Campus & Community

The Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) has announced that the 2008 Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award will go to Billy Shore, co-founder of Share Our Strength. The award and the $100,000 prize that accompanies it will be presented to Shore on Nov. 19 at a reception in Cambridge, Mass.

Lewis Ranieri of Hyperion Private Equity Funds will deliver the ninth annual John T. Dunlop Lecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (HGSD) on Oct. 1. The title of Ranieri’s lecture is “Revolution in Mortgage Finance.”

At its second meeting of the year on Sept. 24, the Faculty Council considered candidates for Parliamentarian for 2008-2009 and heard a proposal from the Standing Committee on Research Policy concerning principal investigators. The council next meets on Oct. 8. The preliminary deadline for the Oct. 21 Faculty meeting is Oct. 6 at 9:30 a.m.

The Initiative in Innovative Computing (IIC) and Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) recently announced the inauguration of a new joint colloquium series that will bring speakers at the frontiers of research in computing and science to the Harvard campus.

The Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHGE) recently published “Healthy Harvest: Regional Food Guides for New England and Mid-Atlantic States.” These comprehensive guides (available at http://www.healthyharvest.org) include detailed information about when produce is available regionally both fresh and from storage, as well as food-specific information on varieties, nutritional content, how best to prepare each food item, and tips on how to store the produce.

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) is sponsoring a focus group survey on Dec. 3 at Phillips Auditorium, 60 Garden St., to gather information on how NASA scientists create astronomical imagery. CfA experts will be on hand for the 3 p.m. talk and discussion. Astronomy enthusiasts are invited to register for the survey, which will last approximately 15 minutes, at http://astroart.cfa.harvard.edu/focus/. Food, drinks, and souvenirs will be provided for all participants. For more information, visit http://astroart.cfa.harvard.edu/.

This past May, the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) selected two rising seniors to receive the David and Mimi Aloian Memorial Scholarships for their senior year (2008-09). The criteria for the awards reflect the traits valued and embodied by the late David and Mimi Aloian — thoughtful leadership that makes the College an exciting place in which to live and study, and special contributions to the quality of life in the Houses.

The 2008 Venice Biennale award committee has conferred on James S. Ackerman, the Arthur Kingsley Professor of Fine Arts Emeritus at Harvard University, its prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The award citation praised Ackerman’s contributions to architecture, calling him “the doyen of the international community of historians of Renaissance architecture,” adding, “He is one of the scholars to have created the modern history of architecture, founded on a systematic approach and making use of a critical examination of all written and visual sources.”

Given the convenience and widespread acceptance of text messaging, the University is offering this form of correspondence as another technological solution for communicating with students, faculty, and staff in the event of an extreme emergency on campus. As part of the University Emergency Management Plan, the Harvard community can now sign up to receive text message alerts in addition to traditional methods of notification.

Three biologists — one current and two future faculty members at Harvard — have won MacArthur Foundation “genius” grants, $500,000 no-strings-attached awards intended to encourage creativity, originality, and innovation in a broad array of fields.

Thomas H. Weller, a Nobel Prize winner in 1954 and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) professor emeritus, passed away on Aug. 23. He was 93.

At its annual dinner on Sept. 5, the Hippocrates Society honored Harvard Medical School Associate Professor of Medicine Michael VanRooyen with the 2008 Humanitarian Award. VanRooyen, who is also associate professor in the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), was recognized for his extensive work in humanitarian assistance in more than 30 countries affected by war and disaster, as well as for his efforts in the United States.

Many University Hall offices were relocated this summer as part of an effort by Harvard College and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) to better meet the needs of students and faculty. These changes occur as plans take shape for the College to open additional offices in Holyoke Center.

As an undergraduate, Scott Mead ’77 was a talented and versatile athlete for the Crimson, a letter-winner in both squash and lacrosse. He was also a gifted tennis player, but because tennis season overlapped with that of lacrosse, he chose to compete in the tennis tournament circuit during the summer.

The Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics at Harvard is currently seeking applications for its Faculty Fellowships in Ethics program for the 2009-10 academic year. Applications are invited from teachers and scholars who wish to develop their ability to address questions of moral choice in the professions and public life more generally. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. in philosophy, political theory, theology, or related discipline, or an advanced professional degree, and should be no more than 10 years from their first academic appointment.

Later this month, the Revels and the Charles River Conservancy will again team up for RiverSing, a free and open-to-the-public event celebrating the beauty of the Charles River and the first day of fall. Featuring seasonal music and communal singing, the Sept. 21 event will be held on the John W. Weeks Footbridge linking Allston and Cambridge.

Trevor Bakker ’10 spent this summer at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the world’s first permanent war crimes court.

A memorial service honoring the life of Julius B. Richmond will be held Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at the Harvard Club of Boston, 347 Commonwealth Ave. A reception will follow. A former U.S. surgeon general, Richmond held appointments at the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard Kennedy School. He died on July 27.

Harvard University President Drew Faust used the bully pulpit of Appleton Chapel this week (Sept. 16), urging the University’s citizens to act responsibly on environmental matters.

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending Sept. 15. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor, and is available online at www.hupd.harvard.edu/.

A director of international banking for one of the top banks in Vietnam, a seasoned government relations executive, and the former deputy general counsel for National Grid are among the incoming fellows being welcomed this fall at Harvard Kennedy School’s (HKS) Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government.

A memorial service honoring Henry C. Moses, the former dean of freshmen, will take place Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. at the Memorial Church. A reception will follow. Moses held the Harvard post from 1977 to 1991. He passed away April 16 at the age of 66.

Susan E. Mango, whose study of pharynx development in nematode worms has provided biologists with one of their most robust models of organ development, has been named professor of molecular and cellular biology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), effective July 1, 2009. Mango, 46, was previously professor of oncological sciences at the University of Utah’s School of Medicine and Huntsman Cancer Institute.

A professorship and scholarship program to honor the career of Bernard Lown in advancing public health is being established at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). School officials made the announcement Sept. 10.

The following mid-career practitioners, leaders in the effort to improve the quality of the built and natural environment, will be in residence at the Graduate School of Design (GSD) for the 2008-09 academic year.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS) investigator Gary Ruvkun is one of three co-recipients of the 2008 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research.

The Program on U.S.-Japan Relations has announced its 16 Program Associates and Advanced Research Fellows for the 2008-09 academic year. This year’s class of Program Associates includes scholars, professors, government officials, businesspeople, and journalists from Japan, the United States, and elsewhere.

On Sept. 14 at approximately 9:15 p.m., a female undergraduate student of Boston University reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) that she was the victim of an unarmed robbery while walking down Garden Street. While traveling from Currier House to the Harvard Square MBTA station, the victim was struck from behind by an unknown individual. After being struck, the victim fell to the ground. The victim did not witness who attacked her and did not hear anything as she was listening to music. The suspect fled the area after taking the victim’s iPod, digital camera, cash, and wallet. The victim was not seriously injured and declined medical attention.

The University community is invited to attend a memorial service at the Memorial Church for Henry Lee Professor of Economics Emeritus Hendrik Houthakker on Sept. 25. A reception at Loeb House will follow the 2 p.m. service.

Sept. 1, 1922 — The Divinity School and the Andover Theological Seminary formally begin a closer affiliation under a new agreement approved in the spring.