September 27, 2002|Volume 31, Number 4

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Science journalism is topic of talk by New York Times editor

Cornelia Dean, science editor for the New York Times, will discuss "Science and Science Journalists: Bridging the Gap" on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 4:30 p.m.

Dean's talk, which is open to members of the Yale community, will take place in the student lounge of Sage Hall, 205 Prospect St. For more information, call (203) 432-5138.

Dean joined the New York Times staff in 1984 and served as deputy Washington editor, deputy science editor and in various other positions in the science department and national desk before becoming editor of science news in 1997.

Dean was a reporter and editor for the Providence Journal in Rhode Island for 15 years and has taught at the University of Rhode Island and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She also taught a technology and public policy course at Vassar.

Dean's book "Against the Tide: The Battle for America's Beaches," which was published by Columbia Press in 1999, is an examination of coastal erosion and land use.

New York literary agent to be guest at master's tea

Sterling Lord, chairman of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., will speak at a master's tea on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 4:30 p.m. in Calhoun College master's house, 434 College St.

The tea is free and open to the public.

Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., is one of the most prestigious agencies in the literary community. The Manhattan agency represents more than 500 authors, including Nobel prize winner Czeslaw Milosz, many Cabinet members, Pulitzer Prize and National Book award winners.

Lord, who has been a literary agent since 1951, was one of the first to sell major autobiographical books to films, and one of the first agents to break the book publishing tradition of single submission of materials, moving into multiple submissions and auctions. Lord's agency has also represented more books based on and tied in with television shows, miniseries or series, than any other agency.

In the 1960s, with the demise of many national magazines, Lord set up his own syndicate of Sunday newspapers and also syndicated well-known daily newspaper columnists Jimmy Breslin and Dick Schapp.

In 1968, Lord conceived of the idea that college textbooks could be made more readable and produced more effectively by putting an academic together with a professional writer.

Assessing cancer risk is the subject of forum

"Ionizing Radiation, Cancer Risks and the New Biology" is the title of a Wednesday, Oct. 2 talk by David Hoel.

The lecture, which is sponsored by the Interdisclipinary Risk Assessment Forum, will take place at noon in the lower level conference room at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, 77 Prospect St. It is open to members of the Yale community.

Over the course of the year, the "Risk Assessment Forum" will explore the human side of the risk assessment process and will address the issues and challenges that exist in using human data for risk analysis.

Hoel will discuss how the effects of cancer caused by radiation exposure has aided in the development of quantitative risk assessment methodologies. A significant amount of epidemiological data exists for atomic bomb survivors as well as for workers exposed to radiation in nuclear plants.

Hoel is a member of the National Academy of Science, the Institute of Medicine and has served as acting director of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program.

Bioethics talk to explore virtual reality

Jaron Lanier, lead scientist of the National Tele-immersion Initiative, will deliver a lecture titled "What is a Person? Virtual Realities, Real Impacts: Technology, the Future of Human Relationships and the Human Soul" on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

The lecture, which is open to members of the Yale community, will take place at 4:15 p.m. at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies, 77 Prospect St., and is part of a monthly speaker series on "Ethics, Technology and Utopian Visions," presented by the Yale Interdisciplinary Bioethics Program and its working research group on "Artificial Intelligence, Nanotechnology and Transhumanism."

For information, reading materials and dinner reservations, contact Carol Pollard by phone at (203) 432-6188 or e-mail carol.pollard@yale.edu.

A computer scientist, composer and visual artist, Lanier is known for his work in virtual reality, a term that he coined.

His research at Tele-immersion Initiative, which is a coalition of research universities that studies advanced applications for Internet 2, focuses on the psychology of how people relate to advanced networks, media, virtual and augmented realities and human advancement technologies.

Lanier is a visiting faculty member at several schools and is also chief scientist at Eyematic Interfaces, a company that researches computer vision.

Yale alumnus to speak on Disabilities Education Act

Stanley J. Vitello, professor of education and law at the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University, will speak on "Revitalizing or Revamping the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?" on Friday, Oct. 4.

Part of the Yale Center in Child Development and Social Policy lecture series, Vitello's talk will be held in Rm. 211 of Mason Laboratory, 9 Hillhouse Ave. This event is free and open to the public.

Vitello, whose current research focuses on bioetchics, disability and the law, earned the degree of Master of Law from Yale in 1983.

He worked on the 1990 reauthorization of the IDEA and currently consults with the U.S. Congress on the 2002 reauthorization. He is a former Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow, serving his fellowship on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy. He also served as President of the Division of Legal Process and Advocacy of the American Association on Mental Retardation.

Vitello teaches courses on mental disabilities, special education law and disability policy.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Courses to expose students earlier to 'thrill' of research

Student's 'urban museum' showcases city's modern architecture

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to speak on campus

Conference marks anniversary of Holocaust archive

Gift will continue work of Yale center devoted to studying impact of slavery

Educator stresses importance of grooming 'future Bouchets'

Murals at Peabody open 'window' on Maya culture

Exhibit showcases works by longtime Yale professor

'Blessing' of washerwoman's legacy brings New Haven policeman to Divinity School

Event advances knowledge of Vietnam's toxic legacy

Anti-drug advertising curbs teen use, says SOM researcher

Expert on racism during Civil War to join faculty

Just a Bowl of cheerers: Employee Day at the Yale Bowl

A place for poetry

Lecturer speaks about newest issues in field of information technology

'Intersections' aims to close the rift between academic theories and . . .

Noted cancer specialist and surgeon Dr. Jack Westley Cole dies

Fair will acquaint (and re-acquaint) staff about myriad of University benefits . . .

Donations of computers can help bring India into 'Information Age'

College master showcases his private art collection

Quilts, photos featured in new show

Nursing school staff take part in training retreat

Rubenfeld featured in library book discussion