of disease, such as a cancerous tumor, within the body. In addition, the particles can be programmed to release the medicine at a specific time within the targeted area.

"Many very promising drugs for treating diseases aren't effective because they leave the body too quickly," Michael explains. "Our ability to precisely tune the nanostructure in smart dust gives us an unprecedented degree of control over how fast the medicine is released in the body."

Michael and his team are also developing smart dust particles that act as microscopic sensors which can readily identify toxins in the air and water.

One of the biggest challenges for scientists in nanotechnology, of course, is building these complex functions in such microscopic environments. "These things become difficult to shrink to the nanoscale," says Michael.

What does he love about his work? "The best part is that I get to work on what really interests me, just like a hobby," he says. "Most people spend their career punching a clock and ticking off the days till retirement. But if your hobby is your job, then it never really feels like work."

He also enjoys working with undergraduate and graduate level students, and even the occasional high school student. "They are in a very formative period in their lives, and you can really make a difference."

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In the fast-moving world of science and medicine, Dennis Carson focuses like a laser beam on one thing: a cure for cancer.

As both a scientist and physician, Dennis, uses his clinical knowledge to develop research discoveries that bring about new treatments for cancer patients. His specific focus is on cancers and other specific diseases affecting the lymphoid system (the system in the body made up of white blood cells which, when performing normally, defends us against disease by producing and releasing antibodies).

Getting new treatments as soon as possible from the laboratory to cancer patients' bedside is his aim, and toward this goal he has achieved what few in his field have done – discovering a drug that produces long-term positive effects on cancer.

He discovered the drug Leustatin, which is now the standard treatment for hairy cell leukemia, a rare and deadly type of cancer that attacks the lymphoid system. (It is called hairy cell leukemia because the cells have tiny hair-like projections when viewed under the microscope). The drug, approved for use in 1993, is now inducing long-term, complete remissions in about 80 percent of patients treated for hairy cell leukemia.. Many patients have been in remission for as long as 20 years.

"I'm still reluctant to recall these cases a cure," says the pragmatic, hardworking Dennis. "But there is no doubt that this drug has had a dramatic impact on patients' lives and recovery from cancer, and I'm certainly proud of that."

But his vision does not stop there. As director of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, he is striving to make the prestigious center a haven for further biological advancement. That means recruiting the best scientists and physicians in cancer, bringing them under one roof to ferment new discoveries and coaxing those discoveries from the laboratory bench into human testing.

Even as a young child, Dennis had a ravenous appetite for learning,. "I was always attracted to science. I had a microscope, only read nonfiction books. I loved facts," says Dennis.

The youngest of two sons of an optometrist father and homemaker mother, Dennis grew up in New York City, and although shy, by the time he was 20, he had already earned his undergraduate degree and was enrolled in medical school.

His keen and restless mind continues to serve him well today, not only in medicine and science, but also as an entrepreneur. He has founded or co-founded four biotechnology companies dedicated to advancing research and treatment of disease -- from cancer and diabetes to avian flu.

Always innovative, Dennis continues forge new paths in medicine and biomedical science.

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"Our productivity decreases during the day," says Dr. Mednick, "and in some cases a nap can be as restorative as a night of sleep." Over the last few years, UCSD's Sara Mednick's revolutionary research has garnered her interviews with newspapers, magazines, and radio and TV stations around the country. But her work doesn't involve a cure for cancer, diabetes, or the common cold. Instead, her recommendation to improve their physical and mental well-being, as well as their energy and productivity is…take a nap.

"Studies show that a daily nap may also reduce the risk of a heart attack, aid in weight loss and improve memory," said Mednick, who was first awakened to the powers of napping as an exhausted PhD student at Harvard. Napping became the subject of her doctoral thesis, and her graduate work was reported in leading scientific journals.

Mednick is an award-winning faculty member in the School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry. Her recent book, "Take a Nap! Change your Life," is wake up for us all, who she calls "a world of the walking tired." Her research shows that fitting a nap into one's everyday schedule increases alertness and memory, boosts creativity and reduces stress. These benefits have moved from the laboratory and into the corporate world though her productivity assessments and educational work with major corporations.

