Gilda A. Barabino

Multiphasic or “Pulsatile” Controlled Release System for the Delivery of Vaccines

Controlled drug release refers to the technique of drug administration whereby a reservoir delivers drug to a host. Such a system releases the required drug at some rate for a predetermined period of time. The origins of controlled drug release can be traced as far back as 1000 yr ago. Rhazes (850–923) recommended mucilage coating of pills using an extract ofpsyllium, and Avicenna (980–1037) recommended silvering and gilding pills (1). The silvering and gilding technology found its way to Europe, where the nobility enjoyed the luxury of pills coated with silver or gold. Although the coatings served primarily to mask the taste of the bitter tasting agents, they nevertheless altered the release kinetics of the drugs they enveloped.

Special Session - Valuing Diversity As It Happens: Exploring Laboratory Interactions Where More Is Going on Than Science

In this session we address the issue of diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by focusing on everyday interactions in research and educational settings where unconscious prejudices about race and gender can work to exclude and make invisible underrepresented minorities. The session goals are: 1) to increase awareness of racial and gender stereotypes that subvert educational practices 2) encourage dialogue about how race and gender enter into learning settings in critical ways and 3) increase awareness of the (an)other in majority schools where the perspective and position of minority students are often forgotten and channels of communication that would foster more awareness are clogged by a legacy of racism or gender biases. The emphasis in this session is on everyday practices that are both social and cognitive and their unanticipated effects and non conscious subtexts