Science Seeks Entries for Two Prestigious Awards Programs

Catching a glimpse into how the brain makes memories, Song-Hai Shi used a new microscopy technique to watch a wave of green light flow down the arm of a brain neuron. The wave represented a troupe of specialized molecules, advancing to help strengthen a connection between neurons.

Scientists believe that such extra-strength linkage within the brain's network of 10 billion neurons form the basis for learning and memory. Shi's discovery of a new group of molecules that play a role in this process earned him the prestigious Prize for Young Scientists in 2001, awarded by Amersham Biosciences and Science magazine.

This year, Science magazine is again offering its Prize for Young Scientists, but the journal has teamed up with another leading biotech company to create a second award for young scientists—The Eppendorf and Science Prize for Neurobiology. Recent graduate students will be awarded the prizes based on their research in molecular biology and neuroscience, as described in 1,000-word essays. The winning essays will appear in the peer-reviewed Science magazine. The winner of each prize will receive $25,000.

"It's really important that scientists learn to figure out a way to fit their work into the larger scientific puzzle," says Science Managing Editor Monica Bradford. "Writing these essays for a broad scientific audience teaches them to communicate and engage other people in their science."

— Erin McCowan
— Kathy Wren

5 June 2002

• More information on Amersham/Science Prize
• More information on Eppendorf/Science Prize