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From his days growing up on a farm in rural Indiana, bioscientist Jay Short was struck with a burning desire to preserve our natural environment. But, as he later learned, it is not just enough for a few people to be concerned about conservation, we all must do our part – from farmers and business corporations to scientists and students.

As a biodiversity researcher, Jay is making it his life’s mission to bringing all these factions together in the fight to save the planet. And his efforts are having an impact in not only America but in countries as far away as Ghana, Kenya, Russia, Mexico and Indonesia.

"We must begin working together so that conservation and ecology become a win-win situation for everyone, including business and commerce," says Jay, who trained as a chemist and biochemist.. In his work he combines genetic research (such as DNA sequencing and high-speed cloning techniques) with other technology to produce nature-derived products that reduce energy consumption, treat disease, and reduce harmful chemical usage in such industries as oil refining, pulp and paper processing and ethanol production in various parts of the world. He also uses biotechnology for developing “eco friendly” ingredients used in food and beverage products.

In addition to working with business and commerce, educating students early in conservation is also crucial, Jay believes, which is a major reason why he founded the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to using approaches in both business and education to invent and implement better approaches to conservation and to raise awareness.

Says Jay: "The study of biodiversity, a cornerstone of all of biology, remains poorly funded in the schools, but this science is absolutely critical to our understanding of the natural environment and its value. By educating students and the public about the importance of biodiversity, we are helping people to be and stay informed and involved, which is important in bringing about changes in public policy."

For instance, Jay through his foundation has introduced teacher programs that stimulate classroom student-based research in the exploration of biodiversity. "These hands-on experiences;" says Jay, "are not just mentally stimulating, but also emotionally engaging for students."

Jay knows something himself about being emotionally engaged. A creative and adventurous person by nature, he is an instrument-rated pilot, a published photographer and an entrepreneur who has been a leader in various influential bio-businesses. He has more than 100 inventions in bioscience and biodiversity to his credit and several hundred pending patents.

"Only people who know and care about the issues in conservation can bring about the needed changes," says Jay.

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Did you know that pelicans have an air cushion under the skin of their chest that is just like bubble wrap, to protect them when they plunge into the water? Or that koalas have two thumbs but no kneecaps? As a true animal lover, Bruce Rideout - Associate Director of CRES/Wildife Disease Laboratories for the Zoological Society of San Diego - has been endlessly fascinated by the diversity of wildlife and characteristics of animals on Earth. Always interested in disease problems, Bruce admits becoming a physician could have made him a lot more money but instead chose the fascination of discoveries he gets to make in the zoological field.

Growing up in Fallbrook, in Northern San Diego County, Bruce was greatly influenced by figures such as Jacque Cousteau and Marlin Perkins, both of whom had TV shows that highlighted the amazing animal world. In recent years, Bruce has dedicated time to investigating precisely why vultures went from being among the most abundant birds in all of Asia to being on the brink of extinction. Bruce and colleagues on the research team were admittedly surprised when they discovered the cause was a common veterinary drug (Diclofenac). The drug was widely used in cattle across Asia as an anti-inflammatory, to make sick animals feel better. But since it did not actually cure any diseases, the animals eventually died with a lot of this drug in their bodies. The common cultural practice in Asia is not to bury animals that die, but to let the vultures take care of them. Unfortunately, the vultures would in turn get a toxic dose of this drug. Because of this discovery, these drugs have been banned across Asia and the vultures now have a chance at survival.

Looking back on his early years as a student, Bruce confesses the experience was a bit of a disaster. He was very disorganized, kept changing majors, taking courses out of sequence, and did not get particularly good grades. Though, once the realization came of what he wanted to do with his life (at the age of 25), he became extremely focused and was able to turn such disasters into major success. With this in mind, he urges all young students and others interested in a Science career to "always pick something you are passionate about so that you are free to put all your energy into it!"

