Exhibit Goes on Tour: "Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature"
When: October 2002–March 2006
Where: Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Holbrook, NY; Winfield, KS; College Station, TX; and other locations
Institute: National Library of Medicine (NLM)

The NLM's exhibit, "Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature," is taking a road trip. The exhibition, first featured at NLM in 1998 to wide public acclaim, features literary themes, the history of electricity and body snatching, eugenics and ethics, and monsters and movies. Together with the American Library Association, and with a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, NLM is now bringing the exhibition to libraries in 80 cities between October 2002 and March 2006. In addition to the exhibition, participating libraries will host interpretive and educational programs that help audiences examine Mary Shelley's novel and how it uses scientific experimentation as metaphor to comment on cultural values—especially the importance of exercising responsibility toward individuals and the community in all areas of human activity, including science.

Traveling exhibits in December 2002 and January and February 2003 include:

• Houston Academy of Medicine—Texas Medical Center Library, Houston, TX, October 2–December 27
• Indiana University/Purdue University–Indianapolis (IUPUI) Library, Indianapolis, IN, November 27–January 24
• Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY, November 27–January 24
• Winfield Public Library, Winfield, KS, November 27–January 24
• Texas A&M University, Sterling C. Evans Library, College Station, TX, January 8–February 21

To view the Frankenstein traveling exhibition Homepage see www.ala.org/publicprograms/frankenstein. A list of all participating libraries and itinerary dates is posted at www.ala.org/publicprograms/frankenstein/itinerary.html.

Town Meetings on Environmental Health Issues to be Held in Texas, Florida
When: January 7–8, February 27–28
Where: San Antonio, TX, Miami, FL
Institute: National Institute of Environmental Health (NIEHS)

The NIEHS is planning two upcoming Town Meetings as part of a longstanding series that focuses attention on unique environmental health issues around the country. On January 7–8, 2002, a Town Meeting is scheduled in San Antonio, TX, on "Voices of Diversity in the Environment and Health." The meeting is being hosted by the Air Force Institute for Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Risk Analysis (AFIERA), San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, University of Texas Health Science Center, and the Alamo Breast Cancer Foundation.

On February 27–28, 2003, a Town Meeting on "Oceans and Human Health" is planned in Miami, FL. This meeting is being hosted by the University of Miami's Marine and Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center, Florida International University, and University of Miami.

For more information about meeting times and locations, contact Geraldine Wolfle by e-mail at wolfle@niehs.nih.gov or by phone at (919) 541-3373, or visit the NIEHS Web site at www.niehs.nih.gov/od/tndates.htm.

Global Health Public Lecture Series Planned
When: October 2002–September 2003
Where: NIH Campus
Institute: John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC)

A year-long public lecture series is bringing experts from the U.S., U.K., and Australia to the NIH campus to address global health issues in recognition of the John E. Fogarty International Center's 35th anniversary. The next lecture, "Smallpox: The Death and Resurrection of a Virus," will take place on January 28, 2003 at 3 p.m. in the Masur Auditorium on the NIH campus. The speaker will be D.A. Henderson, M.D., M.P.H., Distinguished Service Professor at Johns Hopkins University and Senior Science Advisor for Public Health Preparedness to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Upcoming lectures, which will also take place in the Masur Auditorium, include:

• "Global Health Priorities: Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors," April 8 at 3 p.m.
• "Genomics and Global Health," April 15 at 4:30 p.m.
  
• "Global Health Inequities and the Critical Role of Public/Private Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities in the Next Decade," June 12 at 3 p.m.
  
• "The Global Epidemic of Mental Health Problems and Suicide in Developing Countries" September 22 at 3 p.m.

Videocasts of the lectures can be viewed at http://videocast.nih.gov/. For more information about the lecture series, contact Irene Edwards via e-mail at ewardsi@mail.nih.gov or by telephone at (301) 496-2075.

V I S I O N Traveling Exhibit
When: February–September 2003
Where: Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota
Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

The NEI's V I S I O N traveling exhibit is organizing a tour to South Dakota, where it will be displayed by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology at children's science centers in Rapid City and Pierre.

V I S I O N was developed as part of NEI's 25th anniversary celebration. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit illustrates how the eye and brain work together to create vision and how researchers are developing ways to protect our sight from visual disorders and diseases. The exhibit includes 10 interactive modules developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. These modules demonstrate how the eye focuses light, how we perceive motion and color, and how the brain processes visual information into a meaningful picture.

Since its launch in 1993, the V I S I O N exhibit has visited museums and science centers in 26 cities and 7 states and has been seen by more than 4 million visitors. Most recently, a portion of NEI's V I S I O N traveling exhibit was displayed on October 10, 2002, as part of World Sight Day festivities at Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in Washington, DC.

Check for tour details at www.nei.nih.gov/education/visionexhibit/index.htm or contact Jean Horrigan at (301) 496--5248.

Nationwide Educational Celebration: 50 Years of DNA
When: April 2003
Where: Bethesda, MD; Washington, DC; and Classrooms Nationwide
Institute: National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)

A month-long celebration of scientific, educational, and cultural events will be take place around the country this April to recognize 50 years of DNA discoveries and to take DNA research into the future. Landmarks include the 50-year anniversary of James Watson's and Francis Crick's Nobel Prize-winning description of the DNA double helix, the sequencing of the human genome, and a landmark scientific report describing the future of genomics and the roles of NHGRI and NIH.

Celebration activities include:

• National "DNA Day" on April 25, in which high schools are encouraged to show a taped educational event with high school biology students, use the NHGRI multimedia education kit, and access speakers through the American Society of Human Genetics Mentor Network. The multimedia kit and information about the Mentor Network are available at www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10000002.
• Lesson plans, activities, and curriculum supplements that will be available online for use in classrooms nationwide.
• A program of activities for science museums and genome sequencing centers.
• A public symposium on how genomics influences health and society on April 15 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.
• A scientific symposium on the history of the Human Genome Project on April 14–15 on the NIH campus, featuring Nobel Prize Winner Dr. James Watson, NHGRI Director Dr. Francis Collins, and members of the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium.

For more information about the 50 years of DNA celebrations, including more specific information about programs and materials as they become available, see www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10005139.

Public Outreach Meeting Planned for "Four Corners" States
When: April 24, 2003
Where: Albuquerque, NM
Institute: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

The NIMH is planning a regional public outreach meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 24, 2003, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Albuquerque, 330 Tijeras Street. Dialogue Four Corners: Mental Health is an all day meeting that will focus on mental health issues in the "four corners" area of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The meeting will feature presentations about mental health research by distinguished leaders and NIH-supported scientists. It will offer opportunities for participation in small group dialogues to help shape future research directions about co-occurring disorders, cultural issues in mental health, and barriers to seeking and receiving treatment, among other topics. These exchanges will allow NIH to gather vital information from the public to be used in its priority setting process.

This is the latest in a series of such meetings NIMH has held in the past in Alaska, Texas (Laredo and San Antonio), Pittsburgh, and Chicago. In each of these locations, there has been a focus on mental illness (and related co-occurring substance abuse) in minority populations (Alaska Natives, Hispanic Americans, and African Americans.) Dialogue Four Corners: Mental Health will allow NIH to better understand cultural sensitivity through candid interaction, presentations from minority researchers, and from directly talking to people in these communities to increase public health relevance.

For more information on past meetings see www.nimh.nih.gov/events/townmeetings.cfm. To sign up for the Dialogue Four Corners: Mental Health e-mail list, send an e-mail to nimhfourcorners@mail.nih.gov.

THE EYE SITE Tour Continues
When: October 2002–December 2003
Where: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC, Metro Area
Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

Planning is underway for the 2003 tour of the NEI's THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers. Scheduled stops include Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and the Washington, DC, metro area.

The NEI developed THE EYE SITE as part of its Low Vision Education Program. The program is designed to help people understand what low vision is (vision problems that interfere with the ability to perform everyday activities) and explain what steps they can take to stay independent despite vision loss. Approximately one in 20 Americans has low vision.

By the end of 2002, two identical exhibits will have visited 32 malls in 14 states, including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Since the exhibit tour was launched in 2001, the NEI has:

• Provided more than 15 million people with the opportunity to visit the exhibit and learn about low vision.
• Distributed more than 37,000 publications.
• Worked with more than 50 vision-related organizations.

For more information, visit THE EYE SITE Web site at www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/eyesite or contact Jean Horrigan, (301) 496-5248.

BACK TO TOP