Newsmakers

Two juniors awarded Tazuko Ajiro Monane Prize

Harvard College junior Nitipat Pholchai and senior Carly Cohen have recently been named co-recipients of the 2005-06 Tazuko Ajiro Monane Prize. Given annually, this award recognizes outstanding students of Japanese who have completed at least two years of Japanese language study at Harvard. A monetary award, the prize is sponsored by the Tazuko Ajiro Monane Memorial Fund, and is hosted by the Japanese Language Program in Harvard’s Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

Pholchai and Cohen will be honored at an awards ceremony Friday afternoon (Dec. 9) at the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

HMS’s Mayer to oversee foundation’s research efforts

Earlier this month, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research named Harvard Medical School Professor of Medicine Robert J. Mayer chair of its Scientific Advisory Board. Mayer, who is also the director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, will oversee the Lustgarten Foundation’s medical and research efforts. Since its founding in 1998, the foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $12 million in support of pancreatic cancer research.

Huguenin joins HCRA as executive director

Instructor on environmental risk assessment and decision making at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Michael T. Huguenin, an entrepreneur and manager who built highly regarded consulting organizations, has joined the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis (HCRA) as executive director. He will work with the director of the center, James K. Hammitt, to develop new initiatives in research and education and will have a leadership role in management of HCRA.

HBS professor honored for case method research

Michael E. Porter, the Bishop William Lawrence University Professor at Harvard Business School (HBS), has received the 2005 Distinguished Contributor to Case Research and Teaching Award from the North American Case Research Association, the largest organization exclusively devoted to encouraging faculty to research, write, and publish case studies. The award recognizes lifetime achievements and contributions.

Rapoport awarded Max Delbrück Medal in Berlin

Professor of Cell Biology Tom Rapoport of Harvard Medical School has been awarded the Max Delbrück Medal in Berlin for his “seminal role in the elucidation of the mechanisms of protein transport in cells.” Rapoport has identified essential cellular structures that carry proteins across the cell membrane and deliver it to outside “customers.” In a lecture following a ceremony, Rapoport explained how a channel located within the cell membrane plays a crucial role in the transport of proteins in cells. This channel not only carries some proteins through the membrane, but also stores others.

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks