Science Foundation investments promote brain diagnostics, solar technology

Science Foundation Arizona selected eight research proposals out of 44 submissions to receive $2 million designed to advance the technologies to the point of commercialization.

Researchers receiving funding are:

• Nasser Peyhgambarian, a professor in the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, who is working to introduce ultra-low voltage hybrid polymer/sol-gel electro-optic modulators and switches as the next-generation of broadband.
• Peyghambarian also is working to commercialize a miniaturized fiber-optic sensor used in non-invasive real time monitoring of brain activity.
• David Lynch of UA's Department of Materials Science and Engineering is developing technology to reduce the cost of manufacturing solar-grade silicon while reducing pollution.
• Dominic McGrath, professor in the Department of Chemistry at UA, is developing a disposable infusion pump for pain management IV therapy, drug and fluid delivery and insulin therapy for Medipacs, a Tucson biotech facility.
• Qiang Hu, professor in the Department of Applied Biological Sciences at Arizona State University Polytechnic, is working on a project to increase the productivity and reduce production costs of Astaxanthin, an antioxidant for humans and color additive in foods like meat and fish -- a project that could lead to creation of a manufacturing plant in Arizona.
• John Kouvetakis, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at ASU is looking to find an improved, cost-effective and sustainable method for producing high-brightness and energy-efficient lighting and solar applications.
• Wayne Frasch, a professor in the School of Life Sciences at ASU is working on molecular detection technology that rapidly tests and diagnoses pathogens such as anthrax, E-coli, cancer, forensics, STDs, avian flu and hospital-acquired infections.
• Trevor Thornton, director of ASU's Center for Solid State Electronics Research, plans to introduce a cost-effective option for companies that require high-voltage, high-speed integrated circuits in partnership with Honeywell.

The investments are part of the 2007 Small Business Catalytic program, designed to create a catalyst for technology development, company formation and high-tech job creation in Arizona.

"The research funded by our Small Business Catalytic program has great commercialization potential, a key component in Arizona's efforts to grow an economy rooted in knowledge and innovation," said William C. Harris, president and CEO of SFAz. "These projects will bring new patents to Arizona researchers with the ultimate goal of forming spin-off companies that create new jobs for Arizonans."

Human genome further unravelled

A close-up view of the human genome has revealed its innermost workings to be far more complex than first thought.

The study, which was carried out on just 1% of our DNA code, challenges the view that genes are the main players in driving our biochemistry.

Instead, it suggests genes, so called junk DNA and other elements, together weave an intricate control network.

The work, published in the journals Nature and Genome Research, is to be scaled up to the rest of the genome.

Views transformed

The Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements (Encode) study was a collaborative effort between 80 organisations from around the world.

It has been described as the next step on from the Human Genome Project, which provided the sequence for all of the DNA that makes up the human species' biochemical "book of life".

We are now seeing the majority of the rest of the genome is active to some extent Tim Hubbard, Sanger Institute

Ewan Birney, from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute, led Encode's analysis effort. He told the BBC: "The Human Genome Project gave us the letters of the genome, but not a great deal of understanding. The Encode project tries to understand the genome."

The researchers focussed on 1% of the human genome sequence, carrying out 80 different types of experiments that generated more than 600 million data points.

The surprising results, explained Tim Hubbard from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, "transform our view of the genome fabric".

THE DNA MOLECULE The double-stranded DNA molecule - wound in a helix - is held together by four chemical components called bases Adenine (A) bonds with thymine (T); cytosine(C) bonds with guanine (G) Groupings of these "letters" form the "code of life"; a code that is very nearly universal to all Earth's organisms Written in the DNA are genes which cells use as starting templates to make proteins; these sophisticated molecules build and maintain our bodies

Previously, genome activity was thought of in terms of the 22,000 genes that make proteins - the functional building blocks in our cells - along with patches of DNA that control, or regulate, the genes.

The other 97% or so of the genome was said to be made up of "junk" DNA - so called because it had no known biological function.

However, junk DNA may soon need a new moniker.

Dr Hubbard said: "We are now seeing the majority of the rest of the genome is active to some extent."

He explained that the study had found junk DNA was being transcribed, or copied, into RNA - an active molecule that relays information from DNA to the cellular machinery.

He added: "This is a remarkable finding, since most prior research suggested only a fraction of the genome was transcribed."

'Complex picture'

Dr Birney added that many of the RNA molecules were copying overlapping sequences of DNA.

He said: "The genome looks like it is far more of a network of RNA transcripts that are all collaborating together. Some go off and make proteins; [and] quite a few, although we know they are there, we really do not have a good understanding of what they do.

