April 08, 1999

Trigger for Alzheimer's Disease Is Found
A protein that initiates Alzheimer's disease has been identified by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Researchers Sniff Out Secrets of Smell
Neurobiologist Linda Buck discovered that sensors in the nose are like letters of the alphabet. They can be used over and over in various combinations to encode different odors.

Class of 2003 Chosen from Pool of 18,160
The Class of 2003 has been selected, and letters offering admission were mailed at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, April 1.

Harvard Classes Dig Archaeology from Excavation to Education
A fragment of clay or a chip of stone tell a story to an archaeologist.

Discovering Social Messages in the 'Embroidered' Landscape
Mirka Benes, associate professor of the history of landscape architecture, is the organizer of a conference at the Graduate School of Design that will focus an acute and sophisticated level of interpretation on landscape's encrypted meanings.

H. Leroy Vail, Expert in History of Southern Africa, Dies at 58
Funeral services for History Professor H. Leroy Vail took place March 31 in Concord, Mass.

Harvard Planning and Real Estate Releases Rent Approvals for 1999-2000 for Affiliated Housing
Harvard Planning and Real Estate (HPRE) has announced the approval of the new rent schedule for approximately 2,300 Harvard- owned apartments for graduate students and other University affiliates who reside in Affiliated Housing.

Faculty Council
Proceedings from the year's fourteenth meeting of the Faculty Council.

Memorial Serivce
A memorial service for Grace R. Smith will be held on April 17.

The Uses of Disgust
David Barnes finds that ideas bloom in the sewers of 19th-century France.

Three Students To Compete in Software Contest
Three Harvard students are heading to the Netherlands this week to compete with 61 other three-person teams from around the world in an international software programming competition.

Ad Hoc Committee on Employment Policies Appointed
President Neil L. Rudenstine, in consultation with the Deans of the Faculties, has appointed an Ad Hoc Committee on Employment Policies.

Oxford/Kirkland Construction Update
Traffic and parking in the Oxford Street/Kirkland Street area has been significantly affected by work to repair the sewer line that runs underneath the streets.

Wilmers and M&T Bank Fund Public Service Fellowships at KSG
Two public service fellowships designed to encourage committed, talented students to pursue careers in state and local government have been awarded at the Kennedy School of Government.

Law School Public Interest Auction Is Thursday
An auction will be held by Law School students on Thursday, April 8, to benefit students pursuing public interest legal work during the summer recess.

Swimmer Martin '00 Breaks 21-Year-Old Freestyle Record
Harvard junior Tim Martin made Harvard men's swimming and diving history at the NCAA Championships held in Indianapolis March 26-28.

Hill is Chip Hilton Player Of the Year Award Finalist
Harvard senior point guard Tim Hill has been named a finalist for the 1999 Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award, which is given to a Divison I player who has demonstrated personal character both on and off the court.

Wampanoag Ancestor Uncovered on Vineyard
Harvard's archaeology field school on Martha's Vineyard last summer uncovered a 1,000 year old partial skull.

Palfreys Named Adams House Masters
Judith Palfrey, a professor at Harvard Medical School and the School of Public Health, and her husband John G. "Sean" Palfrey Sr., a professor at Boston University Medical School and School of Public Health, have been named Master and Co-master of Adams House.

Graduate Student Introduces Little-Known Artist to U.S.
Christine Mehring has curated a show of work by artist Wolfgang Otto Schulze, who called himself Wols.

Conference on Health, Social Change in Africa To Celebrate HMS Program
The East African Health and Behavior Fellowship Program will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a conference on Health and Social Change in Africa on Wednesday and Thursday, April 14 and 15

Hays To Receive the 1999 Harvard Arts Medal
David Hays '52, founder of the National Theatre of the Deaf, award-winning set designer, best-selling author, and world- class sailor, will receive the 1999 Harvard Arts Medal.

Recipients of Radcliffe Scholarship, Public Service Awards Named
Anne Murray ("Nancy") Morgan, former Radcliffe College trustee, will receive the Helen Homans Gilbert Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service, and Linda K. Kerber, professor of history at the University of Iowa, will receive the new Radcliffe Award for Distinguished Academic Scholarship.

University Art Museums Offers Free Weekend Arts Program for Youth
The University Art Museums will offer its second season of free weekend arts programs for youth, called Voices of Youth in Arts and imaGEs (VOYAGE).

Dance Program to take Stage at Loeb
"Perpetual Motion: An Evening of Dance" will open on the Loeb Mainstage on Friday, April 9, at 8 p.m. and will run through April 17.

Visions of Cuba: From the Traditional to the Modern
Despite 40 years of tension between Cuba and the United States, gestures of reconciliation have been in evidence recently.

Havana Dreaming: Returning to My Roots
GSD student muses on the state of the city two decades after leaving.

Cienfuegos Botanical Garden: Harvard's Legacy,
A neo tropical 'Garden of Eden' evolves over centuries.