Bottone, Frank G., Jr. 1969-

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BOTTONE, Frank G., Jr. 1969-

PERSONAL: Born November 13, 1969, in Red Bank, NJ. Education: Virginia Wesleyan College, B.A., 1993; Old Dominion University, M.S., 1996.

ADDRESSES: Home—112 Taylor Glen Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, laboratory research specialist, 1997-2000; NIEHS (division of National Institutes of Health), Research Triangle Park, NC, biologist, 2000—.

MEMBER: American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

AWARDS, HONORS: Best Books for Children, Smithsonian, 2001, for The Science of Life.

WRITINGS:

The Science of Life: Projects and Principles for Beginning Biologists, Chicago Review Press (Chicago, IL), 2001.

Contributor of scientific papers to the Journal of Nutrition, Pediatric Research, and Prjournal.com online; scientific abstracts published in Society for Neuroscience, and American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine; contributor to Muscle and Fitness, Ambion's TechNotes, and New Jersey Times.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Researching breast and colon cancer, and how NSAID's inhibit cancer.

SIDELIGHTS: Frank G. Bottone, Jr., provides students with a hands-on introduction to each of the five biological kingdoms—bacteria, plants, animals, fungi, and protozoans—in his book The Science of Life: Projects and Principles for Beginning Biologists. With the guidance of his book, young scientists can conduct elucidating experiments using flowers or common spiders, they can grow a variety of bacteria and learn how to encourage or inhibit that growth, or they can learn how to grow fungi or carnivorous plants. Some experiments presented by Bottone are common to many science books for young people, noted Pamela Longbrake in Book Report, though others seem original to the author. Although the author's instructions are considered well written and easy to understand, many of the projects, whether for a classroom experiment or a science-fair project, should be conducted with the help of an adult, contended Maren Ostegard in School Library Journal.

The book contains a chapter on safety precautions and a list of sources where hard-to-find ingredients for the experiments may be ordered. Furthermore, each experiment has variations for the beginning student and for the more advanced. These were all considered welcome features by reviewers. But it is Bottone's knowledge of how and when young scientists are likely to have trouble with each experiment, and his advice on how to avoid problems that are an outstanding feature of this science book, according to Longbrake. Ostegard was similarly impressed by The Science of Life, concluding that "the volume provides a thorough introduction to this area of science and would be useful in most collections."

Bottone told CA: "As a writer, I try to make complicated things seem more understandable after just one read. Where that becomes challenging is not talking down to your reader or coming across sounding like a textbook. My first project was an enormous overview of biology. I anticipate my next project focusing on a much more concentrated area of science, such as nutrition or cancer."