"This leads to a much more complex picture."

The researchers now hope to scale up their efforts to look at the other 99% of the genome.

By finding out more about its workings, scientists hope to have a better understanding of the mechanics of certain diseases.

Dr Birney said that in the future, they would hope to combine their findings with some of the larger studies that are currently investigating genes known to be associated with particular conditions.

He added: "As we understand these things better, we get better insight into disease, and when we get better insight into disease, we get better insight into diagnosis and the chances to create new drugs."

Robots put the cool back in computer science

The lesson plan was called "Artificial Unintelligence," but it was written more like a comic book than a syllabus for a serious computer science class.

"Singing, dancing and drawing polygons may be nifty, but any self-respecting evil roboticist needs a few more tricks in the repertoire if they are going to take over the world," read the day's instructions to a dozen or so Georgia Tech robotics students.

They had spent the last few months teaching their personal "Scribbler" robots to draw shapes and chirp on command. Now they were being asked to navigate a daunting obstacle course of Girl Scout cookie boxes scattered over a grid.

The course is aimed at re-igniting interest in computer science among undergraduates. Educators at Georgia Tech and elsewhere are turning to innovative programs like the Scribbler to draw more students to the field and reverse the tide of those leaving it.

At risk, professors say, is nothing less than U.S. technology supremacy. As interest in computer science drops in the U.S., India and China are emerging as engineering hubs with cheap labor and a skilled work force.

Schools across the country are taking steps to broaden the appeal of the major. More than a dozen universities have adopted "media computation" programs, a sort of alternate introduction to computer science with a New Media vibe. The classes, which have been launched at schools from the University of San Francisco to Virginia Tech, teach basic engineering using digital art, digital music and the Web.

Others are turning to niche fields to attract more students. The California Institute of Technology, which has seen a slight drop in undergraduate computer science majors, has more than made up for the losses by emphasizing the field of bioengineering.

"Many of our computer science faculty work on subjects related to biology, and so this new thrust works well for us," said Joel Burdick, a Caltech bioengineering professor.

At Georgia Tech, computing professor Tucker Balch says the brain drain is partly the fault of what he calls the "prime number" syndrome.

It's the traditional way to teach computer science students by asking them to write programs that spit out prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence or other mathematical series.

It's proven a sound way to educate students dead-set on joining the ranks of computer programmers, but it's also probably scared away more than a few.

That's why Balch, who oversees the robotics class, is optimistic about the Scribbler, a scrappy blue robot cheap enough for students to buy and take home each night after class but versatile enough to handle fairly complex programs.

The key to the class is the design of the robot. It weighs about a pound and is slightly smaller than a Frisbee, sporting three light-detecting sensors and a speaker that can chirp. And at about $75, it's roughly the price of a science textbook.

The class centers on twice-weekly lectures, but the real excitement is in the weekly breakout session. That's where teaching assistants outline their cheeky lesson plans and instruct students how to use commands like turnLeft() and sense() to navigate their Scribblers around makeshift obstacle courses.

Students aren't just teaching the Scribblers how to move, they're teaching them how to dance, how to draw and how to create music -- a sort of artistic dynamo.

"It's a lot of fun," said Ami Shah, a 21-year-old senior biology major. "I've learned a lot from this class, and I think it's a really handy skill."

Professors are planning to expand the class from around 30 students to more than 200 next semester and are exporting the class to two other Georgia schools in the fall.

Georgia Tech, which has branded the robot the "new face of computing," is hoping that the class can be a new national model to teach students computing. To Microsoft Corp., which is investing $1 million to jump-start the program at Georgia Tech and Bryn Mawr, it's investment in what could become its work force.

Outside groups have applauded the effort, too.

"In fact, computing is a tool that can be used for virtually every application -- from entertainment to medicine," said Virginia Gold of the Association for Computing Machinery. "And the Scribbler helps show how pervasive computers are in everything."

The computing industry has a reason to be concerned about the future.

The number of new computer science majors has steadily declined since 2000, falling from close to 16,000 students to only 7,798 in fall 2006, according to the Computing Research Association.

And the downward trend isn't expected to reverse soon. The association says about 1 percent of incoming freshmen have indicated computer science as a probable major, a 70 percent drop from the rate in 2000.

The aftermath of the dot-com bust may have triggered the exodus, but computer scientists admit they've also been slow to adapt to the changes by reprogramming their teaching methods.

