APS names JHU's Bloomberg Center a historic site

Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy has been chosen by the American Physical Society as one of five sites across the country at which special plaques commemorating important moments in physics will be installed.

Johns Hopkins was chosen because of the contributions made by physicist Henry A. Rowland, for whom the university's Department of Physics is named. Rowland was Johns Hopkins' first physics professor and is considered the finest physicist of his day. Rowland is best remembered for the invention and ruling of concave spectral grating.

Other plaques will be installed at Case Western Reserve University; in Philadelphia, to mark Benjamin Franklin's contributions to physics and science; at Washington University in St. Louis; and at Yale University.

"It is a great honor for our department to have been chosen by the American Physical Society as one of its first five historic sites in physics. The designation recognizes the important early work done by Henry Rowland, founding member of our department and first president of the American Physical Society," said Jonathan Bagger, chair of the Henry A. Rowland Department of Physics and Astronomy.

 

Nursing waives master's, post-master's application fees

In honor of Nurses Week, May 6-12, the JHU School of Nursing announced that it would waive for two weeks the $75 application fees for the master's and post-master's programs and options, including Primary and Acute/Critical Care Nurse Practitioner, M.S.N./M.B.A., M.S.N./M.P.H., Public Health Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialist including Forensic Nursing, Health Systems Management, the Hopkins Business of Nursing certificate and the new Emergency Preparedness/Disaster Response focus.

Martha N. Hill, dean of the school, noted that "this is just one of the many ways in which the school can honor baccalaureate graduates and thank them for the commitment nurses make to better health care through research, scholarship, education and practice." Hill added, "Graduate education is the avenue through which we not only grow our profession but also address the continuing and expanding shortage of those who will educate our future nurses."

The offer is extended to all baccalaureate-prepared nurses and is effective from May 16 through May 30. Applications, available at www.son.jhmi.edu/admissions/download/download.asp must be postmarked no later than May 30.

 

Family area of Heart Institute to recognize Virginia Weiss

Noted philanthropist and Johns Hopkins supporter Virginia Weiss has donated $2 million to the Johns Hopkins Heart Institute. In recognition of the gift, the family waiting area of the institute, to be located within the planned new Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower, will be named in her honor.

Last year, Weiss and her now deceased husband endowed the Abraham and Virginia Weiss Professorship in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins as a demonstration of their desire to improve health care and in appreciation of the care they have received from JHM. In making the gift, they expressed hope that it will support continued investigation of heart function with the ultimate goal of discovering new ways to diagnose and treat heart disease.

While the earlier gift to Hopkins was designed to advance science and patient care, Virginia Weiss' latest donation aims to help the families of patients.

"Anyone who has had to endure the emotionally trying period of waiting while a loved one undergoes serious surgery or a complex procedure knows how difficult the wait can be," Weiss said. "I want to ensure that family members experiencing this ordeal can do so in a comfortable and pleasant sanctuary."

 

Johns Hopkins entities named by AARP as featured employers

The American Association of Retired Persons has named Johns Hopkins Medicine as a featured employer that supports hiring workers older than 50. In this new program, AARP has identified organizations that "appreciate the talent mature workers bring to the job." The designated employers, which have jobs to fill, enter into an agreement that promises they'll give fair consideration to these candidates, although they do not guarantee hiring them.

The pilot stage comprises the Johns Hopkins Health System/Johns Hopkins Hospital and Bayview Medical Center; other Johns Hopkins entities will be invited to participate after the initial stage.

AARP provides a Web page for each of its partners, explaining its hiring needs and some of its benefits. For details, go to www.aarp.org.

 

Voice of America show features SoM experts on global issues

Voice of America last week introduced its first Johns Hopkins segment in a radio program called Talk to America, an hourlong talk show that focuses mostly on foreign affairs. The new monthly series featuring JHU medical researchers is the station's first effort to examine issues in international health.

Trish Perl, an infectious diseases expert, addressed Avian flu and fielded calls from listeners around the world.

Scheduled for future shows are Richard Chaisson on tuberculosis, June 6; David Sullivan on malaria, July 20; Jonathan Zenilman on sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, Aug. 5; Thomas Quinn on HIV in the developing world, Sept. 8; Trish Perl on the flu season and pandemic, Sept. 8; and, in November (date TBA), Karen Carroll on MRSA.

The program airs live from noon to 1 p.m. Audiences listen and can call in from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

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