Newsmakers

Gates is editor in chief of Oxford African American Studies Center

W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis Gates Jr. is serving as editor in chief of the recently launched Oxford African American Studies Center – the latest resource in Oxford University Press’ online publishing program. The site (http://www.oxfordaasc.com) provides students, scholars, and librarians with more than 7,500 articles by top scholars in the field.

Senior awarded Churchill Scholarship for graduate study

Harvard senior Emily Elizabeth Riehl is one of 11 college students nationwide to be awarded the prestigious Churchill Scholarship by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. The scholarship supports one year of advanced study and research in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England. A mathematics major and past winner of the Intel Science Award, Riehl will study for “Part III of the Math Tripos in Pure Mathematics” (certificate of advanced study in mathematics). Following her year in England, Riehl will enter the Ph.D. mathematics program at the University of Chicago.

The Churchill Foundation was established in 1959 as a tribute to the world leader from American friends. The scholarship (worth more than $40,000) covers tuition, fees, room, board, and travel. Recipients of the Churchill Scholarship “show outstanding promise as research scientists and as committed citizens.”

HSPH student wins fellowship

Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Population and International Health at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) Tony Ao recently received a 2006 Dissertation Fellowship in Populations, Reproductive Health, and Economic Development from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Population Reference Bureau. The fellowship supports dissertation research on topics that examine how population dynamics, family planning, and reproductive health influence economic growth.

Ao received the two-year fellowship ($20,000 per year) for his dissertation “Microeconomic Impact of HIV Disease Among Female Bar/Hotel Workers in Tanzania.” For two years before entering the doctoral program, Ao worked and lived in Moshi, Tanzania, helping to set up the Kilimanjaro Reproductive Health Program.

– Compiled by Andrew Brooks