Although the Scribbler is one of several methods to lure more students to the field, its popularity has been surprising. Some 30 schools have already expressed interest in the course, said Deepak Kumar, the chair of Bryn Mawr's computer science department.

"It's fresh and new and engaging," said Kumar, who teaches a class of 24 Scribbler-wielding students. "We've got our fingers on one way to solve the problem."

Balch, who is watching the students from the corner of the classroom, is happy to agree.

"It beats prime numbers."

Astronomer Reports New Evidence of Dark Matter

A hazy ring of dark matter created by a colossal cosmic crash eons ago offers the best evidence to date that vast amounts of the mysterious material reside in the universe, a scientist at the Johns Hopkins University said Tuesday.

Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope allowed astronomers to detect the ring of dark matter, which was created by the collision of two galaxy clusters five billion light-years from Earth.

Scientists came across the evidence while studying the distribution of dark matter within a galaxy cluster designated as Cl 0024+17. Wondering about the genesis of the ring, the researchers came across earlier work showing that the galaxy cluster had run into another cluster one billion to two billion years ago.

“The collision between the two galaxy clusters created a ripple of dark matter that left distinct footprints in the shapes of the background galaxies,” Myungkook James Jee, an astronomer at Johns Hopkins. Richard Massey, an astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, said the findings were facing skepticism within the astronomical community.

Another earth

Another planet was found

Solar storm satellites launched from Florida

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Five satellites were launched into space from Florida on Saturday aboard an unmanned Delta rocket to investigate electromagnetic storms, the dark side of the phenomenon that causes Earth's dazzling aurorae.

The $200 million mission is expected to help scientists develop better forecasting techniques for potentially dangerous solar storms, which can knock out power grids, navigation and other satellites and even force airlines to abandon polar routes due to loss of radio contact.

The satellites were carried into orbit aboard a Boeing-built Delta 2 rocket that lifted off at 6:01 p.m. (2301 GMT) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The solar storms are better known for triggering the beautiful sheets of shimmering green lights near Earth's north and south poles. The lights, known as aurorae, are caused by charged particles that have been blasted off the sun's surface toward Earth, where they can interact with the planet's magnetic field.

During storms, the magnetosphere is overloaded with energy, causing magnetic field lines to stretch until they snap back like giant rubber bands, flinging electrically charged particles at the planet. They travel into the upper atmosphere over the polar regions, where they smash into atoms and molecules, causing them to glow.

Scientists want to know where magnetic disturbances arise in hopes of being able to better predict when they will strike.

"For over 30 years, the source location of these explosive energy releases has been sought after with great fervor. It is a question almost as old as space physics itself," said Vassilis Angelopoulos, the lead scientist for the mission, which is called Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, or THEMIS.

The charged particles also can damage electronic components on spacecraft, short-circuit power lines and rip through the bodies of astronauts in space, potentially causing cancer.

A network of five satellites is needed to track the storms, which start from a single point in space and progress past the moon's orbit within minutes.

The purpose of THEMIS is to identify the trigger locations and unravel the physics of the storms' progressions. Over the network's two-year lifetime, scientists hope to observe about 30 storms.

The launch was the first for NASA since Boeing and Lockheed Martin combined their commercial launch services of both the Delta and the Lockheed-built Atlas boosters into the jointly owned United Launch Alliance.

Science skills displayed at olympics

With a quick yank of a rope, the green bottle wrapped in duct tape whooshed into the air over Lakebottom Park.

As intended, the bright orange tip of Wesley Heights Elementary School's bottle rocket came off, making way for a parachute that eased the vessel back to the ground.

"It really worked out well," said Jennifer Hurtt, who led Wesley Heights' team in the countywide Elementary Science Olympics Saturday at Columbus High School.

Nearly 300 elementary school students from 18 schools built bridges with Popsicle sticks, fashioned paper airplanes and shot off bottle rockets, competing in 14 science-related activities.

Each event carried with it different lessons. Building the bottle rockets -- from deciding its shape to selecting its materials -- is an exercise in aerodynamics, said Tommie Ford, a science teacher at Arnold Magnet Academywho was running the bottle rocket event.

But the education doesn't stop there. Whether the students know it or not, they are watching scientist Isaac Newton's Third Law when their rockets are shot into the sky. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction at work, Ford said.

Activities in the science olympics challenge students to draw on principles of math, biology, logic and other academic disciplines, said Gail Sinkule, a Columbus High teacher who has coordinated the olympics for 12 years. Next month, Sinkule will become president of the Georgia State Science Teachers Association.

"It's putting together different skills," Sinkule said.

