The Johns Hopkins Gazette: May 21, 2001
May 21, 2001
VOL. 30, NO. 35

  

Society of Scholars Inducts 15 New Members

Johns Hopkins Gazette Online Edition

To honor the significant accomplishments of men and women who spent part of their careers at Johns Hopkins, the Society of Scholars was created by the board of trustees in May 1967 on the recommendation of former president Milton S. Eisenhower.

The society--the first of its kind in the nation--inducts former postdoctoral fellows and junior or visiting faculty at Johns Hopkins who have gained marked distinction in their fields of physical, biological, medical, social or engineering sciences or in the humanities and for whom at least five years have elapsed since their last Hopkins affiliation.

The Committee of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, whose members are equally distributed among the academic divisions, elects the scholars from the candidates nominated by the academic divisions that have programs for postdoctoral fellows. There are currently 415 members in the Hopkins Society of Scholars.

The 15 scholars elected in 2001 will be invested at an induction ceremony hosted by Provost Steven Knapp at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, at Evergreen House. In addition, two scholars who were inducted in absentia in 2000 will participate in the ceremony. At that time, the scholars will be presented with a diploma and a medallion on a black and gold ribbon to be worn with their academic robe. The induction will be followed by a dinner hosted by President William R. Brody. The new Society of Scholars will be recognized at Commencement on May 24.

The following listing gives the names of the inductees, their current affiliation, their Hopkins affiliation, the name of their nominator and a short description of their field of interest.


Gordon Leslie Ada, visiting fellow, Division of Immunology and Cell Biology, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, 1988-91. Nominated by Noel R. Rose, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

One of the world's most distinguished virologists and immunologists, Gordon Ada did landmark research on the localization of antigen during the early stages of the immune response. Under his leadership, the Department of Microbiology at the John Curtin School in Canberra, Australia, became an international center for the study of the immune response to viral infections, work for which colleagues of his received a Nobel Prize. Ada also has been a leader in the development of vaccines worldwide. While at Johns Hopkins, he served as director of the Center for AIDS Research.


Theodore A. Bickart, retired president, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering (now Electrical and Computer Engineering), 1960-61. Nominated by C.R. Westgate, Whiting School of Engineering.

Fourteenth president of the Colorado School of Mines and former dean of engineering at Syracuse and Michigan State universities, Theodore Bickart achieved national prominence as a leader in engineering education. He was the driving force behind a new accreditation process that has impacted engineering programs worldwide.


Ron F. Blackwelder, professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mechanics (now the Department of Mechanical Engineering), May to September 1970. Nominated by Andrea Prosperetti, Whiting School of Engineering.

Ron Blackwelder has made seminal contributions in the areas of turbulence, flow stability, drag reduction and instrumentation, and his contribution to particle image velocimetry was instrumental in placing this technique at the forefront of contemporary experimental fluid mechanics. In addition, Blackwelder has played an active role in practical aspects of aerodynamics, including the relationship between the flow ingested by aircraft engines and their performance.


Linda R. Gooding, professor of microbiology and immunology, Emory University School of Medicine.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology, 1972-74. Nominated by Michael Eddin, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

Linda Gooding has made important contributions in understanding the immune response to viruses and was the first to show how virus antigens are presented to immune effector cells. Her work has provided key insights into the cell biology of immune responses and assists with the treatment of virus infection and the use of small DNA viruses for gene therapy.


Robert J. Gould, vice president, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, Pa.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuroscience, 1981-84. Nominated by Solomon H. Snyder, School of Medicine.

As vice president of pharmacology at the Merck Research Laboratories, Robert Gould has played an important role in developing a major new anti-clotting drug, Aggrastat, which has already decreased the incidence of heart attack and death in patients with coronary artery disease. He is regarded as one of the top cardiovascular research directors in the pharmaceutical industry.


Michael A. Hayes, professor of mathematical physics in the Department of Mathematical Physics, University College Dublin.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Mechanics Department (now the Department of Mechanical Engineering), 1961-62. Nominated by Marc Parlange, Whiting School of Engineering.

A professor in the Department of Mathematical Physics at University College Dublin, Michael Hayes has done pioneering work in all areas of mechanics. In particular, his work on wave propagation in materials, deformation of materials and fluid mechanics has had implications for virtually all branches of engineering and applied mathematics.


Haig H. Kazazian Jr., Seymour Gray Professor of Molecular Medicine in Genetics and chairman, Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow, 1964-66; JHH house staff, 1968-69. Nominated by Barbara R. Migeon, School of Medicine.

Chairman of the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania, Haig Kazazian is an outstanding medical geneticist, teacher and creative experimentalist who has contributed extensively to our knowledge of the molecular basis of human genetic disease.


Herbert Lepor, professor and Martin Spatz Chairman of Urology, New York University School of Medicine.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Urology, 1981-85. Nominated by Patrick C. Walsh, School of Medicine.

