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by Bridget Egan staff writer

Manipulating genes, socialized healthcare, and "nano tubes" replacing computer chips are all predictions in the future of medicine and the sciences. The predictions for what the next century will bring in terms of the sciences are varied, but all agree that humans will need to inform themselves constantly to keep up with the frenzied pace of scientific and medical advancements.

Dr. Kathleen Daley-McKinley, chair of the sociology department, feels that in the social sciences field there will be an immense emphasis on cognitive social psychology. This means that people will be examining the way in which they frame or structure their world. Therapy will try to help patients view things differently. For example, a crisis will be stressed as a challenge that the patient should tackle. Therapists will try and help the patient recategorize a problem or crisis, and use it as an opportunity for growth.

Dr. Keith Goffe M.D., a psychiatrist at Neumann Medical Center in Philadelphia, claims that patient CMe will have to increase because he foresees more mental traumas in the future.

"Depression and anxiety will increase enormously," Goffe said. "The social causation of this epidemic will be the problem to solve socially."

Many feel that there will be more individualized therapy and more specialized branches of therapy. Suzan Schwarz, coordinator of therapeutic and rehabilitation services at Temple East in Philadelphia, agrees with McKinley that therapy will focus more on a patient's individual needs.

"Therapy will be more designed for the individual." Schwarz said. "There will be increasing amounts of geriatric and child abuse and neglect therapy available."

Both Schwarz and Goffe were recently involved in another medical trend: mergers. Temple University purchased Neumann Medical Center recently and the staff members had to adjust themselves to new policies, cuts in staff, and even the relocation of several major hospital units. Goffe sees these giant hospital corporations failing in the future because of the care they offer.

"Capitalist-style healthcare will fail to provide adequate care for the millions," Goffe said. "After a bitter revolutionary period, health care will be socialized."

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The feelings of many healthcare workers regardi~ the trend of merging hospitals and health care provider(3/not very favorable. Many feel that adequate care cannot be given to patients when health care providers are constantly worried about their positions and are forced to recreate and redefine their jobs.

Paul Arnold, an registered nurse at Temple East, feels that healthcare is going to decline because of workers who try to follow rules instead of instill quality.

''There will be an increased chance of risk due to quick discharges," Arnold said. ''The discharges will be according to 'rules' rather than patient progress."

This conflict between the generic approach of major healthcare providers and the individualized care that therapists feel their patients will require could result in drastic changes in the medical profession. However, with rising costs due to increased technology, this struggle is likely to last for a long time.

In terms of technology, McKinley sees a new, growing trend in neuropsychology. In neuropsychology, emphasis is placed on physiological factors on the psyche. There is also greater stress on brain functions and an emphasis to look within gene structures for clues to problems. Technologies such as PET scans are used to help identify problems. McKinley sees technology becoming more invasive in order to see what "nature" gave each individual in their genetic makeup.

Although there is a positive side to this technological boom, McKinley also sees the negative side to this trend. She feels that most people do not see the complexity involved in using not only technology but also drugs to help with disorders. McKinley said that often we do not deal with the bigger picture, and instead try to find a quick fix to large problems.

Goffe echoes McKinley's sentiments. "The psychopharrnacological revolution will fail to live up to the propaganda spread by the giant pharmaceutical monopolies," he said.

Dr. Louis Nudy, associate professor of chemistry, feels that though technology is not the solution to every problem, it can definitely help to advance the medical and other branches of the scientific community. He cites examples like prosthetic limbs and genetic therapy as examples of the positive side of technology.

For the next century, Nudy sees great strides in the field of chemistry. ''We're able to take the knowledge we have and apply it to more complex and chaotic systems," he said.

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Nudy said that the basics of chemistry will probably never go away or change dramatically, but new additions to the field are being discovered constantly. A nano tube, which is a small carbon-based molecular structure, will be able to be used in place of a computer chip. These nano tubes will make computers even faster than they are now. Advancements in weather tracking systems are another prediction that Nudy has for the future. Along the same lines, environmental impacts will be able to be better anticipated. With this technology, some pollutants may be able to be neutralized before severe ~e can be done.

Environmentally speaking, the chemical industry's regulations may change in the future. Nudy claims that the Environmental Protection Agency is considering hiring a third party to help regulate the environmental hazards of chemical companies. The EPA and the corporation will set targets that the independent third-party inspectors will check up on. The engineers of the corporation will then have the freedom to solve problems their own way and the EPA will still be able to regulate and control chemical industry standards.

Dr. Janet Kumar, associate professor of biology, also foresees strides in the scientific realm with the help of technology. A major example of this is the genome project that is currently underway and should be finished in the year 2004 or 2006.

Kumar states that this project, which is attempting to sequentially put together every human being's DNA, is a major step for the future of science. Kumar stresses the importance of the project because every human being's blood will be able to be taken and diseased identified in the genetic makeup. There is a downside to this project, though.

Kumar claimed that this ability to identify diseases genes even years before the disease appears may lead many insurance companies to reject clients and leave many without medical coverage.

"Science is moving much quicker than we are able to deal with the information presented to us;' Kumar said.

Biotechnology, the field under which genetic studies lies, is a booming trend for the next century. Kumar stated that most.advancements and research would be at the basic level of science. Technology has allowed for the designing of drugs that have an effect on genes, from replacing them to curing the diseases that they may carry.