Is bio2010 the right blueprint for the biology of the future?

CBE is pleased to launch a new feature called Points of View (POV). POVs address issues faced by many people within the life sciences education realm. We will present two or more opposing POVs back-to-back on a particular topic to promote discussion on the selected topic. Readers are encouraged to participate in the online discussion forum hosted by CBE at www.cellbioed.org/discussion/public/main.cfm. We consider POVs “Op-Ed” pieces to stimulate thought and dialog on significant educational issues. In the first POV, we have asked the question, “Is Bio2010 the Right Blueprint for the Biology of the Future?” Bio2010 is a set of recommendations from the National Research Council proposing ways to modify the biology curriculum to meet the changing needs of future biomedical researchers. (For a comprehensive assessment of this report, you can read three accounts in the Summer 2003 issue of CBE, http://www.cellbioed.org/articles/vol2no2/toc.cfm.) To open debate on this question, we have asked Donald Kennedy (CBE Editorial Board member and Editor-in-Chief of Science) and James Gentile (CBE Editorial Board member and a member of the Bio2010 committee) to present their points of view.