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 Anne Angen Gershon ’60,
professor of pediatrics and director of the Division
of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Columbia University
College of Physicians and Surgeons, was recently presented
with the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Award from the Sabin
Vaccine Institute honoring her outstanding research on
vaccines against the varicella zoster virus (shingles)
and her public health work. “Dr. Gershon’s research was critical to the
widespread adoption of the varicella vaccine, which prevents
chickenpox,” according to the award press release. Ten
years after the varicella vaccine was recommended in the
United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reported as much as a 90 percent drop in chickenpox
cases, and a varicella-related hospital admission decline
of 71 percent. The Sabin Gold Medal Award, now in its 20th
year, annually honors public health professionals who have
made extraordinary contributions to the field of vaccinology
or a complementary field. The award commemorates Dr. Albert
B. Sabin, who developed the oral live virus polio vaccine.
Gershon was honored and presented with the award during
the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases annual
conference on April 23.
 Barbara Wallace
Grossman ’69, professor of drama at
Tufts University, and her husband, Steve Grossman, Treasurer
of the State of Massachusetts, will be presented with
the Community Service Award by the Synagogue Council
of Massachusetts (SCM) on June 11, in recognition of
their public service. Barbara Grossman “understands and has a tremendous sense
of responsibility to give back to academia,” notes the
award announcement on the SCM blog. “Barbara strives
to make a difference for members of our society who have
been forgotten or marginalized. Her leadership in Holocaust
remembrance and advocacy for GLBT rights and respect
are well-documented.” The SCM brings together the Jewish
community for learning, dialogue and collaborative action.
The Grossmans will be honored, alongside Steffi Karp,
founder of LimmudBoston, during “A Tree of Life: One
Community, Many Branches,” at Temple Emanuel, Newton,
Mass.
Sarah E. Thomas '70, the
first woman and non-British citizen in four centuries to
lead Oxford University's Bodleian Libraries, was recently
appointed vice president for the Harvard Library. Thomas,
a member of the Oxford faculty, previously served as university
librarian at Cornell. "Sarah Thomas is a leader in her field
with an exceptional record of success running major academic
libraries," said Harvard University Provost Alan M. Garber
in a press release announcing Thomas' appointment. "She is
uniquely capable of building on the progress we have made
thus far in responding to the evolving expectations of the
21st century scholar." After graduating from Smith, Thomas
earned a master's degree in library science from Simmons
College and a doctorate in German literature from Johns Hopkins
University.
 Lucy Lippard '58, a
leading voice in contemporary art and ethical activism, delivered
the commencement address and received
an honorary doctorate at Otis College of Art and Design (Los
Angeles) during its commencement ceremonies on May 11. Lippard
began her career as an art critic, and gained early notoriety
as an advocate for underserved groups, eventually working
with artists' groups such as the Artworkers' Coalition, Ad
Hoc Women Artists, Artists Meeting for Cultural Change, The
Alliance for Cultural Democracy and WAC (Women's Action Coalition).
Lippard is the author of 20 books on contemporary art and
cultural criticism, and a novel.
Lisa Stephanie Cunden ’13 was recently named a winner of
the 2013 Iota Sigma Pi Undergraduate Award for Excellence
in Chemistry, an annual honor recognizing excellence in chemistry
by a woman undergraduate in her senior year. Cunden has worked
most closely with Robert Linck, professor of chemistry, on
computational chemistry, and is completing an honors thesis
on entropy and enthalpy contributions to the chelate effect.
Her work with Linck contributed to a paper published in Inorganic
Chemistry. Cunden has also worked with Elizabeth Jamieson,
associate professor of chemistry, on bioinorganic chemistry,
an interest she discovered during a semester spent in Australia,
and further developed as a summer research fellow at the
 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which resulted in
her contribution to an article published in the Journal
of the American Chemical Society. Cunden plans to begin a doctoral
program at MIT.
Clarke Knight ’14 was the winner of the 2013
Iota Sigma Gladys Anderson Emerson Scholarship. A self-described “chemical
detective,” Knight follows her interests in environmental
issues around the globe, having traveled to Tasmania, Australia,
where she worked with researchers on applications of insecticide
to a variety of potato. At Smith, Knight works with academic
adviser Lale Burk, senior lecturer in chemistry, and was
nominated for the Gladys Anderson Emerson Scholarship by
Kate Queeney, professor of chemistry. “Clarke cares deeply
about the topic of environmental chemistry,” notes Queeney, “as
is evident in her relentless pursuit to understand her results.” Burk
adds that Knight has a “deep interest in applying her knowledge
to areas where she could make meaningful contributions to
society.” Knight also serves as a teaching assistant in chemistry
at Smith. In addition to her scholarship in chemistry, Knight
is active in athletics and community service.
Gloria Ortiz ’14 has been admitted into the prestigious 2013 Howard Hughes
Medical Institute’s EXROP (Exceptional Research Opportunities
Program). EXROP provides outstanding summer research opportunities
in HHMI science and science education programs for students
from disadvantaged backgrounds and groups traditionally underrepresented
in the sciences, to help encourage participants to pursue
careers in academic science. Ortiz was a Summer Research
Fellow (SURF) at Smith in 2012, working in the laboratory
of Kevin Shea, associate professor of chemistry, and will
extend that experience as an EXROP participant, working for
10 weeks beginning this June in the laboratory of an HHMI
scientist. A chemistry major, Ortiz plans to study organic
chemistry after completing her undergraduate degree, with
possible career goals in research or secondary education.
 Russ Rymer,
Jacobson Visiting Non-fiction Writer, was presented with
the 2012 Ed Cunningham Award for Best Magazine Reporting
from Abroad, given by the Overseas Press Club, for his article “Vanishing
Voices,” published in National Geographic, July
2012. The article, with stirring images by photographer Lynn
Johnson, is a moving investigation of the centuries-long
decimation of tribal languages, such as India’s speakers
of Aka, Seri speakers in Mexico, Tuvan speakers in Siberia,
and many others. “When
small communities abandon their languages and switch to English
or Spanish, there is a massive disruption in the transfer
of traditional knowledge across generations,” Rymer writes
in the article. and
acceptance.
 Michael
Gorra, Mary Augusta
Jordan Professor of English Language and Literature, was
a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in the category of
Biography or Autobiography for his book Portrait
of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece,
an enlightening examination of one of the great American
novels,
The Portrait of a Lady, and why James’ work
and his enigmatic life remain intriguing sources of inquiry
and scholarship.
Elizabeth
Savoca, professor
of economics, was recently appointed to the U. S. Department
of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation.
The committee’s charter is to provide the Secretary of Veterans
Affairs with an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of
the compensation program in meeting the needs of veterans.
Savoca has written extensively on the antecedents and consequences
of mental illness, in particular, on the adjustments to the
civilian labor market for veterans with Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder.
 Elisa Lanzi, director of digital
strategies and services, Libraries, was awarded the Visual
Resources Association Distinguished Service Award in Providence,
Rhode Island, on April 4. The award honors an individual
who has made an outstanding career contribution to the field
of visual resources and image management. The nominating
committee noted, “Elisa
exhibits all the best qualities of leadership, collaboration,
effectiveness, and professionalism that characterize a DSA
recipient. During her long and active career, she has contributed
her considerable expertise to the visual resources and image
management professions as well as significant time, energy,
and care to the Visual Resources Association, making it a
better and stronger organization.” Lanzi, who formerly served
as director of the college’s Imaging Center, recently joined
the Libraries, where she will develop and support emerging
technologies to enhance the learning and research experience
of the Smith community.
Andy Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods
Professor of Economics, recently gave presentations on three
different aspects of the economics of sports. He appeared
as a panelist at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference
in March, discussing labor unrest in professional sports
and what to do about it; as a presenter at the same conference,
on the impact of analytics on the baseball industry; and
as a presenter at a conference at Marquette University, discussing
the economics and financing of new sports facilities.
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People News is a column for publicizing
the achievements, distinctions and notable activities of people in the Smith
community, PeopleNews welcomes your submissions. If you -- or someone you know
in the Smith community -- have recently received an award, participated in
an interesting event, or are involved in an important endeavor, please
let us know. |
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