Campus & Community

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.

The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) Awards were established in 1990 to recognize outstanding service to Harvard University through alumni activities. This year’s awards ceremony will take place during the Fall HAA Board of Directors meeting on Oct. 16.

It was the Crimson’s 37-6 blowout of the Yale Bulldogs last year that put an end to Yale’s perfect season and earned Harvard (8-2) its 12th Ivy League Championship, with a 7-0 conference record. And when Harvard takes the home field tomorrow (Sept. 19) in the season opener against Holy Cross, it will be with the long-term goal of accomplishing something the Crimson haven’t done since 1983: repeat as Ivy League champions. In fact, in the past 20 years, only Penn and Dartmouth have won consecutive championships.

In preparation for the Fine Arts Library’s relocation in 2009 during the renovation of the Fogg Art Museum, the library presents “‘An Invaluable Partner …’: Eighty Years of the Fine Arts Library.”

As part of its Celebrity Science Series, the Museum of Science will host “Sustaining Life: A Conversation” on Oct. 3 with Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Eric Chivian, director of…

Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, has announced the appointment of 18 new institute fellows for the 2008-09 academic year.

Top world skaters, including 1964 Olympic gold medalists Ludmilla and Oleg Protopopov and national synchronized skating champions the Haydenettes, will take on cancer when they gather for the annual “An Evening with Champions” on Oct. 10-11 (at 7 and 8 p.m., respectively) at Bright Hockey Center. Started in 1970 by former U.S. champion John Misha Petkevich, “An Evening with Champions” will feature a silent auction and prize drawing. Paul Wylie ’90, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist, will again host the event with proceeds benefiting the Jimmy Fund.

The Tercentenary Theatre was converted into a colorful, albeit slightly damp, minicarnival, Friday (Sept. 12) as Harvard College welcomed its returning and newest undergraduates to campus for an afternoon and evening of food, friends, and fun.

Byerly Hall, a handsome slate-roofed building at 8 Garden St., opened in 1932. Its Georgian Revival exterior, exterior clock, and white-trimmed windows complement the stately 19th century ambiance of Radcliffe Yard. But beneath old red brick now beats a 21st century heart, including water and energy systems that meet modern standards for sustainability and efficiency.

Members of the University community are invited to attend an open house at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. The center — located at 50 Church St. in Harvard Square — is currently looking to fill research assistant and paid intern positions. Individuals interested in the Internet’s impact on society who are looking to gain experience, work closely with world-class fellows and faculty, publish papers, assist with cases, get under the hood of Web sites, and generally be on the front lines of this emerging field are encouraged to attend. Refreshments will be served.

Harvard affiliates Sharri Clark and David Hewitt have been named among the newest group of Science & Technology Policy Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The fellows spend a year working in federal agencies or congressional offices learning about science policy while providing valuable science and technology expertise to the executive and legislative branches of government.

As part of Harvard Museum Community Days, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology will offer free admission on Sept. 21. Mexican folkloric dance company Xuchipilli Danza y Cultura will perform at 1 and 2 p.m. For families with young children, the museum will hold story time at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the galleries. The museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See Calendar, special events, for information about Community Days at other Harvard museums.

David Korn, a longtime leader in research policy and science administration, will become the University’s vice provost for research, Provost Steven E. Hyman announced today (Sept. 15). A distinguished pathologist who was dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine for more than a decade, Korn has served since 1997 in senior roles at the Association of American Medical Colleges, where he is now the chief scientific officer.

Harvard University’s endowment earned an 8.6 percent return during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, bringing the overall value of the University’s endowment to $36.9 billion. The continued strong returns reinforce the endowment’s ability to provide critical support for Harvard’s academic programs and mission. In fiscal 2008, distributions from the endowment totaled $1.6 billion, contributing more than one third of the University’s operating budget in addition to supporting substantial capital outlays.

Charles W. Eliot Professor of Education Emeritus Charles V. Willie addressed the education workshop at a recent convention (July 14) of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Cincinnati.

Stuart Cary Welch Jr., curator emeritus of Islamic and later Indian art at the Harvard Art Museum and former special consultant in charge, Department of Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, died Aug. 13 while traveling in Hokkaido, Japan. He was 80 and a resident of New Hampshire.

Edward (“Ted”) W. Webster, Ph.D., 83, Professor Emeritus of Radiology (Physics) Harvard Medical School (HMS), passed away on Saturday, December 17th, 2005. He will be remembered both for his many scientific contributions and his friendly, warm and supportive manner.

The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA) recently announced its 2008-09 class of fellows. Each year, the WCFIA fellows program brings senior-level international-affairs professionals to Harvard, where they conduct focused, independent research and also interact intensively with the academic community, including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates.

The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics will present a lecture by Bruce Walker, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School on, Sept. 19 at 2:30 p.m. in the Science Center lecture hall. The title of the talk is “The AIDS Epidemic: Immune Selection Pressure, Viral Evolution, and Prospects for a Vaccine.” The talk is free and open to the public.

Harvard’s teaching mission doesn’t go on summer vacation — and it doesn’t stop at Harvard Yard. In fact, Harvard’s labs and classrooms, the Yard, and nearby parks and local schools were all buzzing with learning and fun activities this summer as thousands of people, young and old, took part in dozens of Harvard community-based programs.

The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, located at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, recently announced its fall fellows. “There has never been a more challenging — nor a more exciting — time to focus on the press, politics, and public policy, and our fellows and visiting faculty this semester offer a fresh and compelling perspective on all that is happening,” said Alex S. Jones, director of the Shorenstein Center.

The Academic Board of Universidad Alta Direccion (Panama) voted to award a doctoral degree honoris causa to Michael Shinagel, dean of Continuing Education and University Extension, in recognition of his “outstanding job in educating executives all over Central and South America.” Hailed as “a remarkable educator,” Shinagel received his diploma from the Universidad Alta Direccion President Ricardo Greco, at a special awarding ceremony held Aug. 20 in Cambridge, Mass.

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded a $6.5 million grant (over four years) to a team of Harvard University researchers to further develop electronic sequencing in nanopores. The grant is part of more than $20 million in total funding given by NHGRI/NIH to spur innovative sequencing technologies that are inexpensive and efficient enough to sequence a person’s DNA as a routine part of biomedical research and health care.

In June, with an ambitious renovation in mind, Harvard closed the doors of 32 Quincy St., a stately fixture on campus since 1927. But by 2013, the University’s three art museums — now collectively known as the Harvard Art Museum — will take up residence there in one major facility.

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending Sept. 8. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor, and is available online at www.hupd.harvard.edu/.

During the Saturday night (Sept. 6) downpour, brought on by tropical storm Hannah, a circuit breaker tripped, plunging Adams House into darkness. While Harvard electricians tracked down the problem, freshmen were sent over to the Science Center for food, movies, and an impromptu meeting with President Drew Faust.