Standing in a courtyard, Hannan Elementary teacher Elia Moran watched as her team competed in an egg drop. To soften their eggs' fall, students were allowed only two wire coat hangers, paper clips, rubber bands and masking tape.

"They don't see it as learning," Moran said. "They don't realize they are."

Isabella Ruby national science fair winner

Isabella Ruby, a Grade 7 student at Kwaleen Traditional School, is looking forward to making her first trip to the Canadian national science fair in Truro, Nova Scotia May 12-20.

“It’s going to be quite an experience and learning possibility for me. It’s going to be really unbelievable,” Isabella says.

Isabella qualified for the national competition by winning top awards with her project Wind Energy at her school science fair, the School District 27 Science Fair at Columneetza March 1, and at the regional science fair held at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops April 2-4.

Isabella is among three of the students from School District 27 and only five students overall chosen by the judges in Kamloops to attend the national competition.

In addition to a gold medal for her project Wind Energy, Isabella won several perpetual trophies and keeper awards to go with them:

• The BC Ministry of the Environment Award (keeper and perpetual) for a project that supports environmental protection.

• The Best Environmental Science Award (keeper and perpetual) for the best experimental science project.

• The Association of Professional Engineers and Geotechnologists of BC for the outstanding engineering projects. ($50, plus keeper and perpetual)

• BC Hydro Award ($100.00 and keeper) to a Grade 4 – 12 student who creates a project which creatively demonstrates electrical conservation and its environmental social and economical impacts.

• Science Council of BC ($100, keeper and perpetual) award for the project that turns ideas into solutions.

Unfortunately the results list for the School District 27 Science Fair had Isabella’s last name wrong (Rudy instead of Ruby) and one of her awards listed incorrectly as third place instead of first place. She won first in both the Junior Engineering and Overall Engineering categories at the district science fair held at Columneetza.

For her project Wind Energy, Isabella designed and tested three turbine prototypes using common materials such as empty toilet paper rolls, Popsicle sticks, Ping-Pong balls, tooth picks and masking tape. She called them the Trislice, the Cooper Wind Scooper; the Quarte Wing Flyer.

She stabilized the creations on a table and used a fan set on high and low settings to test the prototypes. She used an anemometer to test how many miles per hour the fan pushed air then tested each prototype at distances of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 centimeters away from the fan. She discovered that her Cooper Wind Scooper which had four fan blades made from Ping-Pong balls cut in half intensified the wind the most. She says it rotated the fastest because the material used was the lightest. She also found the Cooper Wind Scooper was twice as efficient as the most common commercial prototype with three propellers when she compared her results to professional results.

She found her Quarte Wing Flyer which employed two toilet paper rolls cut in half to be her next most efficient creation and the triangle shaped Trislice made of Popsicle sticks wrapped with masking tape to be the least efficient turbine prototype. Isabella gave an in-depth presentation to the School District 27 board April 5 which amazed and delighted the audience.

Isabella entered her first school science fair in Grade 6 with her partner Brittany Denny called Cookie Crumble. In this project they took out different baking ingredients such as sugar to see when the cookie would crumble. They won a bronze medal at the regional science fair in Kamloops last year so this year Isabella decided to try a project on her own.

Isabella decided to research wind energy after going on holiday to Alberta with her family and seeing the large wind turbines in operation there.

“I thought it was very interesting to see how to create energy without giving off any greenhouse gases, radioactive waste or toxic emissions and they actually only take up one per cent of the habitat,” Isabella says. She says wind energy is also a good alternative to hydroelectric dams which cause problems with water sources.

Isabella says she got a lot of help and support with her project from her teacher Miss Kim Zalay, her principal Jim and her parents, the district science fair organizer Stephen Dickens and the judges at the district and regional science fairs.

Isabella lives with her parents Patti and Brent and her brother Nathan who is in Grade 10.

She is on the honour roll and effort rolls. “I like most subjects in school,” Isabella says. But she doesn’t spend all of her time studying. She plays rep and house soccer, volleyball, basketball and floor hockey at school. She also enjoys cross country running and will be running with her team in the Dave Jacobs Classic.

She plays soccer with the team Pride in the community league and is currently taking a refereeing course and will start as an assistant referee with the younger teams.

She also took the leadership course at Kwaleen Traditional School in the first semester and has taken the baby-sitting course.

