Newsmakers

Austin applauded for leadership

Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration James E. Austin has received a faculty pioneer award from the Aspen Institute and World Resources Institute in recognition of his leadership in integrating social and environmental impact management into Harvard Business School’s M.B.A. program. A report issued by the two organizations cited Austin, along with six other professors from across the country, for his contributions to scholarship and outreach in the business sector.

Wilson awarded Talcott Parsons Award

Lewis F. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor William Julius Wilson was awarded the Talcott Parsons Award by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge on Nov. 12. Established in 1974, the prize is awarded for contributions to various social science disciplines.

Wilson is the director of the Joblessness and Urban Poverty Research Program at the Malcolm Weiner Center for Social Policy at the Kennedy School of Government. His current projects include studies of race and the social organization of neighborhoods, the effects of high-risk neighborhoods on adolescents, and the effects of welfare reform on poor families and children.

Lieber named top technological leader

Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry Charles M. Lieber has been named one of the country’s outstanding leaders in technology by Scientific American magazine. He is being honored for his research in nanotechnology and molecular electronics, specifically the making of new materials and machines invisible to the naked eye but with a broad array of applications in electronics, computers, and medicine.

Lieber joins 49 other individuals, companies, and organizations recognized for their accomplishments in research, business, and policy-making during 2002-03. “The Scientific American 50 is our chance to shine a light on these incredibly deserving leaders,” said editor in chief John Rennie.

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks