The final speaker in the Books Sandwiched In noontime discussion series will be Patrick L. Pinnell, lecturer in architectural theory and design at the School of Architecture. He will discuss Suzannah Lessard's work "Architect of Desire: Beauty and Danger in the Sanford White Family" 12:10-12:50 p.m. on Thursday, March 20, in the United Church on the Green, corner of Temple and Elm streets. Books Sandwiched In is sponsored by the Friends of the New Haven Free Public Library. The series is free and open to the public. Participants are invited to bring lunch; coffee, tea and cookies are available in the church basement 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
"Back Dancing," part of the "Dancing Out Loud" concert series, will feature a performance by the Yaledancers. The campus group will be featured in a work for 10 women set to a Beethoven adagio by guest choreographer Christina Duffy Burnett. The concert will also feature performances by other local artists. It will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15, in the Educational Center for the Arts, 55 Audubon St. Tickets are $15 for the general public; $10 for students, seniors and the underemployed. To make a reservation, call 203-245-3090.
Dr. Ronald C. Merrell, the Lampman Professor and chair of surgery, recently completed an international trip that took him to universities in Russia and Shanghai, China. As a guest lecturer at the Moscow Stomotological Institute Feb. 1-5, Dr. Merrell presented a talk titled "Telemedicine -- Outside the Border of Possibility" and another on minimally invasive breast cancer. While in Moscow, he also pursued official NASA business regarding the Space Biomedical Center's collaborative efforts in telemedicine. The following week, Dr. Merrell lectured at Shanghai Second Medical University and took part in rounds at Xin Hua Hospital, where he spoke on the history and future of laparoscopic surgery, among other topics. At the end of his stay, Dr. Merrell was awarded an honorary professorship at Shanghai Second Medical University.
John L. Wood, assistant professor of chemistry, has been named an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. The fellowships are awarded to scholars who have received their Ph.D. in the past six years in the fields of physics, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, computer science and economics. Professor Wood was cited for his original work in the field of synthetic organic chemistry.
Two high schools have recently called upon or recognized the talents of Thomas C. Duffy, director of bands at Yale and professor of music at the School of Music. Acton Boxborough Regional High School Band in Massachusetts commissioned Professor Duffy to write a work for its concert on Wednesday, March 19. As part of the compositional process, Professor Duffy met with band members, asking them "What's cool about Acton?" The resulting piece, titled "Ghosts of the Minutemen: A Revolutionary Sound Collage," recalls a 1775 battle in Concord, Massachusetts. The work features three historic tunes, "America," "White Cockade" and "O God Beneath Thy Guiding Hand" treated in aleatoric fashion -- often referred to as "chance music." Players are allowed to make some of their own decisions about when to play, on what pitch and sometimes in what style. Professor Duffy also recently received a Distinguished Service Award from the Newtown Connecticut High School Mentorship Program, where he is a volunteer mentor. The award cites the Yale bandleader's "selfless dedication to the pursuit of educational excellence for students."