NEAR spacecraft renamed for planetary science pioneer

The NASA satellite conducting the first close-up study of an asteroid has been renamed to honor Eugene M. Shoemaker, the legendary geologist who influenced decades of research on the role of asteroids and comets in shaping the planets. The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft, currently orbiting asteroid 433 Eros more than 145 million miles from Earth, will now be known as NEAR Shoemaker.

The Applied Physics Laboratory designed and built the NEAR spacecraft and manages the mission for NASA.

The renaming was announced March 14 during the 31st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. "It is a fitting tribute that we place his name on the spacecraft whose mission will expand on all he taught us about asteroids, comets and the origins of our solar system," said Carl B. Pilcher, NASA science director for solar system exploration.

Shoemaker died in a 1997 car accident, while on an annual study of asteroid impact craters in the Australian outback. With his wife and research partner, Carolyn, Shoemaker was part of the leading comet discovery team of the past century, perhaps most famous for finding the comet (Shoemaker-Levy 9) that broke up and collided with Jupiter in 1994.

Shoemaker was a key member of the 1985 working group that first studied the NEAR mission, defining its science objectives and designing a conceptual payload.

Five finalists in the running for position of Young Trustee

Homewood undergraduates ran a primary election March 13 and 14 to nominate five candidates from a field of 10 for the position of Young Trustee of The Johns Hopkins University, a four-year post.

Chosen were Zachary Pack, Andrew Pergam, Latonya Russell, Ian Schulker and George Soterakis.

The candidates will meet on May 7 with the Trustees Nominations/By-Laws Committee, which will then present its choice to the board of trustees.

SAIS students head to Israel to examine battles of 1947 and 1948

On March 20-24, the School of Advanced International Studies will sponsor a 30-student trip to Israel to examine the battles for Jerusalem in 1947 and 1948.

In the framework of the school's annual "staff ride," students will portray the key figures in the battle, study the strategic choices made by Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders and examine the long-term consequences of the battles. Accompanying the students will be Dean Paul Wolfowitz; Douglas Feith, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense; and several SAIS faculty and alumni.

The Department of Strategic Studies, under the direction of Eliot Cohen, sponsors a trip of this nature annually; however, this is the first time the department will travel internationally to pursue this sort of study.

The trip encourages students to ask not only what happened and why but tougher strategic questions like, Did this leader make the right decision?

Among the battle sites to be visited are the convoy route from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Qastel, Dir Yasin, Latrun, the Cannon ridge, the Burma Road and the Old City. Lectures will be given by various leaders and academics, including Faisal el-Husseini, Palestinian minister of Jerusalem affairs, and Brig. Gen. Elezar Shtern, Israel Defense Forces chief education officer.

Cardiology Division adds two practices in Baltimore County

The Division of Cardiology is adding two new practices in Baltimore County. Johns Hopkins Cardiology debuted in the Maryland Athletic Club's newly renovated Timonium facility. Heading the practice are Roger S. Blumenthal, director of the Ciccarone Center for Preventive Cardiology, and Donald H. Dembo, former acting chief of cardiology at Sinai. Cardiologists Ernest N. Arnett, formerly assistant chief of service for Hopkins Hospital, and Reed D. Riley, formerly of Sinai, are leading a second practice at Johns Hopkins White Marsh, a budding facility still under construction but offering stress tests, echocardiograms and walk-in EKGs.

Law prof to speak on copyright of online courses, materials

Are newly created online courses "owned" by the faculty member/creator? Or are they the property of the academic institution employing the faculty member? Can these online courses legally be considered works for hire?

Daniel Burk, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law, will discuss these and other legal issues surrounding copyright ownership at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, in the MSE Library's Garrett Room. His talk is titled "Who Owns Online Courses and Course Materials? Intellectual Property Policies for a New Learning Environment."

A national expert and consultant on intellectual property in the university, Burk has written extensively on the legal and societal impact of new technologies, including articles on the intellectual property implications of global computer networks. He also has served as a legal adviser to a variety of private, governmental and intergovernmental organizations, including the U.S. State Department Working Group on Intellectual Property, Interoperability and Standards.

A reception will follow Burk's talk. The event is free and open to the public. For reservations, call 410-516-8328.