Gore: U.S. must close pay gap between men and women

Vice President Al Gore was on campus Saturday, April 10, for a visit to a biotechnology lab and a panel discussion on women in scientific and technology fields. Gore, one of two Democrats who have declared intentions to run for U.S. president, says the country needs to close the gap between how much men and women are paid while encouraging more women to get involved in high-technology industries. TOP: During a tour of the biotechnology center, Gore shares a laugh with Anne Griep, center, an associate anatomy professor and director of the transgenic animal facility, and Kathleen Helmuth, biotechnology research specialist. Helmuth demonstrated a microinjection process that allows researchers to introduce genetic material into a particular type of mouse cell. The laughs resulted when the researchers, responding to Gore’s question, disclosed that they weren’t using actual DNA for the demonstration. MIDDLE: Graduate School Dean Virginia Hinshaw, right, speaks to Gore and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin during the panel discussion. Participants say one way to reduce inequities in pay is to increase training among women in computer and scientific fields. BOTTOM: Outside the building where Gore appeared, about 200 people protested the NATO bombings in Yugoslavia.