For the Record
Dawdy gets a genius grant
Anthropologist Shannon Lee Dawdy, who studies New Orleans and the Caribbean, has been named a 2010 MacArthur Fellow, an honor she compared to “receiving a phone call from the Greek gods.” An assistant professor of anthropology and the social sciences in the College, Dawdy is one of 23 recipients of the $500,000, five-year “genius grants” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Bulletin: Back on campus
After three years at a downtown office, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its headquarters to the Harris School of Public Policy Studies this fall. Housed on campus for more than 60 years after its 1945 founding, the Bulletin is known for its Doomsday Clock, which indicates how close humanity stands to destruction from nuclear weapons, climate change, or bioengineered pathogens. The clock is currently set at six minutes to midnight.
Distinguishing characteristics
Chicago Booth honored its 2010 distinguished alumni at a ceremony in October. Delaware Governor Jack Markell, MBA’85, received the Public Service Award; UAL Corporation Executive Vice President and CFO Kathryn Mikells, MBA’94, was the Young Alumni honoree; Urban Outfitters CEO Glen Senk, MBA’80, was the Corporate Award winner; and Accretive Health CEO Mary Tolan, MBA’92, won the Entrepreneurial Award.
Crossing over
The $6 million Midway Crossings Project, a partnership with the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Department of Transportation to improve pedestrian access between south and north campus, is scheduled to be completed in the spring. Plans include widening the sidewalks at S. Ellis and S. Woodlawn Avenues, increasing lighting, and adding emergency call stations and security cameras.
Return on investment
The University endowment rose 18.9 percent in fiscal year 2010 to $5.54 billion. In response to a 21.5 percent loss the previous year, the University added liquidity and took on less risk, investment chief Mark A. Schmid said, achieving a return higher than Harvard (11 percent) and Yale (8.9 percent).
Siegler singled out
Mark Siegler, MD’67, received the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities lifetime achievement award at an October 23 ceremony. The University’s Lindy Bergman distinguished service professor of medicine and surgery, Siegler pioneered the field of clinical medical ethics. In 1984 he became the founding director of the University’s MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, now the largest program of its kind, with 30 faculty members and five endowed chairs.
Chandra’s centennial
In October a three-day campus symposium celebrated the centennial of Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar’s birth. The physicist came to the University in 1937 and remained for the rest of his career. He died in 1995. Chandrasekhar’s calculation of the limit to the mass of a star that can become a white dwarf, made during a sea voyage from India to England, is considered one of the most important achievements of the 20th century.
Trust funding
A $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy will help transfer University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory research to the new nonprofit Clean Energy Trust. Seven business and civic leaders, including University Trustee Michael Polsky, MBA’87, established the trust to connect scientists and entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to market. The grant will initiate four university-based programs that focus on renewable energy, smart-grid initiatives, and transportation.
University documents policy
Kimberly Goff-Crews, vice president for campus life and the University’s dean of students, said in a letter to the campus community that a prospective student’s citizenship status does not affect chances for admission or financial aid. “All students who apply, regardless of citizenship, are considered for admission and for every type of private financial aid that the University offers,” she wrote in response to questions raised by the University of Chicago Coalition for Immigrant Rights. In a separate letter to the student group, Goff-Crews wrote that Tamara Felden, director of the Office of International Affairs, would be a liaison for undocumented students.
Campus transit tracker
No more wondering when the next bus will arrive. A new GPS tracking system designed by the company TransLoc, available at uchicago.transloc.com and through smart-phone and iPad apps, provides real-time location information for campus and nearby Chicago Transit Authority buses. A color-coded interactive map lets users see current locations of specific buses to minimize wait times.
It’s in the stars for Turner
The American Physical Society has elected Michael S. Turner, the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner distinguished service professor in astronomy and astrophysics, as vice president, effective January 1. The election puts Turner in the line of succession to become the society’s first astrophysicist president—a role he will assume in 2013.
Montalban is a logical choice
Antonio Montalban, assistant professor in mathematics, received a 2010 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Montalban will use the five-year, $875,000 grant to support his research into mathematical logic and computability theory.
Huang heads to HHS
Elbert Huang, associate professor of medicine, has taken a partial leave of absence to serve as the Health and Human Services assistant secretary for planning and evaluation. Huang brings expertise in health economics and clinical and health-care policy to the agency as it implements the Affordable Care Act.
Missing Man found in translation
For their work to bring a Hindi novel to an American audience, Ulricke Stark, professor of South Asian languages and civilizations, and senior lecturer Jason Grunebaum have received a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts literature-translation fellowship. Stark and Grunebaum are translating Manzoor Ahtesham’s 1995 novel The Tale of the Missing Man. Stark considers the book, which explores the role of Muslim men in India, a Hindi postmodernist breakthrough.
Usiskin adds an honor
Zalman Usiskin, professor emeritus in education and director of the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP), has received the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics 2010 Distinguished Life Achievement Award. At Chicago since 1969 and director of the UCSMP since 1987, Usiskin has contributed to more than 150 books and articles about math curriculum, instruction, testing, and policy.
Chemical reaction
It’s been a good year for two UChicago chemists. Stephen Kent, professor in chemistry and in biochemistry and molecular biology, earned the American Chemical Society’s 2011 Alfred Bader Award. Kent is also the recipient of the Akabori Memorial Award from the Japanese Peptide Society and the Josef Rudinger Memorial Award from the European Peptide Society. Chuan He, professor in chemistry, received the 2010 Early Career Award from the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry.
Volunteer Caucus draws a crowd
More than 200 alumni gathered in Chicago for the Volunteer Caucus in October. Speakers included Board of Trustees Chair Andrew M. Alper, AB’80, MBA’81, and Vice President of Alumni Relations and Development Thomas J. Farrell. At the volunteer fair, University representatives provided information about how interested alumni could get involved with the University.
Co-op architect booked
Chicago-based Tigerman McCurry Architects will design the Seminary Co-op bookstore’s new location at McGiffert House, 5751 S. Woodlawn Avenue. The bookstore’s move from 5757 S. University Avenue is scheduled for early 2012. At McGiffert House the Co-op will occupy 8,900 square feet in the basement and on the first floor.
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