Nobel Prize-Winning Scientists to Discuss Effects of Upcoming Election
on Science and Technology

Carlisle, PA (October 20, 2004) — Two Nobel Prize-winning scientists will discuss the impact of the 2004 presidential election on the future of U.S. science and technology during a free public presentation at 5 p.m. Friday, October 22 in the Café Per Se of the Penn State Dickinson School of Law, 150 South College Street, Carlisle.

In their presentation, “Science and the 2004 Election,” Dr. Sidney Altman and Dr. Harold Varmus will cover the effects the election could have on issues such as stem cell research, global warming, energy independence, homeland security, environmental protection and the scientific workforce. They will also discuss the need to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking and to maintain support for the nation's scientific and engineering resources. A question and answer period will follow the lecture.

Altman is the Sterling Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. A 1989 recipient of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Altman focuses his research on biophysical chemistry and organic chemistry. Additional honors include the Rosenstiel Award for Basic Biomedical Research, the National Institutes of Health Merit Award, and the Yale Science and Engineering Association Award.

Varmus, president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, won a Nobel Prize in 1989 for his studies of the genetic basis of cancer. He served as the director of the National Institutes of Health under President Clinton; was a member of the World Health Organization's Commission on Macroeconomics and Health; chairs the Board of Directors of Public Library of Science and the Scientific Board of the Grand Challenges in Global Health; is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and of the Institute of Medicine; and is actively involved in initiatives to promote science in other countries.

Attendees are invited to a reception immediately following the event. For more information, call (717) 240-5217.