Newsmakers

Mellon Foundation honors Christine Korsgaard

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation recently named Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy Christine Korsgaard among its fourth group of Distinguished Achievement Award recipients. These awards – amounting to as much as $1.5 million each – enable scholars who have made significant contributions to humanistic inquiry to teach and do research under especially favorable conditions.

Korsgaard received the award for developing new ways of explaining and defending a vision of morality as expressing what is unique about human action. Her revitalization of a Kantian approach has aroused international interest.

Radcliffe Fellow Bhabha delivers lectures abroad

Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature and Language Homi K. Bhabha was the keynote speaker this past December at academic events in London and Paris. A current fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Bhabha, who is the chair of the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature at Harvard, gave talks that addressed the role of the humanities in times of intense global transition.

Bhabha was the keynote speaker at a Dec. 13 seminar organized by the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) in London. The seminar was one of a series of four held throughout the United Kingdom launching the AHRB’s Diasporas, Migration and Identities program. Earlier in the fall, Bhabha spoke at the London School of Economics as part of the 2004 Ralph Miliband lectures series on Culture in the Age of Global Communications, and he also delivered the keynote speech at the Colloquium on Research and Higher Education Policy held in Paris – addressing themes important to the rapidly changing world of global higher education today.

Drago-Severson receives NSDC award

The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) recently named “Helping Teachers Learn: Principal Leadership for Adult Growth and Development” (Corwin Press, 2004) by Eleanor E. Drago-Severson, a lecturer on education at the Graduate School of Education, the winner of its 2004 Outstanding Staff Development Book award. Presenting years of her research, the book examines how 25 school principals (in a variety of school contexts) support teacher learning, and why they believe their practices are effective.

Hochschild awarded Wilbur Cross Medal

Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government Jennifer L. Hochschild was recently awarded the Wilbur Cross Medal from the Yale Graduate School Alumni Association for 2005. Hochschild, who is also a professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard, will receive the medal – awarded annually to outstanding alumni for achievements in scholarship, teaching, academic administration, and public service – at Commencement this May.

Federico Capasso receives prize in science

The King Faisal Foundation recently named Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics Federico Capasso a joint recipient of its 2005 international prize for science. Cited as “one of the most creative and influential physicists in the world” by the foundation, Capasso received the award in recognition of his design and demonstration of the Quantum Cascade Laser.

“This revolutionary approach,” according to the foundation, “signifies an imaginative breakthrough in this field enabling a remarkable contribution of excellent solid-state science and laser physics with new solid-state technology.” His Royal Highness Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, director of the King Faisal Foundation, announced the winners in January.

Extension School instructor earns Emmy nomination

An interactive project created by Harvard Extension School multimedia instructor Scott Traylor and his colleagues at 360KID – a Newton, Mass.-based interactive media company – received an Emmy Award nomination this past fall.

A graduate-level instructor at the School for the past 11 years, and the founder and president of 360KID, Traylor and his colleagues were nominated for the Emmy for a collection of interactive television learning games for Sesame Workshop’s Play and Learn Channel in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for the Creation of Video Games. The Emmy was ultimately presented to Jetix Cards Live! Enhanced TV.

Traylor’s company also recently received an award of excellence from Technology & Learning Magazine for a collection of science simulations it created for Discovery Channel School’s 42 CD-ROM series.

Cambridge Health Alliance granted HMS affiliation

Harvard Medical School (HMS) recently granted affiliation to the Cambridge Health Alliance (the Alliance), the nonprofit health-care system that operates hospitals, ambulatory practices, the Cambridge Public Health Department, the Institute for Community Health, and numerous educational programs. Formed in 1996 when the Cambridge Hospital merged with Somerville Hospital, the Alliance is one of 18 hospitals/institutes now affiliated with the School.

HMS Dean Joseph B. Martin and Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe signed the agreement Jan. 12. “We take great pride in our roles as a teaching hospital system and as members of the HMS community,” said Keefe. “This affiliation will create even stronger ties across our institutions, benefiting staff and patients alike,” said Keefe.

Lieber appointed co-editor of ACS journal

Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry Charles Lieber has been appointed co-editor of the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal Nano Letters. His appointment began officially Jan. 1 and will last four years.

Retsinas named ‘power broker’ of home building

Builder Magazine recently named Nicolas P. Retsinas, director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies, as one of the 50 most influential people in home building. In putting together the list, the magazine aimed to highlight individuals who stand out for their “good work” on the housing industry. Other notables on the list include Alan Greenspan, Carl Pope, and Donald Trump.

Tribute set to honor Poussaint

A ceremony to honor Harvard Medical School (HMS) Professor of Psychiatry Alvin F. Poussaint will be held on Feb. 12 in Boston. The evening event – hosted by comedian Bill Cosby and set to include performances by singer James Taylor – will conclude a daylong series of research presentations that includes the inaugural Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D. Visiting Lecture.

The tribute will recognize Poussaint’s decades-long efforts to foster equality in human rights and health care, and to champion positive messages in the African-American community as a columnist, author, and through his work on the “Cosby Show.” Poussaint, who is also the faculty associate dean for student affairs, has helped place more than 800 minority medical students at HMS since 1969.

-Compiled by Andrew Brooks