AAU to webcast its special April 17 centennial program

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Association of American Universities is webcasting a special centennial program as part of the April 2000 meeting of its presidents and chancellors.

This is the first time that a membership meeting will be videotaped or webcast.

Prize-winning economists, past and current university presidents and leaders from government and industry will look at the past and future role of universities in America's prosperity and quality of life will take part in the daylong program, which will take place on Monday, April 17. Among the scheduled presentations are the following:

9 a.m. Welcome and introductory comments by Myles Brand, AAU chairman and president of Indiana University.

9:15 a.m. "The Role of Research Universities in Innovation, Social Mobility and Quality of Life in the 20th Century," moderated by Malcolm Gillis, president of Rice.

11 a.m. Remarks by U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-N.Y.)

1:45 p.m. "The Future of the University, Industry and Government Research Partnership," moderated by Charles M. Vest, president of MIT.

3:30 p.m. "The Future of Research Universities," moderated by Hanna H. Gray, professor and president emerita of the University of Chicago, with Frank H.T. Rhodes, professor of geological sciences and president emeritus of Cornell; William G. Bowen, president of the Mellon Foundation and president emeritus of Princeton; I. Michael Heyman, professor of law and chancellor emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley.

The webcast will remain available through 2000.

Blood donors can go online to schedule appointments

It's just gotten easier than ever to give blood at Homewood. Beginning with the next American Red Cross Blood Drive--scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tues., April 25, and Wed., April 26, in the Glass Pavilion--donors can make appointments online. The Web address is www.jhu.edu/~outreach/blooddrive.

Those without access to the Web can call 410-516-0138.

Appointments are recommended for a shorter wait time; walk-in donors, however, are always welcome.

SAIS to host dialogue between U.S. and Iranian students

The Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is hosting this month a ground-breaking conference in conjunction with Columbia University. "Youth Dialogue" is a weeklong exchange, taking place April 15 to 20, between SAIS and Columbia students and several Iranian youth, including a filmmaker, a poet and a college student.

The conference aims to uncover stereotypes that the participants hold of each culture, as well as points in common and points of difference. Through workshop discussions, the participants will reflect on their experiences in their own countries based on three themes: political participation, individual freedoms and gender relations, and the culture of free expression.

During the week, the Iranian youth also will attend classes with students at SAIS and visit the cultural sites of Washington.

Peabody Chamber Opera will perform 'With Blood, With Ink'

Prior to its debut by the New York City Opera, Daniel Crozier's 'With Blood, With Ink,' libretto by Peter Krask, will be performed this weekend at the Theatre Project by the Peabody Chamber Opera, Roger Brunyate, director.

Written by Peabody alumni, 'With Blood, With Ink' premiered at Peabody in 1993 and won the 1994 Chamber Opera Competition of the National Opera Association. It will be performed in May by the New York City Opera as part of its Showcasing American Opera series.

The plot is based on the life of the 17th-century Mexican poet Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, whose cell became the literary salon of the Spanish Americas. The Church authorities eventually forced Juana to sign an oath in her own blood, renouncing her writing. The 10 short scenes of the opera relate to different sections of the requiem mass, both in their verbal imagery and in the music, which, though contemporary in feel, is derived from Gregorian chant.

For times and ticket prices, see April 10 Gazette calendar.

Home environmental health issues are subject of talk

Timothy J. Buckley, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health, will give a lecture, "Home Sweet Home or Toxic Waste Dump?" at noon on Wednesday, April 12, in Shriver Hall at Homewood.

For most families, the home--where they eat, sleep and spend most of their time--is the single most important site of environmental health. There, pollutants and contaminants can concentrate in all the environmental media to which they are exposed: air, food, drinking water and surface dust. This accumulation of pollutants is due in large measure to the family's personal activities and the products they buy.

Buckley's talk will look at the realities of home environmental health issues and the combined efforts of a team of researchers who analyzed the indoor concentration of toxic fumes, which are a chemical group known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PAH compounds can affect people with respiratory diseases and have been linked to lung cancer.

This lecture is part of the Wednesday Noon Series presented by the Office of Special Events. Admission is free.

Homewood holds open houses for accepted students

Over the next two weeks, more than 500 accepted students and their families are expected on the Homewood campus for five days of open houses planned by the Admissions Office to give them a better look at the university.

During their visits, scheduled for April 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18, the students will be able to tour campus; visit classes; attend forums on student life, academics, financial aid and housing; and visit campus housing. Advising sessions and student activities expos are also scheduled.