In brief

Modern Greek Studies seeks submissions for conference

Harvard’s Modern Greek Studies Program invites graduate students in modern Greek studies or in related fields to participate in a grad student conference taking place in April 2005. The goal of the conference, titled “The Cankered Muse: In Search of Modern Greek Satire,” is to account for the prolific and uninterrupted presence of satire in modern Greek literature.

Please submit 350- to 500-word abstracts (for a 20- to 25- minute presentation) to Nikos Panou at panou@fas.harvard.edu, and Nikos Poulopoulos at poulop@fas.harvard.edu, or mail to: Nikos Panou, Harvard University, Department of Comparative Literature, Boylston Hall G-03, Cambridge, MA 02138. Include a cover page with your name and institutional affiliation (program and year), mailing and e-mail addresses, and title of presentation. Participants will be offered room and board for one or two days and a travel stipend up to $300. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 15.

Free lunchtime tour at Semitic Museum

A docent-led tour of “The Houses of Ancient Israel: Domestic, Royal, Divine,” an exhibit at the Semitic Museum (6 Divinity Ave.) devoted to everyday life in Iron Age Israel (ca. 1000-600 B.C.E.), will be held Sept. 30 at 12:15 p.m. The exhibit features a full-scale replica of a fully furnished, two-story dwelling. The tour is free and open to the public.

Kuwait program is accepting grant proposals

The Kennedy School of Government (KSG) has announced the seventh funding cycle for the Kuwait Program Research Fund. A KSG faculty committee will consider applications for small one-year grants (up to $30,000) to support advanced research by Harvard faculty members on issues of critical importance to Kuwait and the Gulf.

There are no formal application forms. Inquiries and research proposals (not exceeding five pages), including a budget, other sources of funding, and the curriculum vitae for senior researchers may be sent to: Associate Director, Middle East Initiative, KSG, 50 Church St., office 302, Cambridge, MA 02138. The deadline for the receipt of grant applications is Nov. 15.

Enroll now for new MBTA pass program

Current MBTA pass holders are reminded to enroll online for the new MBTA pass program. By registering online (through Oct. 1 for the November pass), MBTA passes will be mailed directly to your home address. And because payment will be through pretax payroll deduction, you will save even more money on top of Harvard’s subsidy. All present MBTA pass holders can register at http://www.commuterchoice.harvard.edu.

Please note that all October T passes must be purchased (in the last three days of September) at Holyoke Center, the Longwood Medical Area Parking Office, or at Teele Hall.

Curtis Fund to support GSD doctorates

The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) recently announced that a generous gift from Larry Curtis, M.A.U.D. ’83, managing partner at Winn Development Co. in Boston, will support the tuition, living, and research expenses of candidates for a Ph.D. in urban planning.

The Lawrence H. Curtis Fund will provide up to one-half tuition scholarship per student per year for the first two years of their program. Curtis intends to establish the fund with a $150,000 gift over three years and will also seek additional gifts from alumni/ae and friends. Recipients of the Curtis Fund, to be known as “Curtis Fellows,” will be chosen through the normal financial award process.

Jerold Kayden, the Frank Backus Williams Professor of Urban Planning and Design, director of GSD’s master in urban planning degree program, and one of Curtis’ former professors, remarked: “Larry is a leader himself in the development community and making this gift is a testament to that quality in his character. We are grateful to Larry for his gift and continuing support of the School.”

BSC course to examine study strategies

The Bureau of Study Counsel (BSC) is offering a morning and late afternoon session of its Reading and Study Strategy seminar to be held during the fall semester. Through readings, films, and classroom exercises, students learn to read more purposively, selectively, and with greater speed and comprehension. The class (which meets for one hour a day, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) will be held Oct. 4 through Nov. 5 from 4 to 5 p.m. and from Oct. 18 through Nov. 17 from 8 to 9 a.m. The cost is $150. To register, please come to the Bureau at 5 Linden St., or call (617) 495-2581 for more information.

OFA class registration under way

This week marks the deadline for fall term registration for some of the classes sponsored by the Office for the Arts (OFA). For a complete listing of OFA classes and registration guidelines, visit http://www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa.

“The Art of Movement Design” dance class will wrap up registration on Friday (Sept. 24). Call (617) 495-8683 for more information. Figure drawing registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and will run through Monday (Sept. 27). Interested parties must go in person to the OFA at 74 Mt. Auburn St. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to register. For more information, call (617) 495-8676.

PDK to host info session

The Harvard chapter of Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) will host a meet and greet on Oct. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Eliot Lyman Room on the second floor of Longfellow Hall. Anyone interested in learning more about the PDK association, the Harvard chapter’s program, or membership opportunities for 2004-05, is invited to come by for conversation and refreshments.

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks