Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, Elsa Flores was encouraged to follow her unflagging “curiosity about how things work.” Inspired by her father, an educator who studied biology and chemistry, Flores had always envisioned a career in science. But she felt uncertain about where to attend college—whether to…
Several Rita Allen Scholars have forged new approaches to studying parasite neurobiology, neural plasticity, spinal cord cells and persistent pain with support from the Foundation. To celebrate their achievements, we share these summaries as their multiyear awards conclude. Elissa Hallem, University of California, Los Angeles…
Revolutionary changes in technology and human health have stemmed from the curiosity of scientists studying such organisms as corals, jellyfish and bacteria. The benefits of these discoveries have taken decades to come to fruition, as chronicled in a series of articles in “Luck,” the January issue of Nautilus magazine.
A network of journalists, nonprofits, researchers and foundations have been investigating routes to weakening the influence of fake and misleading stories masquerading as news online. Now, following an election in which misinformation was highly visible, their work is taking on a new urgency. A two-part series by Elia Powers in MediaShift…
As the calendar year closes, we’ve reached out to several leaders in journalism, academia, philanthropy and social entrepreneurship to listen more deeply to what’s on their minds as they foster civic engagement in the current environment. We’ve heard several themes resonate: The importance of listening broadly and responding effectively to…
The National Academies gathered experts to examine science communication in an age of skepticism…
This July, members of an outstanding group of biomedical scientists came together for the first time to learn about one another’s work and discuss broader issues affecting the future of scientific discovery. Since 1976, scientists at the early stages of their careers have been selected as Rita Allen Foundation Scholars,…
Hilary Coller caught the biomedical research bug early—as a junior high school student she took part in research that resulted in a first-author scientific publication. Coauthored with her father Barry Coller, a blood and vascular biologist at The Rockefeller University, the paper explored a…
In 1990, Senthil Muthuswamy was a young graduate student in biology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He had just moved to Canada from his native India after completing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and a master’s degree in genetics at…
Tom Maniatis launched his scientific career by experimenting with early ultraviolet lasers to scrutinize the development of chicken embryos. This undergraduate research experience, at the University of Colorado, Boulder, “taught me the importance of bringing technological developments to important biological problems,” Maniatis recalls. Tom Maniatis(Photo:…