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A true scientific force, Flossie Wong-Staal is credited as a key player in the discovery of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

Born Yee Ching Wong in mainland China in 1946, her father was a businessman and her mother a homemaker. In 1952 the family settled in the British colony of Hong Kong, where Yee Ching was enrolled in a Catholic school and her name was changed. The nuns thought that she should have an English name, and her father picked Flossie from a newspaper account of Typhoon Flossie, which had hit Hong Kong the week before. 'I used to be embarrassed by [it]. Now I'm trying to change the image of the name,' Wong-Staal told Discover magazine.

Flossie is one of the world's foremost authorities in the field of virology, the study of viruses, and is one of America's pioneering researchers of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Along with her colleagues at the National Cancer Institute, Flossie was the first researcher to clone, or make a copy of, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) the virus that causes AIDS, allowing them to decipher its structure. After moving to UCSD in 1990, Flossie has continued her AIDS research, working specifically in gene therapy, one of the most advanced areas of medical research.

Since 2002, Flossie has been overseeing the research program of a biotechnology company, iTherX. iTherX is developing drugs against another deadly virus, the hepatitis C virus (HCV). HCV has infected more than 170 million people worldwide, and there is yet no vaccine or safe and effective drugs against this virus. Flossie and her colleagues are designing a unique class of drugs that will prevent the virus from entering the liver cell. They plan to test this drug in patients early next year.

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A true pioneer, Larry Jankauski began a career with Qualcomm in 1985, having the honor of being one of the company's very early employees. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from MIT – Cambridge, MA, Larry started his work life as a hardware design engineer. Looking for additional challenges, Larry then decided to try his hand at also managing this kind of work. In doing so, he went on to make important contributions to the manufacturing of several advanced communications products.

At the time of his employment with Qualcomm, Larry was hired as a Project Engineer for the company's first product – the OmniTRAC's mobile satellite communication system. Over time, he progressively moved into the positions of Director of Engineering, Vice President of Engineering and eventually retired the company in 2003 as a Senior Vice President of Engineering. Having helped manage the company through significant growth, Larry played a key role in the development of the Qualcomm that we San Diegans have come to know today.

Science is a wide and varied frontier, capable of taking you on many surprising twists and turns along the way, says noted neuroscientist Eduardo Macagno. "In science, you may start off in one direction, but then end up doing something totally different," Eduardo tells young students.

He should know. That's exactly what happened to him.

Eduardo, who today is widely known for his research on how the brain and nervous system grow and develop – actually began his scientific career as a space physicist, working as an undergraduate with James Van Allen, the pioneer in the exploration of space who was his mentor at the University of Iowa.

There, he was involved with building and testing satellite instruments used to measure radiation which were flown during the beginning of the U.S. Space Program. His work helped scientists learn more about the level of radiation that astronauts would soon encounter in space travel. Later he used a cyclotron at Columbia University to study properties of the atomic nucleus, before taking up studies of the nervous system that he continues today with his group at UCSD.

Eduardo immigrated to the USA from Argentina at age 13, with his parents and sister. They settled in Iowa City, Iowa, where his mother (a mathematician) and father (a physicist and engineer) both taught at the University of Iowa.

"Coming to America was a complicated transition for me," Eduardo recalls, "because I knew very little English when we arrived." But his love of science –already planted in him in Argentina by his parents – helped him adjust. "In Argentina, my father was a teacher and he had a little shop behind our garage where he devised experiments to use in class," Eduardo says. "So he began trying them out with my sister and me…I decided very early that I would become a scientists when I grew up."

Although he trained in physics in college and began his career in this field, his curiosity and interests later expanded to biology, specifically neurobiology (the study of the brain and nervous system). But he kept from physics a strong interest in developing and building new instruments and applying them to the exploration of new questions or old questions in new ways, and was one of the first to use computers to reconstruct nerve cells and their circuits in the developing brain.

"I developed a keen interest in such questions as how growing nerve cells find their targets and make the right connections during brain development," says Eduardo. "I'm also very intrigued by how the nervous system sets up sensory organs, like the eyes and the skin, and how the brain processes sensory information (such as from sight, hearing and smell) and uses it to decide what to do, as when we observe cues and use this information to find our way through a building."

