APL is named Great Place to Work by 'Washingtonian'

The cover of the November issue of Washingtonian magazine shouts "50 Great Places to Work," and on the inside pages, readers will find the Applied Physics Laboratory.

Sherri Dalphonse, senior editor of the magazine, told APL, "Your organization was one of 50 chosen because of its interesting work, good benefits, collegial staff, stability, employee development and community involvement."

APL, which has 3,350 employees, is located in Laurel, Md., midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The magazine hit the newsstands Oct. 23.

 

Campaign blogs are new tool for presidential candidates

The use of blogs is transforming the way presidential campaigns communicate, according to a report released Oct. 20 by Johns Hopkins' CampaignsOnline.org project. The report also found that while there has been much media attention concerning campaign blogs, only four of the nine Democratic candidates for president currently utilize blogs as part of their communication strategy.

Blogs, short for Weblogs, are frequently updated Internet journals that have become a growing Internet subculture. This once-techie phenomenon has become an invaluable tool in the 2004 presidential election, adding another innovative Internet component to campaign communications.

The report, "The Use of Blogs in the 2004 Presidential Election," finds that Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, John Kerry and John Edwards are the only candidates using official campaign blogs to get out their message. The report notes that without an official blog, a campaign "lacks the ability to directly communicate and create an interactive dialog with supporters."

Alexis Rice, author of the report and project director of CampaignsOnline.org, said, "Blogs are the biggest communication innovation for the 2004 election. Blogs are transforming campaign communication and will become not only an important tool in the presidential election but in future state and local elections.

The full report can be found at www.campaignsonline.org.

The Web site also features links, resources and a blog on the use of the Internet and emerging technologies in the 2004 presidential campaign.

 

Team effort in marathon takes professors to winner's circle

Four Johns Hopkins faculty members have added a new line to their personal resumes: Member of JHU Men Professors, winners of the Corporate Cup team relay in the 2003 Baltimore Marathon.

Clocking in at 2 hours and 41 minutes were Thomas Haine, associate professor, Earth and Planetary Sciences; Peter Searson, professor, Materials Science and Engineering; Jerry Meyer, professor, Chemistry; and Marc Parlange, professor, Geography and Environmental Engineering.

"A fine example of the two Homewood schools coming together," commented one runner after the race, which took place on Oct. 18.

 

JH patient safety experts to aid Michigan hospital ICUs

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded a Johns Hopkins team of patient safety experts a $1 million grant to aid the Michigan Health and Hospital Association with statewide intensive care unit initiatives.

The two-year joint project, designed to improve patient safety and care in the ICUs of more than 55 hospitals in Michigan, will focus on implementing field-tested best practices to reduce the risk of medical errors and enhance patient protections.

Peter Pronovost, a critical care and patient safety expert at Johns Hopkins, said, "Hopkins has helped develop and test programs that improve the quality of care and safety in ICUs, and this grant will help make them more broadly available."

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