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  • Campus & Community

    Defenders of a radical idea

    It was a radical idea at the time. The concept of Law School (HLS) students representing indigent clients in criminal cases may have shocked more than a few people in the Boston legal community in 1949, but more than a half century later, the Harvard Defenders carries on in its benevolent mission in district courts…

  • Health

    Potent cancer drugs made from sea squirts

    In May 2000, researchers at Harvard University announced that they had succeeded in synthesizing a complex anti-tumor drug that is more powerful than any other known drug. The drug, ecteinascidin, is so potent that a mere 11 pounds of it should be enough to satisfy the present world demand for an entire year, Elias J.…

  • Science & Tech

    Helping clear the air in China

    Across China’s industrial areas, black soot settles into people’s lungs and bronchial tubes, producing an annual epidemic of respiratory disease. That’s the result of heating homes, schools, and offices with coal. In the past, Chinese policy-makers paid only a small amount of attention to the pollution issue, believing that to force companies to clean up…

  • Science & Tech

    Professor’s survey method opens ‘windows of consciousness’

    Bringing together theories and tools from disciplines ranging from psychology to neuroscience, the Mind of the Market Laboratory at Harvard Business School attempts to define and qualify consumers’ and managers’ thoughts and feelings about an array of ideas, from “loyalty” to “privacy” to “chocolate.” The work is spearheaded by the lab’s co-director, Gerald Zaltman, whose…

  • Science & Tech

    Study finds that for young men, family comes first

    Breaking ranks with their fathers and grandfathers on the important issue of work-family integration, 71 percent of men 21-39 said in a survey that they would give up some of their pay for more time with their families. “What we’re seeing is a transformation between generations and gender,” said Paula Rayman, director of the Radcliffe…

  • Campus & Community

    Narayan Memorial Set for May 5 at Adams House

    A memorial service, “A Celebration of the Life of Navin Narayan,” will be held on Friday, May 5, in the Adams House Library at 2:30 p.m. Navin Narayan ’99 died March 13 at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, after a long struggle with cancer. He was 23. “He was one of the most remarkably…

  • Campus & Community

    Hypersensitive Skin Reveals Clues About Migraine Pains

    The painfully sensitive skin that accompanies many migraines has revealed a new understanding of the debilitating headaches. The latest findings from Boston researchers are the first that may explain why current medications are ineffective in many cases and suggest a new target for the next generation of migraine drugs. Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical…

  • Campus & Community

    Scoring the Future — Arts Medalist Harbison wants budding careers to bloom

    His life’s work is a montage of musical masterpieces, including three symphonies, three string quartets, two operas, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning cantata “The Flight into Egypt.” Yet, it’s not so much the creation of the music as the drive to preserve its audience into the future that drives composer John Harbison ’60, this year’s Harvard…

  • Campus & Community

    Arthur Mu-En Lee, Expert in Cardiovascular Disease, Dies

    Arthur Mu-En Lee, associate professor of molecular biology at the Harvard School of Public Health and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, died on April 10 following surgery at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. A native of Taiwan, Lee earned his M.D. from Kaohsiung Medical College and a Ph.D. from the…

  • Campus & Community

    Women’s Basketball Awards Given; 2000-01 Captains Named

    The women’s basketball team held its annual post-season banquet on Tuesday evening, April 25. In addition to team awards for 1999-00, head coach Kathy Delaney Smith announced that juniors Kristen Boike and Melissa Johnson have been elected captains of the 2000-01 squad. Team MVP honors were won by senior captain Laela Sturdy. Sturdy enjoyed her…

  • Campus & Community

    Scans Predict Alzheimer’s Risk

    Older people frequently forget where they left their glasses or parked their car. Could such memory lapses be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease? Until now, no good way existed to discriminate normal failures of memory from the approach of the dreaded malady that robs elders of their personalities. That situation has begun to change. Using…

  • Campus & Community

    Thinnest Wires Probe Superconductivity

    Scientists at Harvard University have made wires too small to see without a powerful microscope. They are almost too small to imagine – thousands of times thinner than a human hair and millionths of an inch long. The immediate reason for doing this was to see if it could be done. The long-term result may…

  • Campus & Community

    Crew Cops Compton, O’Leary Cups — Men and women rowers leave Princeton, Dartmouth in their wake

    The Harvard men’s heavyweight crew, ranked fourth in the nation, solidified its standing with a victory over fifth-ranked Princeton and M.I.T. in the 65th rowing of the Compton Cup Saturday April, 22, on the Charles River. The Radcliffe women’s heavyweight crew was equally impressive, defeating Syracuse and Dartmouth for the O’Leary Cup while also edging…

  • Campus & Community

    Memorial Service for Wilfred Cantwell Smith Set

    A memorial service for Wilfred Cantwell Smith, professor of the comparative history of religion emeritus, will be held on Friday, May 5, at 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Smith came to Harvard in 1964 from the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. For nearly a decade, Smith served as director…

  • Campus & Community

    Police Log

    Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department for the week ending April 22. The official log is located at Police Headquarters, 29 Garden St. April 16: An individual was arrested for simple assault at Peabody Terrace. Two men were caught spraying fire extinguishers in Claverly Hall; both were identified…

  • Campus & Community

    Notes

    The Graduate Student Council of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will honor five faculty members with the Excellence in Mentoring Award at a reception on Thursday, May 4, at 6 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge in Dudley House. This year’s recipients are: Nalini Ambady, the Ruth and John Hazel Associate Professor of…

  • Campus & Community

    Newsmakers

    Herzlinger Named Bush Adviser Regina Herzlinger, the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, has been named an adviser to presidential candidate George W. Bush regarding health care issues. Howard Receives Allerton Medal Professor of Dendrology Emeritus and former director of the Arnold Arboretum Richard A. Howard has been named the…

  • Campus & Community

    Law Students Examine High Court on the High Desert

    While many of their peers were sipping margaritas on the beaches of Cancun or playing volleyball in Daytona, Fla., a half dozen Law School (HLS) students spent their spring break enmeshing themselves in the complexities of Indian law during a weeklong “clinical” at the Navajo Nation reservation in the Arizona high desert. Over the course…

  • Campus & Community

    Memo On Human Subjects Research

    The memorandum from Provost Harvey Fineberg reprinted below is intended to remind members of the Harvard community about matters related to the conduct of human subjects research. April 2000 To: Members of the Harvard Community From: Provost Harvey V. Fineberg Re: Human Subjects Research — A Reminder Many members of the University are involved in…

  • Campus & Community

    Sacred Flames — Vedic fire ceremony celebrates Hinduism

    His Grace Srila Turiya Das Acarya Mahasaya, a Hindu priest of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, presides over a Vedic fire ceremony held on the steps of Memorial Church. The event was co-sponsored by the Harvard Extension School and Dharma, a Hindu student group at Harvard. The fires of knowledge burned brightly on the steps of…

  • Campus & Community

    Health Care Issues Rise to Top in Presidential Run

    What if there were an election without a great pressing issue facing the electorate? That’s the dilemma in the 2000 presidential campaign. The United States isn’t at war, and the domestic economy is humming along. The technology sector is booming. Unemployment is low. The housing market is strong. The challenge for George W. Bush and…

  • Campus & Community

    Topping off her education in style

    After being fitted for her undergraduate cap and gown at the Harvard Coop, Kamil Redmond ’00 toys with the idea of pursuing an advanced degree while trying on the appropriate graduation cap. Staff photo by Kris Snibbe

  • Campus & Community

    Faculty Council Notice

    At its 14th meeting of the year, the Faculty Council discussed a proposed Statement on Outside Activities with three members of the Committee that drafted the document: Professor Dennis Thompson (Government), chair; Professor Paul Martin (Physics) and Professor Sidney Verba (Government). Also present were Robert Donin, deputy general counsel, and Dean Gallant, Faculty of Arts…

  • Campus & Community

    Small Chemical Spill Forces Evacuation at Science Center

    A minor chemical spill forced the limited evacuation of the Science Center basement on Wednesday morning. According to authorities with the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHS), a small amount of a solvent with an ether-like smell was apparently poured down a drain in a laboratory, creating a strong odor in the room. There was…

  • Campus & Community

    Kennedy School Student Leaders Push for End of Cuban Embargo

    Student leaders at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) passed a resolution this week calling for the immediate repeal of the U.S. economic embargo of Cuba. The vote capped a contentious debate resonating with historical overtones and occurring at the school named for former President John F. Kennedy, whose administration imposed the embargo on Cuba…

  • Campus & Community

    Harvard Reaches Out To Forge Links With Cuba

    At a time when U.S—Cuban relations are at best strained and at worst bordering on crisis, a group of Harvard scholars is working to strengthen educational and cultural ties between the two longtime adversaries. The group went on a five-day trip to the island nation last week. The trip was coordinated by the Washington Office…

  • Campus & Community

    Community Gifts Donations Surpass Last Year’s by $69K

    The generosity of Harvard employees has always been great. This year it has proved to be greater than ever. The 1999-00 Community Gifts through Harvard Campaign has raised $871,912, an increase of $69,286 over last year’s total. More than 700 charitable organizations benefited from the Campaign, with only 6 percent of the funds donated to…

  • Campus & Community

    Sharon Clayborne Memorial Is Changed to May 2

    The memorial service for Sharon P. Clayborne, director of financial aid at Harvard Medical School, who died on April 13, has been changed. The service will be held on Tuesday, May 2, at 4 p.m. in the Faculty Room, HMS Building A, 25 Shattuck St., Boston.

  • Campus & Community

    Irvin H. Blank, Leader in Dermatology, Dies

    Irvin H. Blank, a former research fellow at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and physician on the Dermatology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), died in his Belmont home on April 19, at the age of 98. In a research career spanning more than 75 years, Blank made major contributions to the understanding of the physical…