Campus & Community

Harvard Medical School (HMS) is taking steps to dramatically advance the field of sleep medicine through the simultaneous establishment of three endowed chairs all devoted to this emerging field of medicine.

Caffeine is the worlds most widely used stimulant, yet scientists still do not know exactly how it staves off sleep. Researchers at Brigham and Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and other institutions have now discovered that caffeine works by thwarting one of two interacting physiological systems that govern the human sleep-wake cycle. The researchers, who report their findings in the May issue of the journal Sleep, propose a novel regimen, consisting of frequent low doses of caffeine, to help shift workers, medical residents, truck drivers, and others who need to stay awake get a bigger boost from their tea or coffee.

The following minute was read at the annual Harvard Medical School Emeritus Faculty Event on May 7, 2004.

Introducing this years Arts First Medalist Yo-Yo Ma 76 at Sanders Theatre Sunday night (May 9), host and actor John Lithgow 67 described the ensuing interview as a private moment with about 1,100 eavesdroppers. Ma, ever the generous performer, delivered on Lithgows promise, sharing secrets that revealed his easygoing humanity and privileged the sold-out audience with an intimate glimpse into his musical life.

Harvard environmentalists made sure Arts First was clean behind the scenes Saturday (May 8) by powering the Arts First stage for the events kickoff performances entirely with solar power.

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on December 16, 2003, the following Minute was placed upon the records.

John Singleton Copleys portraits of 18th century Bostons grim-visaged elite are as integral a part of the image of the Colonial city as the Old North Church, Faneuil Hall, or Paul Reveres house.

Nearly 30 years ago, John Womack and a team of research assistants began interviewing retired industrial workers in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The interviewees, who had worked in textile mills, breweries, cigar factories, and other manufacturing operations from the 1920s to the 1940s, were eyewitnesses to the industrialization of Mexico in the early 20th century, and their recollections constituted an important resource for the industrial and labor history of the country.

The Harvard Alumni Association and the Board of Overseers have announced the recipients of the 2004 Harvard Medal: William J. Cleary Jr. A.B. ’56, Joan Morthland Hutchins A.B. ’61, Minoru Makihara A.B. ’54, A.M.P. ’77.

Four Harvard-affiliated artists and scholars have recently been named among this years field of Rome Prize recipients by the American Academy in Rome. Now in its 108th year, the prize is a residential fellowship lasting from six months to two years. It includes room and board, a stipend, and studio at the academy facilities in Rome.

The interplay of architectonic clouds and glowing sunlight produces a magnificent background to a modest-looking skyline consisting most noticeably of the Memorial Church tower and the Cambridge Fire Department tower.

Two teams of Harvard researchers have handed doctors a new weapon against lung cancer by explaining the peculiar success of a drug that is extremely effective against the nations top cancer killer, but only in a small percentage of cases.

People who injure an arm or leg sometimes develop pain, swelling, or other unexpected symptoms in the opposite, uninjured arm or leg. Medical reports of such mirror-image effects go back at least to the Civil War and usually are blamed on overuse of the undamaged arm or leg.

Richard M. Hunt (left), former Harvard University marshal and senior lecturer in social studies, is co-author with editor of The American Scholar John T. Bethell (right) of the new book Harvard A to Z. Hunt and Bethell discussed their book, which is a compendium of fascinating Harvard lore, at the Sackler Museum on April 29.

Morning Exercises To accommodate the increasing number of those wishing to attend Harvard’s Commencement Exercises, the following guidelines are proposed to facilitate admission into Tercentenary Theatre on Commencement Morning: Degree…

May 14-15, 1874 – In response to a challenge from the McGill University Foot-ball (sic) Club, the Harvard University Foot Ball (sic) Club squares off against McGill at Jarvis Field…

John Kelleher service May 17 A memorial service for John V. Kelleher, professor of Irish studies emeritus in the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, will be held May 17…

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending May 1. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor.

President Lawrence H. Summers will hold office hours for students in his Massachusetts Hall office on the following date:

The second floor of Widener Library opened over the first days of May. With the grand architectural features and finishes restored and the space aligned so that busy, noisy, interactive services are separated from the quiet space of the reading room, the second floor is both elegant and functional. Both ends of the Loker Reading Room, which previously housed the reference desk and staff work areas, have been reclaimed for reading room space. All of reference services is housed in adjacent room 230. Research services staff, who provide instruction and research assistance, occupy two rooms, Research Services East, room 240, and Research Services West, room 220.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage rebutted Bush administration critics Friday (April 30), saying that President Bushs approach to international affairs has not been to go it alone, rather it has been one of cooperation and coordination with international allies.

President Lawrence H. Summers has announced that Howard H. Stevenson, Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS), has accepted the position of senior associate provost for Planning and Resources at the University.

Herb Fuller is a second-generation railroad buff. His father, Harold Fuller, founded the National Railroad Museum in 1956 in Green Bay, Wis. Back then, the Fuller familys idea of a great summer vacation was to travel to mining country in Wyoming to watch the huge steam locomotives hauling mile-long trains loaded with ore through the mountains. Fullers dad got to ride in the cab of the Big Boy, the largest locomotive ever built, but safety regulations kept Fuller and his brother from enjoying the same experience.

The Center for Business and Government (CBG) at Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government is taking its commitment to convening public and private sectors to the next level with its student/fellow mentoring initiative. This program combines the groundbreaking work of CBGs fellows with the enthusiasm of students eager to get hands-on experience and learn more about public and private research initiatives.

Out, but not down, could be the rallying cry of the 2004 Harvard softball team. Since falling out of Ivy-title contention with a pair of late-inning losses against a surging Brown squad on April 25, the Crimson regrouped to capture three of their final five games (all at home) to close out the season with a winning 22-20-1 record.

Crimson Power Clinic to open to high schoolers The Department of Athletics’ strength and condition staff is offering a six-week clinic to male and female high school athletes beginning July…

The Tennis Camps at Harvard (TCH) will be starting their 14th season on June 14th at the Beren Tennis Center at Soldiers Field. To check out the camps and sign up online, visit http://www.tenniscampsatharvard.com or call (617) 783-2400 to receive a free brochure.

The David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies has announced that David Kupferschmidt is the centers new executive director. Kupferschmidt brings to Harvard extensive experience in Latin America for nearly a decade, including work as a consultant for international organizations, NGOs, governments, and the private sector.

The subtitle of Mary Gordons reading, the final of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studys Deans Lecture Series (April 28), promised Swimming Between Fiction and Nonfiction. And Gordon delivered, with a stroke so effortless that the waters of memoir, essay, and fiction flowed into a smooth confluence, their borders barely distinguishable. Gordons swimming skills served her equally well in emotional waters, as the acclaimed author and Radcliffe Fellow masterfully delivered the audience from wry hilarity to shocking sadness to tender passion, and back again.

Afro-Brazilian politician and social activist Benedita da Silva spoke at Lamont Library last week. The former governor of Rio de Janeiro discussed the postcolonial challenges facing Brazil in its efforts to create a government and society that include traditionally disenfranchised groups such as blacks, women, and the poor. When I was a kid, said da Silva, and lived in Chapeu da Mangueira hill, a slum in Rio de Janeiros south zone, very close to Copacabana Beach, no black children had even the right to dream of a life different from the ones led by their mothers and grandmothers. The event was co-sponsored by the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.