Eduardo is currently working with architects and other researchers in studying how to design better living environments that stimulate the brain -- such as improved classrooms to enhance learning, hospitals that better stimulate patient recovery, and offices that spur better creativity and productivity among workers.

What does this busy scientist do for fun? "I try to spend as much time as possible with my family," says Eduardo, who is also actively involved in encouraging more Latinos and other minorities to enter science. "My wife is also trained as a scientist and works with scientists and engineers as well as people in industry to develop new ideas and products. We have two pre-teen children with whom I love to play soccer, and both children enjoy doing science experiments and visiting my laboratory."

Whether his kids become scientists is not important, says Eduardo. "What's essential is that they are getting a taste of how much fun science can be, so they can make up their own minds when they go to college."

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Alison Marsden has something to say to young students about engineering.

"Engineers do not just design planes, cars and other machinery," says the noted mechanical and aerospace engineering scientist, "Engineering is changing dramatically and is providing many opportunities to work in fields that impact virtually every aspect of our lives." For example, she says, engineers are now becoming increasingly involved in solving problems in medicine, biology, disease, energy and the environment.

Alison should know. She is currently using her skills in mechanical and aerospace engineering to design computer models in medicine, which after successful testing, will help heart surgeons improve upon an existing surgical procedure to treat children with severe heart defects.

To design the new variation of this procedure, Alison and her colleagues are developing computer models that help determine that the heart’s blood flow behavior performs up to par under simulated surgical conditions before doctors actually use the procedure on patients in the operating room. The new procedure will be performed on children with heart defects for the first time at Stanford University Hospital later this year.

"This concept is similar to the way engineers use computers and analytical tools to design and test an airplane before pilots actually fly it," says Alison. In addition to her work in medicine, she has played a key role in developing methods that address other problems in fluid mechanics.

What influenced this native of Berkeley, CA to pursue engineering? Well, it was a combination of her childhood environment, parental motivation, and a love for music.

"I have always been interested in math and science, in addition to coming up with creative solutions to problems," says Alison, "mainly because I was exposed to these influences from an early age. "As a young child, my mom signed me up for fun science classes at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, and I did a lot of fun nature things with my family. This led to an interest in plants, animals and natural biology."

She describes her parents as "always encouraging, but never pushy. They were always happy with my best efforts." Her father (himself a noted mathematician) exposed her to mathematics as a child, starting her out on math workbooks that he personally devised and put together. Her mother, an avid hiker and photographer who enjoyed traveling the West, brought out the adventurous, independent spirit in Alison.

And then there was her childhood love of music. "I played the clarinet quite seriously as a high school student in the local youth orchestra and school band," she says, and through music practice she developed a serious work ethic. "I also believe there is a strong connection between math and music that helped me develop analytical skills which also formed the basis for my interest in engineering."

Linked closely with her passion about engineering, is her interest in motivating more young girls to pursue the profession. Says Alison: "I worry that many girls are scared off from science and engineering because of stereotypes that you have to be a geeky guy to be an engineer. That's not true – engineering is for geeky girls too!"

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Within hours after Tim Russert, the well-known moderator of NBC News' Meet the Press television program, collapsed and died suddenly of a heart attack recently, a somber Eric Topol was interviewed on national television to help the public make sense out of the medical circumstances that led to Russert’s untimely death.

Later that week, he appeared in a videotaped message (titled "Lessons From Tim Russert's Heart Attack") on the medical blog, TheHeart.org. In the video, Eric urged fellow cardiologists across the nation to reexamine the medical details of the Russert case to perhaps get further clues into how similar sudden deaths can be prevented in the future.

Both incidents tell something about the hard-driving Eric. As a physician-scientist, he is one of the nation's premiere experts in the field of cardiovascular medicine and research, yet Eric would be the first to admit that he and his colleagues in cardiology are, in many ways, still students of the malady they are trying to eradicate – heart disease.

Progress, however, is being made in controlling America's number one killer, says Eric -- thanks to genetic research.

"Advances in biotechnology and mapping of DNA are allowing us for the first time to learn about the gen