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Organizers sought for next Ig Nobel event Organizers are sought to help produce the 10th Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, which honors individuals whose achievements “cannot or should not be reproduced.” Likely the world’s largest science-humor celebration, the event will be held at Sanders Theatre in early October and will be broadcast live over the…

If a war had broken out somewhere last weekend, there’s a possibility the rest of the world might have missed it. That’s because more than 400 of the most heralded journalists from around the world set aside their notepads and laptops to gather at Harvard for the Nieman Fellows Reunion 2000. “It was pretty exciting,”…

Galbraith, Gould, and Whipple dubbed “Living Legends” John Kenneth Galbraith, Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics Emeritus; Stephen Jay Gould, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology in the Museum of Comparative Zoology; and Fred Whipple, Philips Professor of Astronomy Emeritus, were among 83 Americans named as “Living Legends” by the Library of Congress at a celebration…

The National Board of Directors of the NAACP attended its third board retreat at the Business School last week. President Neil L. Rudenstine (left) met with NAACP Chairman Julian Bond during a reception for the NAACP board at the Law School. Also in attendance was NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. Staff photo by Justin Ide

In a recent remarkably productive period of labor relations activity, the University signed 5 new contracts with four of its unions between July and November of last year. Following is a list of Unions representing Harvard employees. Asterisks indicate those that have signed new contracts with the University since last July. * GCIU — Graphic…

A committee of faculty and administrators studying workforce issues at Harvard has recommended several groundbreaking initiatives. Central to these recommendations is a greatly expanded free, on-site workplace education program for the university’s lowest-paid employees, including those working for contractors. In addition the committee recommended a mix of health and other benefits and, for the first…

It was a radical idea at the time. The concept of Law School (HLS) students representing indigent clients in criminal cases may have shocked more than a few people in the Boston legal community in 1949, but more than a half century later, the Harvard Defenders carries on in its benevolent mission in district courts…

A memorial service, “A Celebration of the Life of Navin Narayan,” will be held on Friday, May 5, in the Adams House Library at 2:30 p.m. Navin Narayan ’99 died March 13 at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, after a long struggle with cancer. He was 23. “He was one of the most remarkably…

The painfully sensitive skin that accompanies many migraines has revealed a new understanding of the debilitating headaches. The latest findings from Boston researchers are the first that may explain why current medications are ineffective in many cases and suggest a new target for the next generation of migraine drugs. Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical…

His life’s work is a montage of musical masterpieces, including three symphonies, three string quartets, two operas, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning cantata “The Flight into Egypt.” Yet, it’s not so much the creation of the music as the drive to preserve its audience into the future that drives composer John Harbison ’60, this year’s Harvard…

Arthur Mu-En Lee, associate professor of molecular biology at the Harvard School of Public Health and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, died on April 10 following surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. A native of Taiwan, Lee earned his M.D. from Kaohsiung Medical College and a Ph.D. from the…

The women’s basketball team held its annual post-season banquet on Tuesday evening, April 25. In addition to team awards for 1999-00, head coach Kathy Delaney Smith announced that juniors Kristen Boike and Melissa Johnson have been elected captains of the 2000-01 squad. Team MVP honors were won by senior captain Laela Sturdy. Sturdy enjoyed her…

Older people frequently forget where they left their glasses or parked their car. Could such memory lapses be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease? Until now, no good way existed to discriminate normal failures of memory from the approach of the dreaded malady that robs elders of their personalities. That situation has begun to change. Using…

Scientists at Harvard University have made wires too small to see without a powerful microscope. They are almost too small to imagine – thousands of times thinner than a human hair and millionths of an inch long. The immediate reason for doing this was to see if it could be done. The long-term result may…

The Harvard men’s heavyweight crew, ranked fourth in the nation, solidified its standing with a victory over fifth-ranked Princeton and M.I.T. in the 65th rowing of the Compton Cup Saturday April, 22, on the Charles River. The Radcliffe women’s heavyweight crew was equally impressive, defeating Syracuse and Dartmouth for the O’Leary Cup while also edging…

A memorial service for Wilfred Cantwell Smith, professor of the comparative history of religion emeritus, will be held on Friday, May 5, at 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Smith came to Harvard in 1964 from the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. For nearly a decade, Smith served as director…

The Harvard Gazette

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department for the week ending April 22. The official log is located at Police Headquarters, 29 Garden St. April 16: An individual was arrested for simple assault at Peabody Terrace. Two men were caught spraying fire extinguishers in Claverly Hall; both were identified…

The Graduate Student Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will honor five faculty members with the Excellence in Mentoring Award at a reception on Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge in Dudley House. This year’s recipients are: Nalini Ambady, the Ruth and John Hazel Associate Professor of…

Herzlinger Named Bush Adviser Regina Herzlinger, the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has been named an adviser to presidential candidate George W. Bush regarding health care issues. Howard Receives Allerton Medal Professor of Dendrology Emeritus and former director of the Arnold Arboretum Richard A. Howard has been named the…

While many of their peers were sipping margaritas on the beaches of Cancun or playing volleyball in Daytona, Fla., a half dozen Law School (HLS) students spent their spring break enmeshing themselves in the complexities of Indian law during a weeklong “clinical” at the Navajo Nation reservation in the Arizona high desert. Over the course…

The memorandum from Provost Harvey Fineberg reprinted below is intended to remind members of the Harvard community about matters related to the conduct of human subjects research. April 2000 To: Members of the Harvard Community From: Provost Harvey V. Fineberg Re: Human Subjects Research — A Reminder Many members of the University are involved in…

His Grace Srila Turiya Das Acarya Mahasaya, a Hindu priest of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, presides over a Vedic fire ceremony held on the steps of Memorial Church. The event was co-sponsored by the Harvard Extension School and Dharma, a Hindu student group at Harvard. The fires of knowledge burned brightly on the steps of…

What if there were an election without a great pressing issue facing the electorate? That’s the dilemma in the 2000 presidential campaign. The United States isn’t at war, and the domestic economy is humming along. The technology sector is booming. Unemployment is low. The housing market is strong. The challenge for George W. Bush and…

After being fitted for her undergraduate cap and gown at the Harvard Coop, Kamil Redmond ’00 toys with the idea of pursuing an advanced degree while trying on the appropriate graduation cap. Staff photo by Kris Snibbe

At its 14th meeting of the year, the Faculty Council discussed a proposed Statement on Outside Activities with three members of the Committee that drafted the document: Professor Dennis Thompson (Government), chair; Professor Paul Martin (Physics) and Professor Sidney Verba (Government). Also present were Robert Donin, deputy general counsel, and Dean Gallant, Faculty of Arts…