ASBMB members in the spotlight this month include Kevin P. Campbell, Douglas Coleman, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Donald M. Engelman, Jennifer Lippincott Schwartz, Daniele Piomelli, Lawrence A. Tabak, Wilfred A. van der Donk and Carl Ware.  

BY JENNIFER A. HOBIN

The research community breathed a collective sigh of relief in September when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that the National Institutes of Health could continue to fund human embryonic stem cell research. The ruling was one of several procedural decisions in the complicated case unfolding simultaneously in the appeals court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

BY SUZANNE PFEFFER

On Sept. 20, ASBMB presented the 2011 Howard K. Schachman Public Service Award to Jeremy Berg, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Established in 2001, the Schachman Award is the highest honor given by ASBMB to acknowledge exemplary dedication to public service in support of biomedical science.

BY BENJAMIN W. CORB

Before packing their bags and heading home for their October recess, members of Congress were busy debating federal budgets, discussing federal funding for stem cell research and naming officials to key posts within the Obama administration. What follows is a synopsis of their activities in the past few weeks.

In this letter to the editor, Aamir Ahmed comments on Suzanne Pfeffer's recent column on whether or not we are training too many doctoral students.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry has published a second collection of its popular Classics and Reflections articles. 

BY CATHY M. FULLER

The ASBMB community was deeply saddened by the recent death of Journal of Biological Chemistry Associate Editor Dale Benos. He was an esteemed colleague and a dear friend to many. Benos served as chairman of the University of Alabama’s department of physiology and biophysics.