Peaks of Interest

Coblenz Society Challenge

The Coblentz Society, an affiliate of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy, was approached with a challenge from an anonymous donor during the SciX13 conference. If donations toward the Lippincott endowment fund total $5000, the anonymous donor will match the $5000.

The endowment is underfunded and not able to sustain the award going forward. Subsequent to the conference, the anonymous donor agreed to extend the challenge through 2013. To donate, visit the donation link on the Coblentz website: http://members.coblentz.org/donations.

The Ellis R. Lippincott Award is presented annually to an outstanding vibrational spectroscopist. It is cosponsored by the Coblentz Society, the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and the Optical Society of America. The award is presented in memory of Professor Ellis R. Lippincott to scientists who have made significant contributions to vibrational spectroscopy as judged by their influence on other scientists.

FDA and NIH Create First-of-Kind Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as part of an ongoing interagency partnership, have awarded a total of up to $53 million to fund tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013 to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS).

A new, first-of-its-kind regulatory science tobacco program, TCORS is designed to generate research to inform the regulation of tobacco products to protect public health. Using designated funds from the FDA, TCORS will be coordinated by the NIH's Office of Disease Prevention, directed by David M. Murray, PhD, and administered by three NIH institutes — the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The TCORS program brings together investigators from across the country to aid in the development and evaluation of tobacco product regulations. Each TCORS center has identified a targeted research goal. Together, the TCORS sites aim to increase knowledge across the full spectrum of basic and applied research on tobacco and addiction. The program also reportedly provides young investigators with training opportunities to ensure the development of the next generation of tobacco regulatory scientists.

Comprising scientists with expertise in fields including epidemiology, behavior, biology, medicine, economics, chemistry, toxicology, addictions, public health, communications, and marketing, the TCORS program is the centerpiece of the FDA-NIH collaboration to foster research relevant to tobacco regulatory science. New research from TCORS will help inform and assess the impact of the FDA's prior, ongoing, and potential future tobacco regulatory activities implemented by Center for Tobacco Products under the direction of Mitch Zeller, J.D. In addition, the TCORS investigators will have the flexibility and capacity to begin new research to address issues raised in today's rapidly evolving tobacco marketplace.