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  • Ann Parsons most recent book, *The Proteus Effect; Stem Cells and Their Promise for Medicine*, was a finalist for the *L.A. Times* Book Prize in the science/technology category. She is the coauthor of *Decoding Darkness; The Search for the Genetic Causes of Alzheimer's Disease*, as well as *Menopause*. From 1990 to 1998, she taught science writing in Boston Universitys graduate program in science journalism. Her articles have appeared in *The San Diego Union-Tribune*, *The New York Times*, *The Boston Globe*, *The Boston Herald*, *Harvard Health Letter*, *McCall's, Boston Review*, the journal *Cell*, and many other publications. A member of the National Association of Science Writers, she headed its New England chapter from 1995 to 1999. She currently resides in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
  • Dr. Laurence Dahron earned a master's degree in cell biology from the University of Rennes (France), and a PhD from the University of Poitiers (France). As a post-doctoral fellow, she studied chronic myelogenous leukemia in Dr. Calabrettas lab, at Jefferson University, Philadelphia (USA). In 2001, Dr. Dahron joined Dr. George Daleys lab at the Whitehead Institute, MIT, Boston, a pioneer in Human embryonic stem cell research. There, she studied the molecular mechanisms of human embryonic stem cell self-renewal. In 2006, Dr. Dahron moved to the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Technology at Massachusetts General Hospital to launch a hESC core facility. In July 2008, Dr. Dahron was appointed director of the new Harvard Stem Cell Institute iPS (induced pluripotent stem) core facility. She works with the leaders in the field (George Daley, Kevin Eggan, Konrad Hochedlinger and Chad Cowan) to establish new disease-specific lines for distribution to the International Scientific Community.
  • Guy MacLean Rogers holds a Ph.D. in classics from Princeton University. He has received numerous grants and fellowships, including ones from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Philosophical Society, and All Souls College Oxford. His first book, *The Sacred Identity of Ephesos: Foundation Myths of a Roman City*, won the Routledge Ancient History Prize. Chairman of the Department of History of Wellesley College from 1997-2001, he grew up and still lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
  • In addition to *Mother Jones* magazine Jay Harris is also chief executive officer of *Mother Jones'* non-profit parent, the Foundation for National Progress. During his tenure, the organization has built on its tradition of groundbreaking public interest reporting while growing circulation to unprecedented levels. Believing that *Mother Jones'* investigative content and its 28-year-old brand have importance and audience potential beyond print media, Jay has overseen the launch and development of MotherJones.com. Other media projects are pending. Jay is a frequent radio and television guest, appearing on "Talk of the Nation", C-Span and many other shows, and has been a featured speaker at conferences of the Social Venture Network, Greenfest, Bioneers and Businesses for Social Responsibility. He has taught magazine management at the University of California Graduate School of Journalism. His essay on the state of the news business "What's Missing from Your News?" was published in The Business of Journalism (New Press, 2000). Jay is vice chair of the Independent Press Association and on the steering committee of the Magazine Publishers of America Independent Magazine Advisory Group (IMAG). He recently joined the board of advisors of Free Speech TV.
  • Mike was a Lance Corporal in the Marines who served with an Artillery Unit during the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
  • David Chudnovsky is a mathematician. David Chudnovsky works closely with and assists his brother Gregory, who suffers from Myasthenia Gravis, a disorder of neuromuscular transmission leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue. The Chudnovsky Brothers are mathematicians known for their wide-ranging mathematical abilities, their home-built supercomputers, and their close working relationship. The Chudnovsky Brothers have held records, at different times, for computing Pi to over two billion digits a feat accomplished in the early 1990s on a supercomputer they built in their Brooklyn apartment.
  • Gregory Chudnovsky is a mathematician with an interest in number theory. Gregory works closely with his brother, David Chudnovsky, who is also a mathematician. The Chudnovsky Brothers are mathematicians known for their wide-ranging mathematical abilities, their home-built supercomputers, and their close working relationship. A 1992 article in The New Yorker quoted several mathematicians' opinions that Gregory Chudnovsky has one of the top mathematical minds alive today. David Chudnovsky works closely with and assists his brother Gregory, who suffers from Myasthenia Gravis, a disorder of neuromuscular transmission leading to fluctuating weakness and fatigue. The Chudnovsky Brothers have held records, at different times, for computing Pi to over two billion digits a feat accomplished in the early 1990s on a supercomputer they built in their Brooklyn apartment.
  • When Howie Carr turns the microphone off, he is an award-winning front-page columnist for the *Boston Herald*. Known for his scathing exposes of local politicians, he has raised lots of eyebrows and voices over the years. He's famous for pushing the envelope and not regretting that he went too far. His opinion is valued by the TV stations he's regularly featured on: *NBC Today*; *MSNBC*; *C-SPAN*; *Court TV*; *Geraldo*; *CNN*; *Larry King Live*; *The Fox News Network*; *CBS This Morning*. New England tunes in to Howie Carr. Besides being heard on his flagship station *WRKO 680* in Boston, he is syndicated across New England. He has worked as a reporter/commentator for Channels 2 and 56. In 1980-81, Carr was Boston City Hall bureau chief of *The Boston Herald American*, and he later worked as the paper's State House bureau chief. As a political reporter for *WNEV*, Channel 7, his coverage of then Mayor Kevin White was so relentless that after the mayor announced he wasn't running again, he told the Boston Sunday Globe that one of the things he enjoyed most about his impending retirement was not having Carr chase him around the city. In 1985, he won the National Magazine Award, the magazine industry's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, for Essays and Criticism. In television, he has been nominated for an Emmy Award.
  • Martha Burk is a political psychologist and women's issues expert who is co-founder of the Center for Advancement of Public Policy, a research and policy analysis organization in Washington, D.C. She is currently Director of the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO). She also serves as the Money Editor for *Ms. Magazine*, and she is a syndicated newspaper columnist. She holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her background includes experience as a university research director, management professor, and advisor to political campaigns and organizations. Dr. Burk has long been active in public debate and political analysis. She has provided briefing papers for presidential candidates, including Bill Bradley, Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, and Bill Richardson, and has worked closely with members of the United States Congress on issues of importance to women. She is currently serving as a Senior Policy Adviser for Women's Issues to Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico. Her latest book is *Your Money And Your Life: The High Stakes for Women Voters in '08 and Beyond*. Dr. Burk has served on the Commission for Responsive Democracy, the Advisory Committee of Americans for Workplace Fairness, the Sex Equity Caucus of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the board of directors of the National Committee on Pay Equity, where she headed the Legislative Task Force. She currently serves as an advisory board member to several other national organizations, including the Ford Foundation and Women for World Peace, a project of the Twenty First Century Foundation.