Science Education & Policy

You know things are bad when an insurance company tries to fix the health care system. WellPoint Inc. is funding a competition in collaboration with X Prize Foundation to devise solutions that improve health care cost and quality. Although the actual award amount and competition guidelines won’t be ready until early 2009, the rumored jackpot is about $10 million. According to the X Prize site , the two partners will solicit advice from various stakeholders, hold the competition, and test the finalists’ plans in WellPoint’s markets. (WellPoint is a large licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield…

WARSAW, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The most important task posed for the participants of the forthcoming "Summit on Sectoral Cooperation" is to develop a common position and to identify opportunities for the cooperation of governments and energy-intensive industries to tackle climate change. The Summit, organized by the Ministry of Economy of Poland, will take place on 27-28 November in Warsaw. The meeting will be attended by representatives of over 20 countries, which are responsible for 80 percent of global CO2 emissions. Ministers for industry and representatives of industries will…

NATICK, Massachusetts and PARIS, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Platinol(TM) Wire Metal Stents designed to accommodate different anatomical and clinical requirements for malignant bile duct obstructions Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced the European availability of the WallFlex(R) Biliary RX Stent for the palliative treatment of malignant common bile duct strictures. The WallFlex Stent is designed specifically to provide luminal patency through improved stent flexibility and control, allowing more precise stent placement. The WallFlex Biliary Stent System is being…

Not me! I've only clocked up 36 years, with two to go. But I thought that this article is worth reading: 44 Years of Academic Life: So what changed?. It's not even from a science department, but it does sum up the mood of academia in Britain today. Any thoughts from readers on the Continent or in North America?

TOKYO, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- - 1,000 consumers, 100 media representatives will be given a free HEATTECH trial kit - In the second of its UNIQLO TRY programs, UNIQLO is conducting a Global Try It Campaign for HEATTECH - try out both the "heat creation function" that absorbs moisture evaporating from the body and turns it into heat energy, and the "insulation function" that prevents the heat from escaping. We are launching an entry website which will invite consumers and media representatives from around the world to apply for the trial. (Deadline for kit applications - midnight on…

EAST GREENBUSH, New York, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- - New Autotask ProPlus Solution Offers Best of Both Worlds; Combines Superior IT Business Software With Advanced Implementation and IT Business Consulting Services Helping IT service providers build a stronger and more profitable business model, Autotask Corporation is pleased to announce the release of Autotask ProPlus, a new IT Business Optimization solution that combines Autotask's award-winning professional services automation software with advanced implementation and IT business consulting services. Available now, the Autotask ProPlus…

It's no news that women were historically excluded from the "boys club" of science but women scientists date as far back as Ancient Greece, and perhaps further. In more recent years, they have become essential to the scientific community. Several of the women listed here are sisters or wives of scientific men. During their times, women were forced onto the backburner but, given equal rights and freedoms, might have overshadowed their masculine counterparts. Some even disguised themselves as men and most, if not all, faced tremendous adversity. They have been chosen for this list because…

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, October 16 /PRNewswire/ -- - Redline to Feature Voice, Video and Data Communications via RedMAX 4C (TM) Mobile WiMAX System Redline Communications Group Inc. ("Redline") (TSX and AIM: RDL), a leading provider of WiMAX and broadband wireless infrastructure products, will feature a live demonstration of its RedMAX 4C(TM) Mobile WiMAX products at Gitex Technology Week from October 19 to 23 in Dubai, UAE. Redline's RedMAX 4C(TM) Mobile WiMAX demonstration will include the SC-1000 multi-application base station platform, and the WiMAX Forum Certified(R) RedMAX 4C RPM…

Think you knew spent too much time pondering the wonders of beer in college? These Rice University students have you beat. They're using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that's been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals. Rice's "BioBeer" will be entered in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition Nov. 8-9 in Cambridge, Mass. It's the world's largest synthetic biology competition, a contest where teams use a standard toolkit of DNA building blocks -- think genetic LEGO blocks -- to create living…

PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, October 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, announced today the launch of Thomson Pharma KOLexperts, a new solution designed to help pharmaceutical organizations identify, verify, and develop productive relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and scientific experts. It is the first solution available to the industry that allows users to rank life sciences KOLs with a range of objective metrics. Designed for scientific expertise identification, Thomson Pharma KOLexperts…