June People Notes

Astier Almedom, the Henry R. Luce Professor in Science and Humanitarianism, took part in the Fourth Open Debate of the Geneva-based Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International on April 27 in Geneva. The debate centered on whether victims of disasters deserve better press coverage. Almedom has been invited to serve as an independent member of the partnership.

John J. Bello, A68, an athletics overseer at Tufts, and football commentator and former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason will receive the annual Joe DiMaggio Awards June 13 at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City. The annual awards gala benefits Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., an institution that DiMaggio, the legendary baseball player, generously supported. Bello is the chairman and CEO of Soup Kitchen International, the company that markets the soups of Al Yeganeh, who inspired the “Soup Episode” on “Seinfeld.” Bello is also president of JoNa Ventures, a venture fund he operates with his wife, Nancy Bello, J69. He is the founder and former CEO of South Beach Beverage Co., the maker of nutritionally enhanced teas and juices marketed under the brand name SoBe. PepsiCo purchased the company in 2001 for $370 million. That same year, Bello was named Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Bello also spent 10 years as president of NFL properties, where he and Esiason partnered on many charitable endeavors. The Joe DiMaggio Award was established in 1999 in memory of the New York Yankee slugger and recognizes his lifelong commitment to the health, education and well-being of America’s youth. Previous recipients of the award include Henry Kissinger, Luciano Pavarotti, Rudolph Giuliani, Regis Philbin, Paul Simon and “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini. John and Nancy Bello have been generous supporters of Tufts, providing a $1 million naming gift in 2004 to complete construction of an artificial turf field for athletics.

Tara Bradman has joined Tufts as a staff assistant to the Arts & Sciences Advancement team. Bradman will be receiving her M.S. in educational administration from the State University of New York at Brockport this summer. She received her undergraduate degree in business administration from Merrimack College.

Kathleen Brodil, a dental hygienist with the Tufts Community Dental Program, was honored as a local hero by the South Shore Community Action Council March 22 at the Radisson Hotel in Plymouth, Mass. Brodil is one of seven registered dental hygienists who work with the Tufts Community Dental Program, which offers preventive dental services throughout Massachusetts. The program, Oral Health Across the Commonwealth, uses portable dental equipment to provide dental prophylaxis, fluoride treatments and education to community programs and schools. Brodil provides services for the South Shore Community Action Council’s Head Start program.

Dr. Chung-Jung Chiu, a scientist in the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) and an assistant professor of medicine at Tufts, has been awarded the Hamish N. Munro Postdoctoral Award for his work on the relationship between carbohydrate intake and metabolism and risk for age-related cataract and age-related retina disease. The Munro Postdoctoral Award, which consists of a plaque and $1,000, is given annually for outstanding scientific research conducted by a postdoctoral fellow, research associate or visiting scientist within five years of receiving his or her Ph.D. under the mentorship of an HNRCA scientist.

Dr. Sang Woon Choi, a scientist in the HNRCA Vitamin and Carcinogenesis Laboratory and an assistant professor at the Friedman School, and Dr. Simonetta Friso, a former postdoctoral fellow at the HNRCA and now a faculty member at Verona Medical School in Italy, received the HNRCA Director’s Scientific Recognition Award for their paper, “A Common Mutation in the 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Affects Genomic DNA Methylation through an Interaction with Folate Status,” which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in 2002. The award is presented to an HNRCA scientist who is a primary author of the most-cited research paper published in 2002 that reports on mission-related work. As of April 2006, the article had been cited in the literature 139 times.

Dr. Joseph C. Corkery, assistant clinical professor of medicine, has been appointed chief medical officer of Lahey Clinic, an affiliate of Tufts School of Medicine. He will oversee the ongoing development of Lahey’s quality and safety programs and lead the hospital’s efforts to advance evidence-based medicine and improve patient outcomes. He joined Lahey in 1983 as a staff physician and has been a member of its Board of Trustees since 1993.

Tara D’Eon, a postdoctoral research fellow in diabetes and metabolism who holds a Ph.D. from the Friedman School, and Dr. Xiang Gao, who earned a Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology from the Friedman School and is a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, are the recipients of the Irwin H. Rosenberg Pre-doctoral Research Award, given annually to outstanding graduating doctoral students at the Friedman School. The award consists of a plaque and $500. D’Eon was recognized for her work on estrogen regulation of adiposity and metabolism, and Gao for his work using quadratic programming to determine whether the USDA food pyramid is associated with adequate nutrient intakes.

Lucy Der Manuelian, the Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Professor of Armenian Art and Architectural History, published her paper, “Ani: The Fabled Capital of Armenia,” in Ani: World Architectural Heritage of a Medieval Armenian Capital, edited by S. Peter Cowe. “The Role of the University Chairs: The Field of Medieval Armenian Art and Architecture: Reflections on its Past, Present and Future,” a paper she presented at the international conference “Looking Toward the 21st Century,” sponsored by Harvard and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, was published in Rethinking Armenian Studies, Past, Present and Future. Her television film on medieval Armenian history, art and architecture, “Lost Treasures of Christianity: The Ancient Monuments of Armenia,” continues to be broadcast on some of the 58 PBS stations in major U.S. cities that premiered it. The Graduate Student Council presented Der Manuelian its 2006 award for Outstanding Faculty Contribution to Graduate Studies on April 28, citing “the strong positive impact she has had on the professional and personal lives of many students” and thanking her for “her dedication and determination to make the graduate student experience at Tufts as positive and intellectually rich as possible.” She presented a lecture at the University of California at Berkeley on “Diamonds, Dragons and Crosses,” which was co-sponsored by the Armenian Rugs Society. She was also the speaker at the Armenian Odyssey program sponsored by Megerian Rugs during an international show on oriental rugs in Atlanta. Her lecture on “Weavers, Merchants and Kings: The Inscribed Rugs of Armenia” presented the results of her research for the exhibition organized by the Kimbell Art Museum that traveled to four museums in the United States. In February, she lectured to Brandeis University graduates on “Armenia: Mountains, Monuments, Manuscripts and Miracles” at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Mass. Der Manuelian presented a lecture to Northeastern University students in March on “Lost Treasure: Armenian Art and Architecture.”

Molly J. Dickens, a doctoral candidate in biology, has received a Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research for her project, “Does Stress Compromise Translocation and Reintroduction Efforts?” Her advisor is Michael Romero, associate professor of biology.

Ross Feldberg, associate professor of biology, presented a poster, “A Web-based Tutorial in Bioinformatics for Undergraduates,” on April 4 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in San Francisco. The poster describes a set of exercises designed to introduce undergraduates to Internet resources in bioinformatics.

Amanda Fencl, a junior international relations major, and Aditya Nochur, a junior biology major, have been selected as 2006 Udall Scholars by the Morris K. Udall Foundation in recognition of their commitment to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy. Eighty students from 59 colleges and universities were selected for the scholarships, which provide up to $5,000 for one year.

Anne Gardulski, associate professor of geology, is this year’s recipient of the Lillian and Joseph Leibner Award for distinguished teaching and advising. The award was established by the late Max Tishler, professor of chemistry at Wesleyan University and a trustee of Tufts. Gardulski received the award at the May 17 meeting of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Engineering.

Yannis Ioannides, professor of economics, gave a presentation on “Random Graphs and Social Networks” at an MIT seminar on networks and dynamics on April 20.

Bridget Kearney, A07, a jazz composer and double bassist who is enrolled in the New England Conservatory-Tufts joint degree program, has won a grand prize in the 2005 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Her entry, an exploration of ambivalent feelings about a potential lover, “Sometimes When I’m Drunk and You’re Wearing My Favorite Shirt,” won for the best jazz song. She is one of 12 winners in as many categories, and along with a $5,000 advance from EMI Music Publishing, she will receive a 1,000-copy CD recording of her music. In earlier rounds, she won project studio equipment worth $5,000 and a $500 gift certificate. She will now compete against the other 12 prize winners for the Maxell Song of the Year Award and a $20,000 prize.

