Summer 2008

Ticker

Dean Robert Paul honored by psychoanalytic association

Emory College Dean Robert Paul was presented with the Distinguished Service Award by the American Psychoanalytic Association for his “vision and creativity” in founding the Emory University Psychoanalytic Studies Program and the Center for Research and Education. The award is one of the highest given by the organization.

Earl Lewis and Frans de Waal named AAAS fellows

Provost and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of History and African American Studies Earl Lewis and C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, have been named 2008 fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the oldest and most prestigious honorary societies.

Progress in fragile X research

A team led by W. P. Timmie Professor of Human Genetics Stephen Warren has identified several drugs and small molecules that reverse features of fragile X syndrome. The scientists made their discoveries using a new drug-screening method in fruit flies, setting the stage for new treatments for the syndrome, one of the leading known causes of autism.

Med students teach grade-schoolers about sun hazards

Using props such as colorful hats, sunscreen, beach bags, and protective clothing, second-year medical students are teaching elementary school children about the dangers of ultraviolet radiation through SunSmart Georgia. The program was pioneered by the Department of Dermatology to combat the alarming rise in skin cancers seen over the past decade.

Chemist receives Japan’s top academic prize

Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Chemistry Keiji Morokuma has received the highest academic award bestowed by Japan. Emperor Akihito presented Morokuma with the Imperial Prize in June at a ceremony in Tokyo. Morokuma’s work has “practical applications for the development of everything from new drugs to tennis rackets,” said chemistry chair David Lynn.

Young scientist selected for Sloan Foundation Fellowship

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Justin Gallivan is among 118 young scientists, mathematicians, and economists selected as 2008 Sloan fellows. Gallivan’s research focuses on how scientists can “borrow from biology” to solve problems in chemistry and materials science, perhaps leading to more efficient and greener methods of making new chemicals, including pharmaceuticals.

Templeton Award given to Candler author

Assistant professor of Hebrew Bible Jacob Wright, of Candler School of Theology, received the 2008 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise. The recognition comes for his book Rebuilding Identity: The Nehemiah Memoir and Its Earliest Readers, which outlines the reciprocal relationship between writing and identity construction in the biblical book of Ezra-Nehemiah.

Holocaust website receives translation grant

Professor Deborah Lipstadt has received a grant of $120,000 from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany on behalf of her website, Holocaust Denial on Trial (hdot.org). The grant will be used to translate elements of the site into Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, and Russian and to develop educational lesson plans.

A ‘Fine Excess’ of poets

In April, the University hosted Pulitzer Prize–winning poets Mark Strand, W. D. Snodgrass, Richard Wilbur, and other word lovers at “A Fine Excess: A Three-Day Celebration of Poetry,” which coincided with the first public exhibition of rare books, periodicals, and recordings in Emory’s Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, curated by Haygood Professor Kevin Young.

Black Church Studies director named

Teresa Fry Brown, associate professor of homiletics at Candler, has been named director of the theology school’s Black Church Studies program. “As a scholar, teacher, and dedicated servant in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dr. Fry Brown embodies the best of Candler’s tradition of serving both the academy and the church,” says Dean Jan Love.

A ‘Supreme Court’ appointment for dean of the chapel

Dean of the Chapel and Religious Life Susan Henry-Crowe 76T has been elected president of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church. She is the first woman to lead what is known as the denomination’s “Supreme Court,” the top judicial authority of the church.

Alumna wins a Georgia Author of the Year Award

Melody Moezzi 06L 06MPH received a Georgia Author of the Year Award, presented by the Georgia Writers Association, in the category of “Creative Nonfiction: Essay” for her first book, War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims.