that tracks the progress of the student interns and 
how their perceptions of science and scientists 
change over the course of the internship. 
A third local grant awarded by the Institute in 
1992 will be used to initiate a program to train 
teachers on how to use the Carnegie Institution of 
Washington's First Light science curricula. First 
Light is a hands-on science program, developed in 
part with support from the Institute, for inner-city 
Washington, D.C., elementary school-age children. 
The $25,000 one-year grant from the Institute will 
support planning activities for the teacher training 
program. 
HEALTH SCIENCES POLICY 
In considering future grants program develop- 
ment, the Institute plans to explore possible initia- 
tives in the general areas of health sciences policy 
and bioethics, addressing, for example, the issues of 
public understanding of science, the impact of tech- 
nology on society, and the various roles of the pub- 
lic and private sectors in national and international 
policies related to science and technology. 
In 1987 the Institute awarded a grant to the Insti- 
tute of Medicine (lOM) of the National Academy of 
Sciences to develop studies and program activities 
that address a variety of topics in health sciences 
policy. Research briefings have been held and the 
proceedings published, highlighting areas of bio- 
medical science that merit increased attention by 
researchers. 
In addition, a series of workshops has been held 
by the lOM Committee on Technological Innova- 
tion in Medicine to identify mechanisms for facili- 
tating the translation of basic biological discoveries 
into improvements in medical practice. A third sub- 
ject covered by the lOM under the Institute grant 
concerns how decisions about science and health 
policy matters are affected by the level of public 
understanding of the science and technology in- 
volved. The case studies and the lOM committee's 
analysis of six major biomedical policy issues were 
published in June 1 99 1 , in a book entitled Biomedi- 
cal Politics. 
The studies and reports that result from the grant 
to the lOM will be used to help guide the Institute's 
development of grants initiatives in the areas of 
health sciences policy and bioethics. 
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM 
The Office of Grants and Special Programs added 
a special international focus in 1991, with awards 
under the new International Research Scholars Pro- 
gram. In previous years there had not been a specific 
international program, although other grants pro- 
grams served the international biomedical research 
community. The predoctoral and postdoctoral fel- 
lowships, for example, are open to foreign citizens 
for study in the United States, and U.S. citizens may 
study abroad. Furthermore, the Research Resources 
grants to the Cold Spring Harbor and Marine Biologi- 
cal Laboratories support their summer courses, 
which are attended by students and scientists from 
abroad as well as the United States. 
International Research Scholars Program 
In recognition of the contributions of scientists 
abroad to advances in biomedical science, the Insti- 
tute launched a limited International Research 
Scholars Program on an experimental basis. The pro- 
gram is limited to specific selected countries and 
submission of applications is by invitation only. In- 
ternational Research Scholars Program awards pro- 
vide support for the overall research program of 
promising scientists who have already made signifi- 
cant contributions to fundamental biomedical re- 
search. The awards are intended for outstanding sci- 
entists who are still developing, rather than for 
those in the later phases of a distinguished career. 
Scholars must hold appropriate full-time academic 
or research appointments at medical schools, univer- 
sities, research institutions, or other not-for-profit 
scientific institutions in eligible countries. 
Canada and Mexico, the immediate neighbors of 
the United States, were chosen as the two eligible 
countries for the first competition in the Interna- 
tional Research Scholars Program. The current com- 
petition includes the United Kingdom, Australia, 
and New Zealand. 
The Institute solicits nominations from Institute 
investigators and scientific advisors, as well as from 
scientific and academic leaders (such as deans and 
scientific directors at medical schools and research 
institutions) in countries eligible for awards. Eligi- 
ble nominees rated most highly by biomedical scien- 
tists from universities and medical centers across the 
United States are invited to submit applications. The 
applications include a research plan that summa- 
rizes ongoing or planned work that Institute funding 
might enhance. These applications are evaluated by 
an external peer review panel. Based on the panel 
evaluations and the program goals, the Institute's 
management selects awards to be recommended to 
the Trustees for authorization for funding. 
A total of $4.3 million was provided for research 
in Canada and Mexico during fiscal year 1 992 under 
this program. There were 21 awards, including one 
group award, to the institutions of 14 scientists in 
Canada and 10 in Mexico. This included support for 
these scientists' equipment, supplies, travel, and 
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