ERIC A. FISCHER is Senior Specialist in Science and Technology at the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. He received a BS in biology from Yale University in 1970 and a PhD in zoology from the University of California Berkeley in 1979. After a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Sussex in England, Dr. Fischer joined the faculty in psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1987, he was selected as a Congressional Science Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science and worked with the US Senate Budget Committee on science policy and education initiatives. In 1988, he became Deputy Director of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, developing an institutional initiative in global change research and continuing his scientific research in evolution, ecology, and animal behavior. In 1990, he became Senior Vice President for Science and Sanctuaries at the National Audubon Society, where he developed and managed conservation programs. From 1992 to 1996, he was Director of the Board on Biology and the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources at the National Academy of Sciences. There, he directed studies on establishing a National Biological Survey, the evaluation of DNA evidence, and the global study of human genetic diversity, among others. At the Congressional Research Service, he has served as a senior manager and provides direct analytical support to the US Congress on issues such as biotechnology, election reform, environment, homeland security, and science and technology policy. Since 1993, he has also been involved in developing a series of dialogues between members of the scientific and religious communities on issues of common interest such as evolution, genetic research, and end-of-life medical care.