Newsmakers

HMS’s Burstein new editor-in-chief of cancer journal

Associate Professor of Medicine Harold J. Burstein has been named the new editor-in-chief of The Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN). Burstein will set the direction of the journal and serve as the ambassador for JNCCN in the oncology community.

Burstein is an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School, and a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of breast cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Doctoral student receives prestigious national doctoral fellowship

Harvard doctoral student Carolyn E. Roberts has been selected to receive a 2008 Fund for Theological Education (FTE) Doctoral Fellowship, a competitive national award. As an FTE Doctoral Fellow, Roberts receives a stipend of up to $18,000 from the Fund for Theological Education for education-related expenses. She also attended the 2008 FTE doctoral Conference June 13-15 at Emory University in Atlanta, which is titled “Next Generation Leaders: Voices & Vocations That Change the World.”

African-American scholars are traditionally underrepresented in graduate programs in religion and theology, and more than one-third of North American theological schools report that they do not have a person of color on their faculties, making mentors and role models for these young scholars more difficult to find. FTE Doctoral and Dissertation Fellowships accelerate the successful completion of Ph.D. degrees among recipients and provide support to find faculty positions in the academy. The awards are supported by funds from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

“Our 2008 FTE Fellows meet high academic standards and demonstrate exceptional gifts for leadership,” said Sharon Watson Fluker, FTE vice president of doctoral programs and administration. “They represent the talent, commitment, and diversity that is needed in the next generation of faculty leaders for the academy.”
The JNCCN is a peer-reviewed indexed medical journal providing the latest information about clinical practices, oncology outcomes, and new research initiatives. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer.

Two students recognized for innovative solutions

Harvard students Derek Horton ’08 and Alexander Blank ’09 were recognized with the Most Innovative Solution at Microsoft’s inaugural Incubation Week held in mid-June. The event gathered teams with software development startup ideas and gave them an opportunity to utilize resources to test applications and pitch the plans to early-stage investors.

Their project, Votika is a Silverlight-based Web application that allows users to see what is popular within social spheres through voting on almost any topic imaginable. The categories and topics are user-generated, from best pizzeria to favorite presidential candidate. With all necessities provided for, the group worked more than 16 hours a day, learning how to use the Silverlight program, which allowed them to develop a Web site with more features than initially planned.

Horton and Blank won free access to development tools from Microsoft for one year. Their project is currently online at www.votika.com.

Smith joins Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program
The Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP) recently named Matthew Smith to the posts of clinical fellow and a lecturer on law. On Smith’s arrival, Director of the HNMCP Robert C. Bordone commented, “His experience as an attorney and his past work in negotiation and dispute resolution while a student at Harvard Law School make him the perfect addition to our young clinic.”
During Smith’s two-year fellowship he will serve as a clinical supervisor to students in the Negotiation and Mediation Clinic and as a lecturer on law in the Spring Negotiation Workshop at the Law School.

The Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinic is the first law school clinic in the nation to focus on projects related to conflict assessment and dispute systems design. Founded in 2006 by Robert Bordone, the clinic seeks to train a new generation of lawyers to be creative problem-solvers and dispute system architects. Working closely with the client and the clinical supervisors, students assist in creating sustainable and equitable solutions to a range of problems.

Dept. of Government of awards dissertation prizes

The Department of Government at Harvard University recently awarded four dissertation prizes.

The Edward M. Chase Prize for the best dissertation on a subject relating to the promotion of world peace was awarded to Andrew Kennedy for his dissertation “Dreams Undeferred: Mao, Nehru, and the Strategic Choices of Rising Powers.”

The Senator Charles Sumner Prize for the best dissertation “from the legal, political, historical, economic, social, or ethnic approach, dealing with any means or measures tending toward the prevention of war and the establishment of universal peace” was awarded toKaterina Linos for her dissertation “Diffusion of Social Policies Across OECD Countries” and Aziz Rana for his dissertation “Settler Empire and the Promise of American Freedom.”

The Robert Noxon Toppan prize for the best dissertation on a subject of political science was awarded to Daniel Hopkins for his dissertation “When Differences Divide: How National Influences and Local Demographics Shape Politics Between Ethnic Groups.”

HMNH wins ‘Best Museum’ award

As part of Nickelodeon’s ParentsConnect first annual Parents’ Pick Awards, Harvard garnered top billing in the categories of best museum and best playground in the Boston area. The awards are selected online by parents to identify the best family-oriented places and resources in cities across the country.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History won “Best Museum for Big Kids.” With displays of dinosaurs, meteorites, and hundreds of animals from around the world, the museum was a favorite among parents.

“Best Playground for Big Kids” went to the Tanner Rock Fountain at the Harvard Science Center. The fountain, located near the entrance of the building, was a gift of Robert and Grace Tanner in 1985.

Melanie A. Samuel named Damon Runyon Fellow

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named Melanie A. Samuel of Harvard University a Damon Runyon Fellow. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators across the country.

Samuel is currently a postdoctoral fellow in molecular and cellular biology at Harvard. Her research, with sponsor, Joshua R. Sanes, professor of molecular and cellular biology, investigates age-related changes that occur in the nervous system and the molecules that cause these alterations. These studies may identify factors that promote healthy aging and also enhance cancer resistance.

The fellowship is specifically intended to encourage young investigators to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with independent funding to work on innovative projects. The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has committed more than $200 million to support the careers of cancer researchers across the United States since the program’s inception.