Richard M. Lerner, the Bergstrom Chair in Applied Developmental Science, had his book, Liberty: Thriving and Civic Engagement among America’s Youth, chosen by the Templeton Foundation as a 2006 Book of Distinction.

Dr. John A. Libertino, clinical professor of urology and chair of urology at the Lahey Clinic, has received the Milton O., M30, and Natalie V. Zucker Clinical Teaching Prize for Outstanding Accomplishment in clinical teaching at the School of Medicine. In a congratulatory letter, Natalie Zucker wrote, “You have been repeatedly commended by students, residents, fellows and faculty for inspirational clinical teaching, advising and mentoring. You have set the standard for clinical teaching, and your standard is high indeed.” Said Libertino, “Our students are our future. It is my honor and distinct pleasure to work with such a brilliant group. I know their patients will benefit from their curiosity, determination and dedication to good medicine.” A graduate of New York University and Georgetown University School of Medicine, Libertino has been on the staff at Lahey Clinic since 1970, serving as its chief executive officer from 1994 to 1999. Libertino is vice chairman of Lahey’s board of trustees.

George Marcopoulos, professor of history, and Ronald Goldner, professor of electrical and computer engineering, are the 2005-06 recipients of the Seymour Simches Award. Named for a longtime professor of Romance languages at Tufts, the Simches Award acknowledges a lifetime of outstanding teaching and advising. They received the awards at the May 17 meeting of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences and Engineering.

Gilbert Metcalf, professor of economics, presented his paper, “Energy Conservation in the United States: Understanding Its Role in Climate Policy,” at MIT’s Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Environmental Economics and Policy Seminar and Yale School of Management’s Environmental Economics Seminar in April.

Joseph Neubauer, E63, vice chair of the Tufts Board of Trustees, was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree by the University of Delaware on April 23. Neubauer is chair and chief executive officer of ARAMARK, the world’s leading provider of managed food and food service, uniform and career apparel and child care and early education programs. In presenting the honorary degree, Howard Cosgrove, chair of Delaware’s Board of Trustees, called Neubauer “a man of vision, a man of hope” whose parents fled Nazi Germany in 1938, moving to Israel, where he was born. Neubauer came to America at age 14 and learned English by going to John Wayne movies. He worked his way through Tufts by waiting tables, eventually becoming head of food services for his fraternity.

Saul Tzipori, professor of biomedical sciences at the Cummings School, and David Walt, the Robinson Professor of Chemistry, have been awarded a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop methods for rapid detection of water-borne pathogens in large volumes of source and drinking water. Once the work is completed, they anticipate that they will be able to detect small numbers of water-borne pathogens in large volumes of water in less than four hours.

Paul Waldau, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy and assistant professor of environmental and population health at the Cummings School, hosted elephant experts from all over the world at the “Symposium on Captive Elephants: Science and Well-Being” April 18-19. The papers presented at the symposium will now be revised and published in book form available online at www.tufts.edu/vet/cfa. Waldau gave a talk on “Animal Law Today” on May 11 at the Harvard Law School Association of Massachusetts.

Dr. Xiang-Dong Wang, N92, professor at the Friedman School and director of the HNRCA’s Nutrition and Cancer Biology Laboratory, has received a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study the chemopreventive effect of lycopene against carcinogenesis and insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling. Wang has been invited to speak on “Smoking, Alcohol and Vitamin A” at the American Institute for Cancer Research international conference on “Food, Nutrition and Cancer,” which will take place July 13-14 in Washington, D.C. He has also been invited to speak on “Carotenoid Oxidative Metabolites: Implications for Cancer Prevention” at the International Society for Free Radical Research 13th biennial congress, which will be held August 15-19 in Davos, Switzerland. Wang will give an invited talk on “Alcohol, Retinoids and Hepatocellular Cancer” at the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism’s 2006 World Congress September 10-13 in Sydney, Australia.

Don Weingust, assistant professor of drama, received a summer grant from the Critical Thinking Program to revise the course “Drama 1: Comedy and Tragedy,” which focuses on processes by which a piece of dramatic literature makes the journey toward theatrical production. The grant program, in its eighth year at Tufts, supports the development of innovative courses designed to promote undergraduates’ reasoning and analytic abilities.

Donald Wertlieb, professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, delivered a keynote presentation at Kuwait University’s International Conference on Progress in Special Education March 20-23. His topic was “Developmental Stress & Coping Perspectives on Children with Learning Disabilities: Frameworks for Assessment and Intervention.” Wertlieb and two other U.S. scholars joined 100 participants from throughout the Middle East to exchange views on addressing the needs of children with special needs, emphasizing contemporary research and effective practices in diverse cultures and systems.

Trevor Williams, the senior tri-captain of the men’s track and field team, has been selected as one of 58 students in the nation to receive a $7,500 NCAA postgraduate scholarship. A biopsychology major, Williams has better than a 3.8 grade point average. “He is truly one of the most intelligent students I have instructed in over 25 years of teaching at Tufts,” said Harry Bernheim, associate professor and chair of biology. Athletically, Williams was an All-American with the Tufts distance medley relay foursome at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2005. He also ran the 400-meter leg on the school record-setting distance medley relay time of 10:01.33 at Boston University in 2005. Williams was Tufts’ 2006 recipient of the Teri and Barry Volpert Scholarship, awarded to the senior who demonstrates high academic achievement and a genuine commitment to community service. He is also a Coca-Cola Scholarship recipient. Accepted to every medical school to which he applied, Williams said he has a desire to “improve the quality of life for others via eliminating the pervasive health disparities that derive from poverty and intense political discrimination. My passion within medicine relates to the utilization of public health as a vector for influence in the global community.”

Timothy A. Wise, deputy director of Tufts’ Global Development and Environment Institute, presented his research on “The Promise and Perils of Agricultural Trade Liberalization” and on “Revaluing Peasant Coffee Production: Organic and Fair Trade Markets in Mexico” at the Latin American Studies Association meetings in Puerto Rico March 15-18.

Maryanne Wolf, a professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development and director of the university’s Center for Reading and Language Research, was the keynote speaker at meetings of the Learning Disabilities Association of America in Florida, the International Dyslexia Association in Seattle, the Learning and the Brain conference in Cambridge and at both the Gow School and the LaGrange School in New York. Wolf gave a lecture on the importance of developing strong reading fluency skills and the implications for the reading brain at the Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Mass., on March 11. She was named a Hall Fellow by Concord Academy and delivered the Hall Lecture on “Tales from the Neurosciences.” Her work on the evolution of the reading brain and dyslexia is the subject of an upcoming book, How the Brain Learned to Read, to be published by Harper-Collins. Wolf’s most recent research on reading intervention in dyslexia involves work with bilingual children in Phoenix, Ariz., and is supported by the Institute for Education Sciences and the Piper Trust Fund Foundation.

Chloe Young-Hyman, a junior majoring in child development, finished 17th in the 100-yard breaststroke at the NCAA Division III Swimming Championships at Carleton College in Minnesota in March. Competing in three events, she placed among the national top 40 in all of them. In the 100 breaststroke, she swam a time of 1 minute, 7.52 seconds in the preliminaries that narrowly missed qualifying as one of the top 16 swimmers to compete in the final. She placed 23rd overall in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.84 seconds and 39th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.03 seconds. Young-Hyman is the only Tufts woman swimmer named to the All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) squad for 2006.