Grain & Chaff

Public speaking

Stella Volpe, associate professor in Nutrition, presented several talks in the last few weeks. She was invited to speak at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds on "Exercise in the Geriatric Population." She also presented a special seminar on "Weight Loss Supplements" at Castleton State College in Vermont and was one of 10 sports nutritionists from around the country invited to a special summit by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Barrington, Illinois. ... Professor Philip Nasca, chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, has been invited to present a paper entitled "Cancer registries and their contribution to cancer epidemiology and etiology" at a symposium celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Institute for Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Munster, Germany on May 24. ... Associate professor of Music Gary S. Karpinski presented a paper on "Music, Memory, and Musical Memory" on May 5 at the Hartt Theory Forum at the Hartt School in Hartford. Karpinski also completed his term as president of the New England Conference of Music Theorists by presiding over the first joint meeting of the group and the Music Theory Society of New York State on April 26-27 at Yale University.

Top advisor

Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism honor society, has named Journalism professor Karen List this year's Outstanding KTA Advisor. List will receive the award in August at the meeting of the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Kansas City.

Cover story

Psychology professor Richard Halgin's success at teaching his 500-student "Abnormal Psychology" class was featured on the cover of the May 9 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. In sidebar to the story featuring tips from professors who teach large classes, Halgin said, "I don't want them to come to class for tests. I want them to come to class by making the class interesting enough." Whatever he's doing is apparently working, according to first-year student Jason R. Bileau, who told the Chronicle that he skips many other classes, but never misses Halgin's. "It could easily be boring, but it isn't," he said.

Leading roles

Ethan Katsh, professor of Legal Studies and director of the Center for Information Technology and Dispute Resolution, has been elected a fellow of the American Bar Foundation. ... Professor Guy Lanza, director of the Environmental Sciences Program, has been named editor for the international electronic journal "Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics."

In print

Communication professor Marty Norden published an article in the April issue of Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine on the movie representation of disabled veterans. He was also the subject of an interview published in Disability Arts in London Magazine last month in conjunction with his invited lecture on "Hollywood and Disability" at the London Disability Arts Forum on April 21.

Conference calls

Graduate deans representing universities and colleges from Washington, D.C. to Maine participated in the 28th Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools (NAGS) held April 24-26 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel in Boston. Interim Provost Charlena Seymour, NAGS 2003 president, welcomed the group; and Chancellor John V. Lombardi delivered the keynote address. Also in attendance were Jane Baran, associate graduate dean; Nigar Khan, assistant graduate dean; and Lori Baronas of the Graduate School Office. ... Professor Daphne Patai of Spanish and Portuguese participated last week in a conference at Wellesley College marking the centenary of the birth of George Orwell. Patai, whose book "The Orwell Mystique" was published in 1994, was quoted in a Sunday Boston Globe article (May 11) about the symposium.