Probe spots seas on Saturn's moon Titan

Scientists have discovered what appear to be sea-size bodies of liquid, probably methane or ethane, on the surface of Saturn's largest moon.The discovery by the international Cassini spacecraft was welcomed by researchers, who have long theorized that Titan possessed hydrocarbon seas because of methane and other organic compounds in its thick, largely nitrogen atmosphere. Until now, Cassini had spotted only clusters of small lakes on the planet-size moon."They're very obvious. There's nothing subtle about them," said Cassini scientist Jonathan Lunine of the University of Arizona, Tucson.Researchers using visual and radar imaging uncovered evidence of at least two seas on Titan's hazy north pole.Cassini's camera last month spied a large, irregular feature stretching 680 miles long with a surface area similar to Asia's landlocked Caspian Sea. Its radar instrument swept over the feature's northern tip and determined that it likely contains liquid methane or ethane because of its smooth appearance. However, scientists do not know whether the entire area is filled with liquid.The spacecraft also discerned another body one-fifth the size of Titan's "Caspian Sea." With a surface area of about 46,000 square miles, it is larger than Lakes Superior and Ontario combined, scientists said.While there's no scientific definition of what constitutes a lake or sea on Titan, the newly found features are significantly larger than previously discovered bodies of liquid on the frigid moon and should be considered seas, Lunine said.Results were presented Tuesday at the annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas.Titan is one of the few objects in the outer solar system with a significant atmosphere, and scientists have long puzzled over its source. Methane is a flammable gas on Earth but is liquid on Titan because of the moon's intense atmospheric pressure and cold.Judging by their sizes and depths, the newly discovered seas likely are not responsible for replenishing the long-term methane found in the moon's atmosphere, Lunine said. Instead, the source likely is underground methane reservoirs that vent to the surface.In 2005, Cassini launched a probe that parachuted to the surface of Titan, where it found evidence of an active world with liquid methane rain and a landscape of ridges, peaks and features formed by erosion.Cassini, on a mission to study the ringed planet and its many moons, is a project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The spacecraft is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

SGS Life Science Services Selects Phase Forward as Preferred Partner

Phase Forward (NASDAQ: PFWD), a leading provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, today announced that SGS Life Science Services, a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO), has selected Phase Forward as a preferred partner. As part of the collaboration, SGS Life Science Services will use Phase Forward's InForm(TM) electronic data capture (EDC) product to support the data collection, management and analysis for clinical trials.

SGS Life Science Services is a full-service Contract Research Organization providing services from early-stage clinical development to late-phase clinical trials throughout Europe, North America and Asia. SGS has clinical operations in North America, France, Belgium, Spain and Asia (Thailand, Singapore and India). Since its inception in 1975, SGS has performed over 2,000 clinical trials and manages 100 trials annually. As a result, SGS has developed a wide expertise in a range of therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, central nervous system, infectious disease and respiratory. SGS Life Science Services Biometrics group is one of the largest EU Data Management CROs, processing over 1,000,000 CRF pages each year and offering comprehensive expertise, including in-depth experience in CDISC, and extensive high throughput capabilities.

The selection of the InForm product as SGS' preferred EDC system marks an expansion of SGS Life Science Services' relationship with Phase Forward. SGS currently uses Phase Forward's Clintrial(TM) product, a comprehensive clinical data management and analysis system that integrates both electronically captured and paper-based study data, as well as Phase Forward's Clintrace(TM) software, a highly scalable, adverse event tracking and reporting system. The InForm solution supports thousands of trial sites with near real-time data, providing end-to-end clinical development capabilities designed to improve trial safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. While SGS Life Science Services has extensive experience with the InForm software through externally hosted customers, this agreement allows SGS to offer the EDC system as an integral part of the SGS solution set.

"We are pleased to expand our relationship with Phase Forward into a broader partnership with our implementation of InForm," said Florent Hediard, marketing director, SGS Life Science Services. "Time and again, Phase Forward has demonstrated expertise and in-depth knowledge in developing and delivering innovative technology solutions for clinical trials and drug safety. In addition, we were drawn to Phase Forward's global presence and experience, and the company's dedication to quality. This partnership was a natural next step."

"SGS Life Science Services' commitment to excellence mirrors our own high standards," said Bob Weiler, president and chief executive officer, Phase Forward. "The organization has consistently demonstrated its expertise in managing complex, high-volume, globally distributed trials. We look forward to further developing our partnership with additional joint bids, leveraging our respective strengths to provide full-service programs across all phases of the clinical trial process."

About SGS Life Science Services

SGS Life Science Services, a business unit of the SGS Group, has 30 years of experience as a global Contract Research Organization (CRO) providing a large range of services from preclinical activities to Phase I through IV trials, bio-analytical and QC testing. With more than 1,300 employees in LSS and 2,000 trials performed, SGS Life Science Services serves the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. Additional information about SGS is available at www.sgs.com/clinicalresearch.

The SGS Group is the global leader and innovator in inspection, verification, testing and certification services. Founded in 1878, SGS is recognized as the global benchmark in quality and integrity. With more than 48,000 employees, SGS operates a network of more than 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world.

About Phase Forward

Phase Forward is a leading provider of integrated data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety. The company offers proven solutions for electronic data capture (InForm(TM)), clinical data management (Clintrial(TM)), clinical trials signal detection (CTSD(TM)), strategic pharmacovigilance (WebVDME(TM) and Signal Management), adverse event reporting (Clintrace(TM)) and applied data standards (WebSDM(TM)). In addition, the company provides services in the areas of application implementation, hosting and validation, data integration, business process optimization, safety data management and industry standards. Phase Forward's products and services have been utilized in over 10,000 clinical trials involving more than 1,000,000 clinical trial study participants at over 265 organizations and regulatory agencies worldwide including: AstraZeneca, Boston Scientific, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Eli Lilly, Food and Drug Administration, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Merck Serono, U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, National Institutes of Health, Procter & Gamble, Quintiles, sanofi-aventis, Schering-Plough Research Institute and Servier. Additional information about Phase Forward is available at www.phaseforward.com.

Certain statements made in this press release that are not based on historical information are forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This press release contains express or implied forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, the performance and features of Phase Forward's products and services, future business and operations plans of Phase Forward customers and partner, and the ability of Phase Forward's customers and partners to realize benefits from the use of Phase Forward's products and services. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Phase Forward's control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the ability of Phase Forward's customers and partners to realize benefits from the use of its products and services, changes in regulatory requirements applicable to Phase Forward's customers and partners, the manner in which Phase Forward's customers and partners conduct business and the possibility that their needs or plans may change over time, and competition. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Phase Forward undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise. For additional disclosure regarding these and other risks faced by Phase Forward, see the disclosure contained in Phase Forward's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including, without limitation, its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Science, not Stance, the Arabs' Weapon in Facing Climate Change

The Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 113-country UN panel responsible for studying, proposing and following up the policies and measures required to deal with the phenomenon of climate change, or global warming, has attracted undivided attention.

The report, entitled 'Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis', is a summary directed at policymakers worldwide of the results of the fourth assessment, carried out by more than 2,000 scientists and specialists from around the world. It is the first of three reports to be issued this year. The other two are expected to address the impact of climate change and the action that could be taken.

The wide-scale interest in this report shown by most decision-making centers around the world and the mass media, especially in the developed countries, is attributable to the fact that the report links, for the first time and with a high degree of certainty, the high temperature of the earth's atmosphere, especially since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution 250 years ago, and the human activities that emit greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane and other gases, given that the previous assessments could not rule out that this phenomenon is a result of natural climatic cycle unrelated to man's activity on the planet.

The report said the atmosphere's temperature was likely to increase by 2 to 5.4 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, and that an increase by 6 degrees or more should not be ruled out. An expected result of this climate change is a constant rise in the level of coastal waves, and increased intense tropical cyclone activity, with an increase in its accompanying rains and floods, the disappearance of the North Pole's ice in the summer, an increase in the level of water in the oceans by an average of 0.43 meters by the end of the century, in addition to the constant melting of the North Pole's ice.

Regionally, the temperature of Europe's Mediterranean shores are projected to rise and the Alps are expected to become a summer vacation destination, while agricultural seasons are projected to extend in temperate zones and aridity is expected to increase in the semi-desert parts of Africa and South Asia.

In light of these high-impact findings, climate change could become the first and most important determiner of international relations and the future of energy-related markets. It could also become the most prominent item on the agenda of economic and social development at local, regional and international levels.

On the other hand, the extent and impact of the climate change and the humans' ability to deal with its challenges largely depend on the nature of the world order that will be established in the years to come.

In this context, the report highlighted the potential rise in temperature and in ocean water level through scenarios assuming different, but possible, tracks of the world order in the 21st century. It also highlighted the central role technology could play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through making available clean uses of energy, developing clean energy, increasing the efficiency of production processes and the rapid shift towards knowledge economy.

This technological advancement goes hand in hand with a rapid economic growth and a decline in the world population, which peaked in mid-century, coupled with a contraction in the gap in the levels of economic and social development from one region to another and a convergence in the levels of their per capita income. All this is in the framework of civilized, cultural and social interaction between nations and peoples.