Herbert Lepor is a pioneer in the development of medical treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia. His contributions include characterization of alpha receptors in the smooth muscle of the prostate and development of clinical trials that demonstrated the superiority of alpha-blockers over the other common form of medical management. At age 37, he was named chairman of Urology at New York University, where he has developed one of the finest academic urology programs in the nation.


David M. Ozonoff, professor and chair, Boston University School of Public Health.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of International Health, 1968. Nominated by John D. Groopman, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

David Ozonoff, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, has been internationally recognized for his pioneering work in studying health risks to communities from exposures to toxic chemicals. This work is a model for communities faced with the consequences of hazardous waste contamination.


Peter Safar, Distinguished Professor of Resuscitation Medicine, Safar Center for Resuscitation Research, University of Pittsburgh.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Anesthesiology, 1954-61. Nominated by Roger A. Johns, School of Medicine.

A native of Vienna, Austria, Peter Safar spent many years in Baltimore at Johns Hopkins and Baltimore City Hospitals. It was during those years that his work on cardiopulmonary resuscitation developed into the life-saving techniques commonly referred to as CPR. His long and illustrious career has seen him establish three academic anesthesiology departments and make countless contributions to emergency medicine and helping save people's lives following cardiac arrest.


Konrad Sandhoff, professor and director, Department of Biochemistry, Kekule-Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bonn.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology, 1972-74. Nominated by Saul Roseman, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

In the field of lysosomal storage diseases, one of which bears his name, Konrad Sandhoff has clearly established himself as the preeminent leader in the field. His laboratory has played a principal role in elucidating the pathways of synthesis and degradation of these compounds, which permits identifying the genetic defect at the molecular level. His work has very important clinical implications.


George Scangos, president and chief executive officer, Exelixis Inc., South San Francisco.

At Hopkins: Assistant professor, 1980-86, and associate professor, July to December 1986, in the Department of Biology. Nominated by Victor Corces, Eaton E. Lattman and E.N. Moudrianakis, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and Thomas J. Kelly Jr., School of Medicine.

George Scangos was one of a team of three scientists to generate the first transgenic mouse. This breakthrough and the applications of it, as pioneered by Scangos over several years, paved the way for the current developments in molecular diagnostics, gene therapy and the development of protein drugs and other pharmaceuticals. He has made major contributions in basic science as well as in applied biotechnology and is currently president and CEO of a groundbreaking biotech company, Exelixis.


Mark Schiffman, chief, Interdisciplinary Studies Section, Environmental Epidemiology Branch. Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology, 1983-84. Nominated by Keerti V. Shah and Kenrad E. Nelson, Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mark Schiffman has made major contributions in the field of human papillomaviruses, or HPV, and cancer of the cervix. He played a key role in establishing the link between the HPV infection and cervical cancer and now heads an effort to evaluate a candidate vaccine for the prevention of cervical neoplasia.


Huntington Sheldon, retired Strathcona Professor of Pathology, McGill University.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pathology, 1956-59. Nominated by Richard S. Ross, School of Medicine.

As professor of pathology at McGill University for many years, Huntington Sheldon is known for his innovative research, which combined electron microscopy and histochemistry and that led to the discovery of extracellular localization of alkaline phosphatase. At McGill, he also was well known as a teacher, and his autopsy conference was very popular with medical students. Sheldon published widely, including a textbook of pathology for health professionals that is in its 12th edition.


Vernon T. Tolo, chairman, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 1971-75. Nominated by F.J. Frassica, School of Medicine.

As chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, Vernon Tolo has made major contributions to pediatric orthopedic spine surgery, pediatric skeletal trauma and professional development. His work on spinal stenosis in achondroplasia, and other spinal problems, has made treatment safer and more effective. He has built an outstanding academic department whose work has advanced the fields of trauma treatment, cerebral palsy and children's bone tumors.


The following two scholars who were inducted in absentia in 2000 also will participate in the ceremony.

Tom Ryan DeMeester, professor of general and cardiothoracic surgery and chairman of the Department of Surgery, University of Southern California School of Medicine.

At Hopkins: Postdoctoral research fellow in transplantation biology, 1967-68. Nominated by John L. Cameron, School of Medicine.

A world-renowned expert in foregut and pulmonary disease, Tom DeMeester has made numerous key contributions to understanding and treating esophageal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease. He is professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Southern California Hospital, and he has been named one of the "Best Doctors in America" by American Health.

Wolfgang Kollmann, professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis.

At Hopkins: Fellow in the Department of Mechanics and Materials Science, 1973-75. Nominated by Marc Parlange and Charles Meneveau, Whiting School of Engineering.

Recognized as a world leader in the study of turbulence, turbulent combustion, and numerical simulation of turbulent flows, Wolfgang Kollmann has over the past 25 years advanced the state of the art in the solution of important engineering problems associated with complex flows. His work is used by leading government and private laboratories and is taught today in advanced graduate courses in universities worldwide.


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