Evolutionary Biology

September/October 1997 V O L U M E 5 • NUMBER 1 Published by the Johns Hopkins University Press for the JHU Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth SPOTLIGHT ON BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICINE Advice to Aspiring Doctors Interview with 28-year-old Pulitzer Prize Winner Kids and Kasparov on Chess Students Review Cornell University ImaGiNe. . . Opportunities and Resources for Academically Talented Youth 2 FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, When I assumed the editorship of Imagine four months ago, I spent many hours reading back issues. I witnessed the tremendous growth of this publication over a very short time: what began as a 12-page newsletter grew quickly to 16 and then 20 pages. By its third year, Imagine was 24 pages long and much more than a newsletter. As the number of pages has increased, so has the publication’s scope. By expanding Imagine, we have enhanced our ability to meet the goal set by its founders in the first issue: “to provide the tools students need to enable them to take responsibility for their own learning, reach for academic excellence, and achieve to the full extent of their individual capabilities.” Now at 32 pages, Imagine continues to include diverse staff- and student-written articles as well as eight regular features, including Creative Minds Imagine, puzzles, Exploring Career Options, and college reviews. The result is a publication rich in voices, varied in perspective, and extensive in coverage. In this issue we focus on Biological Sciences and Medicine. These two areas have made rapid advances in recent years, dramatically improving our understanding of life—from our own bodies to entire ecosystems—and changing the way we think and live. Our focus articles include insights from people who are exploring our living world in diverse ways: graduate students in fields such as bioinformatics and biophysics, the Baltimore Zoo’s curator of birds, medical students, and the Associate Dean for Research of the School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. And to show you how to get started now, students who have had valuable intern and volunteer experiences share some of what they’ve learned outside the classroom. To round out the issue, the winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing discusses her career—and the internships, summer programs, and persistence that led to it. Another writer, a college freshman, relates her writing process to Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment, and a young chess champion explains the importance of strategy in chess and the game’s relationship to math. This range of voices, perspectives, and coverage will continue in upcoming issues with contributions from diverse writers both within and beyond the focus topics. I’m excited to be a part of Imagine as it enters a new stage of development. By building on the solid work of the last four years, I and the entire staff hope to make Imagine better than ever. This issue marks a step in that direction. Imagine… Opportunities and Resources for Academically Talented Youth* ISSN 1071-605X Volume 5 • Number 1 September/October 1997 Copyright © 1997 by The Johns Hopkins University. *A trademark of The Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved. No portion of this journal may be reproduced by any process or technique without the formal consent of the Johns Hopkins University Press. Published five times a year—September/ October, November/December, January/ February, March/April, and May/June. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Rates is approved at Baltimore, MD, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Imagine, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Journals Publishing Division, P.O. Box 19966, Baltimore, MD 21211 Imagine is published by the Johns Hopkins University Press for the Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) at the Johns Hopkins Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth (IAAY). This publication is an outgrowth of newsletters and programs that, for twenty-five years, have served highly talented students identified by the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) and by SET. Managing Editor • Melissa E. Hartman Senior Writer • Lesley Mackay Assistant Editor • Eileen Ptak SET Director • Linda E. Brody, Ed.D. Research Associate • Carol C. Blackburn, Ph.D. Editorial Assistant • Mary Parker Designer, JHU...