Of course, the Arab world is very much concerned with the findings of this report, not only because of the environmental and economic effects of climate change on the region or the subsequent regional and international obligations in the framework of handling this phenomenon, but also because many countries of the region produce oil and natural gas, and sit on huge reserves of them. These two materials, in addition to coal, are greenhouse gases-generating sources when they are used. In view of the scientific, objective nature of the report, particularly its balanced presentation of alternatives or tracks that can be tackled to deal with the phenomenon of climate change, although it does not rule out the possibility of a complete elimination of fossil fuel; it offers other scenarios that maintain the role of fossil fuel in future energy markets, provided that they are used in a clean way, that is to purify them of carbon dioxide emissions when used.

Thus, it is in the national interest of the Arab world to respond positively to this report, and to adopt and abide by its orientations, especially those related to founding a new world order that is characterized by fairness and communication between peoples and civilizations, and achieves convergence in the level of per capita income between different regions and territories.

It is also important for the Arab countries to strengthen their contribution to the work of the IPCC, especially that no Arab name was on the list of authors of this report. They should also develop their scientific and technological capabilities in the areas of environment, climate, and so on, take the initiative of developing and adopting clean uses of fossil energy, oil and natural gas, and contribute to the efforts of scientific research and development in this field.

As Arab fossil energy producers and other producers around the world have common interests, strengthening the cooperation and participation, and forging alliances at international and regional levels will actively contribute to safeguarding the future of these resources in the energy markets and boost their revenues of economic and social development.

The scientific and objective nature of the report will not be prevent some parties from attempting to use it to achieve personal objectives or political targets through the selection of what fits those interests and ignoring what does not fit. A 'New York Times' article by Rosenthal and Revkin provides an example of this. "Many energy and environment experts see the rise in atmospheric temperature will double unless there is a prompt and sustained shift away from the 20th-century pattern of unfettered burning of coal and oil".

As we have seen, this is neither accurate nor included in the report, which concentrated on the use of clean energy through the development of the technology required. It has also stipulated making progress on several fronts, particularly those related to fair economic and social development with equitable and enlightened global order.

Therefore, oil-producing Arab countries ought to be familiar with all aspects and dimensions of this report, and use it to develop an effective strategy that helps them play a positive role in dealing with the greenhouse effect and avoid the detrimental impacts on their interests.

Such strategy will also help them avoid falling into positions they do not want, or are not consistent with their strategic interests and objectives.

* Mr. Khalil Zahr is a Lebanese Development Affairs Adviser

Science Fairs See Fewer Entrants

ORLANDO - Science fairs used to be big deals - competitions that exercised critical-thinking, research and public speaking.

It's also a blast to set off papier-mche volcanoes and grow tiny Sea-Monkeys.

But participation in county science fairs has dropped dramatically among Florida high-school students - ironically, at the same time the state has ordered teachers to focus more intensely on biology, chemistry and other sciences.

The new science portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, in fact, is helping fuel the trend because teachers and students are so occupied with the FCAT they don't spend as much time and effort on science fairs, many educators say.

"It doesn't free them up for sustained inquiry or creativity," said Dan McFarland, a past president of the Florida Association of Science Teachers.

For example, 97 teens from seven Orange County high schools entered projects in the regional fair. That's 40 percent fewer than last year. Entries fell nearly as much in nearby Volusia County, organizers said. And in Seminole County, only two of 10 public high schools signed up. Of the two Seminole schools, one submitted just one project.

The downturn in science fairs elsewhere in the region is part of a trend - some say a national one - that started years ago, educators said. It's particularly troubling, they said, considering the nation is in dire need of chemists, engineers and others to replace those retiring en masse from science-heavy careers.

McFarland, a Plant City teacher, said high-school kids just aren't getting involved thanks in part to jobs, other academic pressures and the FCAT's science section.

Students have sat for the FCAT in reading, writing and math since 1998. Science was added in 2003, and scores to date have been dismal. This year's scores, for the first time, will be used to determine grades for schools.

McFarland said teachers are so focused on required classwork that many no longer force students to participate in science fairs. Teens don't have the same freedom to explore and inquire, which is key to building science skills.

Educators also blamed the drop in interest on competition with other contests that draw young science whizzes - for example, robotics competitions, the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and Odyssey of the Mind.

Lake County science specialist Claudia Rowe said changes in the rules for science projects in recent years have discouraged students, too. The main complaint: paperwork.

"Instead of it being a fun thing to learn, it's become more of a paperwork thing and jumping through hoops," Rowe said.

