Year: 2004

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…

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.

Shirley Ann Jackson is alarmed by what she calls a confluence of negative factors – or a perfect storm – that is progressively making the United States lose ground in scientific development.

Cambridge School Volunteers Inc. (CSV) honored approximately 1,000 of its volunteers who served in kindergarten through grade 12 of the Cambridge Public Schools (CPS) during the 2003-04 school year at a reception hosted by Harvard University at the Faculty Club on May 5. Together, these volunteers provided more than 60,000 hours of individualized academic services…

Thirty high school freshmen from 14 Boston and Cambridge high schools – the inaugural class of Crimson Summer Academy – were welcomed into the Harvard family at a May 9 reception celebrating the new academic enrichment program for talented, low-income students from Boston and Cambridge.

Kyle Clark 04, an engineering sciences concentrator at the Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS), received praise and awe from faculty and students alike when he presented his senior design project, Design and Construction of a Dynamic Flight Simulator, at the Harvard Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Lightweight crew captures Eastern Sprints Radcliffe lightweight crew captured its first Eastern Sprints crown since 1997 with a time of 6:38.6 in the grand finals Sunday afternoon (May 9) in…

Sophomore slugger Zak Farkes connects for a deep drive during Harvards 12-6 season-finale loss against visiting Northeastern on May 5. Despite the teams setback, Farkes closed out the season with gusto, blasting four homers in two outings against Dartmouth May 1-2 to earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors and break Harvards single-season and…

The Harvard Club of Australia (HCA) has announced a new award for senior Harvard researchers who may be planning collaborative work with Australian research organizations. Known as the Australia-Harvard Fellowship, this award aims to support learned exchange between the University and Australia.

The Starr Foundation is giving Harvard $5 million to support the Colleges new initiative to attract students from families with low and moderate income. The gift, made possible by the efforts of Starr Foundation Chairman Maurice R. Greenberg, will provide scholarships to college students and support the recruiting and outreach efforts designed to eliminate economic…

Faculty, students, and fellows interested in disparities in health care due to ethnic and racial differences convened at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Friday (May 7) for a symposium seeking to translate research into practice.

David Luberoff has been appointed executive director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston as of June 1. He will replace Charles C. Euchner, who has served since the institutes founding in 2000, and is leaving to pursue writing opportunities.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) announced earlier this week the election of 178 new fellows and 24 new foreign honorary members. The 2004 class, comprising world-renowned leaders in scholarship, business, the arts, and public affairs, includes 10 Harvard faculty members.

To meet Phyllis Fallon – to crunch budget numbers or process invoices with her – is to share her love of jazz, blues, and swing. Her office on the second floor of Phillips Brooks House brings a nightclub aura to her daytime business as an accounting assistant, with jazz standards flowing out of her computer…

The University will honor 134 people today (May 13) for reaching a milestone: 25 years of service to Harvard. Celebrating its 50th year, the 25 Year Recognition Ceremony – which recognizes both faculty and staff from across the entire University – will be held at the Ropes-Gray Room, Pound Hall, Harvard Law School.

José Hurtado, a doctoral student in music, is reflected in an oval window as he studies outside Paine Hall.

‘Where She Always Was’ wins 2004 Swenson Poetry Award Utah State University Press (USU Press) has selected “Where She Always Was,” a volume of poems by Frannie Lindsay, graduate coordinator…

Leaders cannot impose democracy and human rights on people by force, any more than Lenin, Stalin, or Hitler were able to achieve their political ends through violence and oppression, according to Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist and recipient of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize.

Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department for the week ending May 8. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor.

The government of Japan, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Relationship, awarded a special Minister of Foreign Affairs Commendation to Yori Oda, senior preceptor in Japanese at Harvard, in a ceremony at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Boston May 6. The award recognizes individuals who have made…

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 on Monday…

May 1904 – Harvard and MIT take a third stab at joining forces, but negotiations come to a halt in October 1905, after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules unfavorably…

At its 13th meeting of the year, the Faculty Council discussed with Joseph Badaracco, John Shad Professor of Business Ethics (HBS) and master of Currier House, chair of the Committee to Address Alcohol and Health at Harvard, the work thus far of that committee. Also present for this discussion were Grace Chang, Associate Professor of…

In a photo caption that appeared on page 4 of the May 6 Gazette, incomplete information was provided. The third author of Harvard A to Z is Robert Shenton, now deceased. He is the former secretary of Harvards Govering Boards. The Gazette regrets the omission.

The 2003 Community Gifts Through Harvard campaign raised nearly $900,000 for more than 650 agencies in Massachusetts.

Mary C.’s baby was born with his intestines twisted the wrong way. She knew he would have to undergo surgery immediately. Mary, a 36-year-old Roman Catholic, e-mailed all those in her prayer circle. Within 24 hours, she had 5,000 people praying for her newborn son. The surgical team untwisted the boy’s intestine, and everything turned…

As the nation limps toward economic recovery, uneasy Americans – jobless or not – harbor understandable anxiety. Could my job be done by a computer? Will it go overseas to be done far more cheaply? Will there be enough jobs to go around?

The economics of biomedical research was at center stage at Harvard Medical School (HMS) April 28 during a conference convened to answer critics who say new treatments and devices drive up health-care costs while bringing few health benefits.

Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers have uncovered a missing link in our understanding of how human papillomaviruses gain their foothold in the rapidly dividing cells of the skin and mucous membranes. The discovery, reported in the April 30 Cell, could lead to new treatments for a host of human papillomavirus-related conditions, from the nuisance of…