Newsmakers

Harvard, Harris applauded for sustainable energy use

David E. Harris Jr., manager of Passenger Transport and Fleet Management Services for University Operations Services, will be recognized Friday (Sept. 22) at City Hall Plaza at the fourth annual AltWheels festival – a free, three-day event that celebrates and advocates sustainable transportation solutions. Specifically, Harris is being acknowledged with an AltWheels Award for his efforts in helping Harvard become one of the state’s leading renewable fuel users. In the first half of 2006, Harvard’s Transportation Services vehicles used nearly 14,000 gallons of B20 diesel (a blend of 20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum diesel).

Wolff awarded first Bach Prize

Adams University Professor in the Department of Music Christoph Wolff was recently named the first recipient of the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize. Made possible through the generous support of the Kohn Foundation, the prize will be awarded annually to musicians and scholars who have made “a distinguished and sustained contribution to the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach.” Wolff, who is also curator of the Isham Memorial Library, will accept the prize at an Oct. 16 ceremony in London.

Kelman receives 2006 Morton Deutsch Award

Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus Herbert C. Kelman has received the 2006 Morton Deutsch Award from the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Peace Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association (APA). Kelman, who co-chairs the Middle East Seminar at Harvard, was recognized for his “past and continuing contributions to the integration of theory and practice in the field of conflict resolution, peacemaking, and peace building.” The award was announced Aug. 12 at the APA’s annual convention in New Orleans.

Engaged for more than 30 years in efforts toward the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Kelman is a pioneer in the development of interactive problem solving, an unofficial third-party approach to the resolution of international and intercommunal conflicts. His major publications include “International Behavior: A Social-Psychological Analysis,” “A Time to Speak: On Human Values and Social Research,” and “Crimes of Obedience: Toward a Social Psychology of Authority and Responsibility.”

HCPDS research scientist receives $2M to study AIDS prevention

Edward Green, senior research scientist at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies (HCPDS), has received a grant of nearly $2 million from the John Templeton Foundation to support the AIDS Prevention Research Project. The project investigators will research the role of sexual behavior in driving sexually transmitted AIDS epidemics, especially those in Africa.

According to Green, who authored “Rethinking AIDS Prevention: Learning from Successes in Developing Countries,” interventions aimed at promoting fewer partners have not been part of mainstream AIDS prevention. The AIDS Prevention Research Project will examine previously neglected areas of behavioral research, including the impact of programs that aim to change how some men treat their wives and partners in general. Green supports prevention programs that endorse what is known as the “ABC” model – “ABC” standing for abstinence, be faithful, or use condoms.