Some educators think tough standards encourage only the smartest students - the ones who already spend weekends and summers working in cancer labs and university research institutes. That leaves a lot of students feeling as if they can't compete.

Pine Ridge High School in Volusia stopped requiring science projects several years ago and, instead, let teens do research and share it with classmates instead of judges.

"If they have no desire at all and no interest, all you're forcing them to do is as little as necessary to get that grade," said Linda Gowen, who heads Pine Ridge's science department.

Projects are not required for all kids at Deltona High in Volusia. Parent Colleen Maguire worries her daughter and her peers are missing a chance to develop important organization and communication skills.

"The teachers hate it, and they actually put that attitude onto the students," she said. "I just think it's a shame it has become that kind of a problem."

Experts across the country said no studies exist and no one collects data for science-fair participation.

But Anne Holbrook, a University of Maryland professor who teaches educators how to teach science, said based on many anecdotes, it appears to be a national problem. She thinks the problem is the national push for tests such as the FCAT. She said schools need to do a better job integrating science into other classes.

Suzy Behel, who arranges Seminole's fair, said kids need more time for research during the school day.

Of the 54 projects entered at a recent science fair there, Lake Brantley High, which offers a research class as an elective, submitted 49. The number of Lake Brantley students signing up also has grown in recent years.

Behel said the class helps students find mentors and coordinates entry into summer research programs.

That emphasis on in-school research is why science fairs thrive in Brevard, organizer Ginger Davis said.

Brevard students in grades seven to 12 can take classes specifically to conduct research. The course is so popular that students wash cars and do other fundraisers to help buy chemicals and equipment.

About 900 middle- and high-school students entered projects this year. The fair was so big that it had to be split between two locations.

Volusia officials said competitions apart from science fairs are challenging students in different ways.

"I think science fairs are still a part of American culture," said Teresa Northrup, Volusia's science specialist. "It's just a different way of approaching it.

"Sometimes, students get tired of the standard science-fair board. They might want to go to a competition with somebody else racing a car, building a bridge, or maybe they would rather solve a problem on the Internet."

Science, math

For years it has been common knowledge that Ohio needs more people trained in science and math if the state is to be able to compete in the global economy.However, identifying a challenge doesn’t necessarily solve it. So it’s encouraging to read that former Gov. Taft’s Science & Mathematics Education Policy Advisory Council has come out with 13 proposals to remedy the situation.

Only one of them is really necessary -- the one that deals with recruiting better math and science teachers. The council recommended that college math and science students receive more financial aid so they don’t have to work as well as go to school. That makes sense, because one reason relatively few people choose to study math and science in college is that it’s difficult, requiring more study time to master. Ohio’s public college costs are among the highest in the country, and not everyone gets a full-ride scholarship or comes from a wealthy family. Given a choice between flunking out in math because you have to work a part-time job in order to eat, or getting straight A’s in a less-demanding field, what would you do?

Money also makes a difference at graduation time, when math and science majors have to choose between going for an MBA in order to secure a high-paying job in the business world, or getting a master’s degree in education so they can qualify for a low-paying (at least initially) teaching position. Some will still choose to teach, but many will not. If the state wants the best people to teach math and science, it will have to pay for them. Some school districts elsewhere in the country already do this -- offering to pay off student loans if a new graduate agrees to teach in that district for a certain number of years.

The council also made a variety of other recommendations -- among them better working conditions, higher licensing standards and more continuing education; and the creation of academies for math, science, engineering and technology. It’s worth noting that all these proposals require money -- something our new governor warns is in short supply. Well so has it always been and will continue to be until the state gets its business climate turned around. Maybe, just maybe, this is an investment worth making.

The sci-math advisory council (which includes representatives from the business community) did have one goofy idea -- the notion that Ohioans have a math and science phobia that could be overcome with a good marketing campaign.

If parents are phobic about math and science, it could be because they were taught poorly in school so they’ve never really understood it. That’s something that will require better teaching to change -- not just a PR campaign. Sometimes too, parents just aren’t interested in science or math, and their children either inherit or learn those attitudes. A gifted teacher who loves his subject can change students’ attitudes far more effectively than any marketing ploy. Finally, some students are just not smart enough to do well in science and math, hence the fear. No matter how talented the teacher or far-reaching the marketing campaign, those students probably won’t be going into a science or math-related field.

If the state wants to maximize the number of those who do choose science and math careers, it should focus its limited financial resources on what would do the most good. That means doing all it can to recruit and retain committed and gifted math and science teachers. Then, in a generation or two, maybe we’ll see a real difference in Ohio.

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