ITHACA, N.Y. -- In a survey of life scientists at 66 academic institutions, conducted by the editors of the magazine The Scientist , Cornell University ranked fifth in the United States as one of the best academic places to work.

In The Scientist 's 2004 survey, The Best Places to Work in Academia, life scientists were surprisingly uniform in reporting that adequate laboratory and research facilities for themselves and their co-workers were among the most important factors. Also ranking high in importance to the scientists were working relationships with peers, adequate health-care coverage, adequate research funding, support for new faculty members, clearly defined requirements for tenure and the local standard of living.

Scientists also agreed on what was not important to their happiness on the job: Tuition assistance, social events and sports facilities were among the least important factors, regardless of location, the survey found.

The California Institute of Technology was rated by life scientists as the best academic center to work in the United States. It was followed by Purdue University, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle), the University of Nebraska and Cornell.

The survey results were based on responses from 1,456 scientists at 66 institutions in the United States. Responses from 25 scientists in Canada and Europe were ranked separately. Respondents assessed their working conditions and environments by indicating their level of agreement with 39 positive statements in eight areas and their indication as to which factors were particularly important to them.

Detailed information on the survey is available at http://www.the-scientist.com . The editors note that the sample was self-selected and that they made no attempt to standardize the results or to conduct a detailed statistical analysis.