Robert Yu and Ray Wu serve as the coordinators of the CUSBA program. The U.S. coordination office is currently located at the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 30912 (tel. 706-721-0699, fax 706-721-8727, E-mail: ryu@mcg.edu).

The liaison office in Beijing is chaired by Dr. Zeng-Yi Chang (a former CUSBEA graduate), professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, at Peking University, and the liaison office is located at the School of Life Sciences, Rm. 204, New Life Sciences Building, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; tel.: 86-10-6275-8822; fax: 86-10-6275-1526; email: changzy@pku.edu.cn.

We are fortunate that Professor Xiaocheng Gu, who participated in the founding of the CUSBEA program, continues to act as a consultant. Drs. David Allmann and Richard Haak (Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis) served as group leaders of the team who conduct the onsite interviews. We usually invite 4–5 interviewers each year from participating universities. It should be noted that the CUSBA program is a nonprofit consortium for the sole purpose of providing the coordination services in graduate admissions from China to U.S. and Canadian universities.

In conclusion, both the CUSBEA and the CUSBA programs have provided a vital service to U.S. educational institutions, achieving the recruitment and training of a large number of outstanding Chinese students in biological sciences, many of whom have become leaders in the biomedical and life sciences. Nine are Investigators of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and many others have become professors and achieved recognition from prestigious academic institutions. A former CUSBEA student, Professor Xiaodong Wang of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, has become a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Even though the majority of these scientists have remained in the United States, many of them have become increasingly active in helping China to develop life sciences. Those who have returned to China have made important contributions in science, engineering, education, and government service there, and, importantly, have taken an active role in the modernization of China. With the globalization of science, we will certainly witness more mixing and exchange ahead with China and other countries.

*Contributed by Dr. Robert Yu, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics and Institute of Neuroscience,Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, and Dr. Ray Wu, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853