News Sources: Researchers Create Synthetic Bacterium

Taking a significant step toward the creation of synthetic forms of life, researchers reported Thursday that they had manufactured the entire genome of a bacterium by stitching together its chemical components. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org database of news sources and subject matter experts from America's leading liberal arts colleges, including the following (click on names for contact infomation):

Karen Rader - Professor and Chair for Science Technology and Society, Sarah Lawrence College - A recipient of grants from and a reviewer for the Woodrow Wilson and Mellon foundations and the National Science Foundation, Rader is an expert on the relations between society and science, particularly laboratory work, and political, social and ethical issues in American culture. She focuses on biotechnology, gender and science, and genetics.

David Bourgaize - Fletcher Jones Professor of Molecular Genetics, Whittier College -Bourgaize i an expert on biotechnology, genetic engineering and the role of genetics and eugenics in society. He has received major research grants from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Michael P. Roberts - Assistant Professor of Biology, Dickinson College - Roberts can comment on DNA testing, molecular genetics, cloning, and the process of genetic selection. His research includes regulation of gene expression and cell differentiation. Roberts has lectured and served as an American Cancer Society Post-doctoral Fellow at Princeton University.

Down-grading the Scholar Athlete?

The NCAA created Division III several years ago for colleges and universities that choose to concentrate on recruiting students who were scholars first and athletes second. But Southwest University President Jake B. Schrum says some schools have been allowed to join Division III who are not as committed to the idea of scholar-athletes. The result? The NCAA is encouraging those for whom Division III was originally created to consider moving down yet again to a Division IV.

Viewers Want Better TV Political Coverage

Numerous polls show that the public wants a different kind of television election coverage - with increased focus on where candidates stand on issues and more coverage of lesser-known candidates. This is not likely to happen soon, says DePauw University communications professor Jeffrey McCall. That's because it's easier and cheaper to cover elections by discussing the latest poll numbers and celebrity supporters and by showing and analyzing Hillary Clinton’s teary eyes.