Chemists, Biologists Seek Better Relations

Chronic problems with undergraduate chemistry education emerged as one of the central issues at a Washington, D.C., conference earlier this month aimed at seeking ways to improve relations between the chemical and biological sciences. Hosted by American Chemical Society president S. Allen Heininger, the gathering of about 40 educators from both disciplines addressed the question of how best to train future scientists so that they can fully exploit advances in chemistry, molecular biology, and biotechnology. As Heininger explained in the conference program, "With the critical role of chemistry in biomedical research, the education of future generations of chemists must be broadened to encompass an understanding of biological processes if they are to contribute to steady progress in elucidating the chemistry of living systems. Likewise, the crucial role of chemistry in contemporary molecular biology needs to be fully integrated with the education of biologists." Consensus was much harder to come by on solut...