'Popular Science' names two from JHU to its 'Brilliant 10' list

Popular Science annually scours the country looking for 10 young researchers, virtually unknown to the public, who it believes are "the true celebrities of our time."

"Their contributions enhance our lives and stretch our imaginations," the magazine's editors wrote in the introduction to its fourth "Brilliant 10" feature, which appears in the October issue, on newsstands now.

This year, Johns Hopkins has the distinct honor of being the only institution that's home to two honorees: Hope Jahren, an associate professor in the Krieger School's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Nathan Wolfe, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology.

Kudos go to Jahren because "she extracts secrets from ancient trees to shed light on global warming" and to Wolfe because "he combs tropical Africa to find the newest diseases, before they find us."

 

Public Health Dean Klag assists in Katrina recovery efforts

Michael J. Klag, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health, traveled to Houston last week to assist the American Red Cross in its efforts to provide aid to thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

"Unless you are here, it is difficult to imagine the magnitude of the disaster and the consequent human suffering," said Klag, who was to conduct public health assessments in several emergency shelters. "The city of Houston and the American Red Cross have met the challenge in an incredibly admirable and generous way."

Klag is also serving as a liaison between Red Cross leadership and local, state and federal agencies providing assistance. He is coordinating medical services for shelter clients and working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to establish a health surveillance system for the shelter clients.

While in Houston, Klag is being assisted by Alex Vu, an instructor in the School of Medicine's Department of Emergency Medicine, and Sarah Tuneberg, a displaced MPH student from Tulane University.

 

Exhibition marks anniversary of 'Don Quixote de la Mancha'

The Peabody Library's rich collection of Don Quixote translations is showcased in "Celebrating 400 Years of Don Quixote de la Mancha," an exhibition that opened last week and runs to Jan. 15. Tracing the publication history of a work that has been translated more frequently than any other work except the Bible, the exhibition features early Spanish editions and includes English, French, German and Dutch translations. Editions beautifully illustrated with 17th-century woodcuts and copperplate engravings and 19th-century hand-colored lithographs are among the items displayed.

Early editions in Spanish illustrate the popularity of Miguel Cervantes' masterpiece, from pirated pocket editions to extensive critical editions complete with scholarly notes and engravings. The works of authors who were inspired by the tales of Don Quixote, ranging from Aphra Behn to Samuel Butler and Henry Fielding, are also included in the exhibition.

The Peabody Library ranks among the best American libraries in which to study the literature and history of Spain. Among its holdings are numerous atlases, maps and other Spanish texts from the period of Cervantes, which offer researchers an extraordinary opportunity to study the intellectual, cultural and historical contexts of the Spanish Golden Age.

 

BP exec for strategy and policy development to speak at SAIS

Nick Butler, group vice president of strategy and policy development for the global energy business BP, will give the first speech of the W.P. Carey Global Leader Lecture Series at the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at noon on Monday, Sept. 19.

Butler will speak about "Energy and International Relations: The Changing Agenda."

Admittance to the lecture is by invitation only, but audio of Butler's lecture will be available on the SAIS Web site at www.sais-jhu.edu following the event.

The W.P. Carey Global Leader Lecture Series was established to bring the best examples of public and private sector leadership to SAIS, where these executives can share with SAIS students and faculty their perspectives on leadership and success in the international arena.

 

NPR managing editor to give IPS Press and Public Policy Seminar

Managing editor Bill Marimow, who oversees national and Washington news and investigative reporting for National Public Radio, will give a Press and Public Policy Seminar Series talk titled "NPR, Investigative Reporting and the Future of Newspapers" from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, in the Eisenhower Room of the Johns Hopkins Club, Homewood campus.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Marimow served as editor of The Baltimore Sun for four years, following six years as managing editor. During his years at The Sun, the paper received Pulitzer Prizes for feature writing, investigative reporting and beat reporting. Marimow earned Pulitzers in 1978 and 1985 as a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. In spring 2005, he was part of an NPR team that won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award for domestic radio reporting.

Press and Public Policy Seminars, sponsored by the Institute for Policy Studies, spotlight the common ground between those who study and those who report on domestic policy issues. To reserve a place for Marimow's talk, RSVP to [email protected].

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