Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 6, 2007|Volume 35, Number 24

In the News
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"How old would we feel if we didn't know how old we are? Age has this way of slowly creeping up on us, and most people don't realize they're becoming what's called elderly until -- well, in my case, a student said, 'Dr. Nuland, do you use e-mail?' And that was my first clue."

-- Dr. Sherwin Nuland, clinical professor of surgery, "What Are the Secrets to Aging Well?" "Talk of the Nation," National Public Radio, March 14, 2007.

"If we do one thing to change the political direction of America, it will be to create leaders with an understanding that we have an interdependent planet."

-- Richard C. Levin, University president, on Yale's internationalization initiatives, "On Campus, We Still School the World," St. Petersburg Times (FL), March 12, 2007.

"Directing [a play] is always a little bit about producing yourself."

-- James Bundy, dean of the School of Drama and artistic director of the Yale Repertory Theatre, "How Does a Director Make It in New York?" New York Sun, March 12, 2007.

"From the consumer's perspective, linking [from one blog to a rival blog] increases the attractiveness of the blogosphere since links enable readers to locate information. ... Impressing readers is a big issue for bloggers. Advertisers typically place a lot of value on blogs that produce original content and have a high number of incoming links, but we found that the number of outgoing links may also provide useful information on blog quality."

-- Dina Mayzlin, assistant professor of marketing at the School of Management, "Want To Win at Blogging? Promote Your Rivals, Say Yale Researchers," Information Week, March 8, 2007.

"We don't know exactly why we get adult acne, but the idea that it is something that's confined to adolescence is a complete [falsehood]. While teenage acne tends to be more severe, you can't tell my adult patients that their problem isn't serious. As traumatic and devastating as teenage acne can be, it is seen as normal for pre-pubescent kids. For adults, it's something we think we should have been done with long, long ago."

-- Dr. Stuart Bender, assistant clinical professor of dermatology, "Acne, a Teen Curse, Hits Adults, Too," Stamford Advocate, March 13, 2007.

"I was a Navy pilot for nine years, and flew numerous combat reconnaissance missions in hostile environments. In these situations, you are literally overloaded with sensory input. You have up to a dozen different conversations running together on your radio. ... There might be other tones blaring in your headset -- audible feedback from your aircraft systems, or surface-to-air missile warnings that often turn out to be false alarms, but sometimes aren't. ... At a high altitude, you can't tell a tank from a tractor. At a low altitude, things are going by so fast it's hard to focus on anything. Add up every other overloaded sense, and it's amazing that pilots maintain situational awareness at all. ... Mistakes in war are inevitable. Some are inexcusable. Pilots must be held accountable for their actions, no less than anyone else. But before passing judgment, it's important to understand a little of what they must deal with in the cockpit."

-- Kenneth Harbaugh, student at the Law School, in his article, "Overloaded Pilots and Situational Awareness," "All Things Considered," National Public Radio, March 16, 2007.

"Participants at January's World Economic Forum annual meeting voted climate change to be not only the issue that will have the greatest global impact in coming years but also the one for which the world is least prepared. I voted differently, since I'm more worried about other threats to humanity, such as nuclear weapons and the persistence of abject poverty in many parts of the world."

-- Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Center for the Study of Globalization and professor in the field of international economics and politics, in his article, "Debating the Price of Global Warming," Forbes, March 26, 2007.

"[Philosopher Leo] Strauss described himself as 'a young Jew born and raised in Germany who found himself in the grip of a theologico-political predicament.' He meant by this term the situation of German Jews forced to choose between adherence to an ancient faith and membership in the liberal secular state. ... The German-Jewish dialogue, as his contemporary Gershom Scholem would later remark, was never an authentic conversation between Germans and Jews, but at most a monologue among German Jews on how best to apply for their admission ticket to the modern secular age."

-- Steven B. Smith, the Alfred Cowles Professor of Government, in his article, "A Skeptical Friend of Democracy," New York Sun, March 14, 2007.

"In my experience, probably the most under-detected and under-appreciated complication of cancer treatment [for youngsters] are the psychological effects. You know, these kids, like adults, have tremendous stress and worry and disruption of normal life during the time they're being treated."

-- Dr. Sydney Spiesel, associate clinical professor of pediatrics and clinical professor of nursing, "Childhood Cancer's Long-Term Effects," National Public Radio, March 14, 2007.

"The discovery that the Irish and English belong to the same bloodline is probably more amusing than shocking to readers who have grown accustomed to understanding the history of Ireland in political rather than racial terms. But the notion of racial inferiority persisted in British writing on the Irish well into the 19th century. ... In recent years, Irish writers have taken up the idea of racial difference themselves, turning it into an empowering distinction. Think of the white working-class musician in Roddy Doyle's 1987 novel, 'The Commitments,' whose identification with American soul music leads him to conclude that the 'Irish are the niggers of Europe.' 'Say it loud,' he tells his band, 'I'm black and I'm proud.'"

-- Wes Davis, assistant professor of English, in his article, "When English Eyes Are Smiling; Bloodline of the British Isles II," The New York Times, March 12, 2007.

"Attention to mental health is as old as [the Jewish community] -- Jacob and Sigmund Freud as dream interpreters provide readily recognizable signposts to this passion of ours. At some level, it makes perfect sense for the Jewish community to be very active in mental health initiatives in general, and in those focused on children in particular. We are the People of the Book and have historically been educators. ... While part of the role of psychiatry is to deal with issues of genes, brain imaging and traditional medical approaches, the role of the child psychiatrist and other mental health professionals has a lot to do with education and prevention as well, as exemplified by our routine involvement with parents, with families and communities, or by dealing with neglect, abuse and trauma."

-- Dr. Andrés Martin, associate professor of child psychiatry and psychiatry and director of medical studies at the Child Study Center, "Conversation With ... Dr. Andrés Martin, Yale Child Psychiatrist Edits Book of His Mentor's Writings," Connecticut Jewish Ledger, March 21, 2007.

"We do not have enough young researchers to tackle the mysteries of HIV and Alzheimer's disease, as well as new medical challenges that lie ahead."

-- Dr. Stephen Strittmatter, the Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology and Neurobiology, "Stagnant NIH Funding a Setback," United Press International, March 21, 2007.

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

Symposium will consider future of India-U.S. relations

True potential for reform in China to be explored

Symposium, workshop look at Korean film, refugee crisis

Scholars to debate best way to preserve 'global past'

Yale applauds award-winning robotics team from city school

Chubb Fellowship hosts visit by 'America's greatest living composer'

Theater artists and scholars to honor legacy of playwright August Wilson

Library exhibit showcases books that feature images of trees

Award supports research on use of nanoparticles to treat prostate cancer

Carbon dioxide levels have affected Earth's climate for . . .

Exhibit on creation of city's Holocaust memorial features . . .

Shlomchik receives award for his research on memory T-cells

Two Yale researchers receive Donaghue Investigator Awards

Symposium to showcase 'Next Generation of Legal Scholarship'

'Donate Life Week' seeks to raise awareness for organ donation

In Memoriam: Sebastian Konstantinovich Shaumyan

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes