HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

Seminar on gender history seeks participants

The March 15 application deadline for “Writing Past Lives: Biography as History” — the Schlesinger Library’s summer seminar on gender history — is fast approaching. Established scholars, writers, and advanced graduate students in U.S. history and gender studies are invited to apply.

The weeklong seminar aims to examine how a focus on individual lives can further historical analysis. The seminar will include small-group workshops in which full seminar participants will present their own research and writing for evaluation and criticism. Additionally, there will also be a series of five plenary sessions featuring panels of distinguished historians speaking on their current biographical work. These sessions are free and open to the public, though registration is required (by June 1).

The cost for full seminar participants is $295 without lodging ($650 with lodging). A limited amount of financial aid is available. For more information, visit http://www.radcliffe.edu/events/conferences/2007_summerSeminar.php.

Take a lunch break to ancient Israel

The Semitic Museum is sponsoring a free, docent-led tour of “The Houses of Ancient Israel: Domestic, Royal, Divine” today (March 8) at 12:15 p.m. The museum, located at 6 Divinity Ave., maintains collections of archaeological materials from the Ancient Near East. The current exhibit explores everyday life in ancient Israel during the Iron Age.

Practical ethics grants available to undergraduates, application deadline approaching

The Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics invites Harvard College students to apply for Lester Kissel Grants in Practical Ethics to support research and writing that makes contributions to the understanding of practical ethics. A number of grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects to be conducted during the summer of 2007. The projects may involve research for senior theses, case studies for use in courses, essays or articles for publication, or similar scholarly endeavors that explore issues in practical ethics.

The grant provides the recipient with an award of up to $3,000, which can be used to cover expenses or as a stipend to enable recipients to pursue research in lieu of summer employment. Applications should include a description of the project and the applicant’s preparation for the project, a statement of the project’s potential value to the student and to the understanding of practical ethics, and a proposed budget.

The deadline for applications is March 15. Successful applicants are expected to submit a brief progress report on Aug. 1 and a final report by Oct. 1, together with the product of the work. For application forms and for further information about the grants, contact Stephanie Dant in the Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics, (617) 495-1336 or at stephanie_dant@harvard.edu.

The Kissel Grants in Practical Ethics are made possible by a gift from the late Lester Kissel, a graduate of Harvard Law School and longtime benefactor of Harvard’s ethics programs and activities. MAC moves equipment to QRAC and Gordon

MAC moves equipment to QRAC and Gordon

Following the closing of the Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) the week of March 19, MAC equipment will be made available to recreational users at the QRAC (66 Garden St.) and the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis facility (65 N. Harvard St.). Both the QRAC and Gordon Track sites will offer a full selection of cardio equipment, as well as strength-training circuits and free weights. Cardio and strength-training equipment will also be placed in Wigglesworth for use by undergraduates. Go to http://www.gocrimson.com for hours and other specifics.

MAC renovations are expected to be completed by the end of October.

Center for Health spoof takes on serious subject

The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School recently launched “The (Bio)DaVersity Code” — a short, Flash-animated spoof of “The Da Vinci Code” that illustrates the importance of biodiversity to the planet’s health. Free Range Graphics, creators of the award-winning “The Meatrix,” produced the short.

In promoting “The (Bio)DaVersity Code,” the center has partnered with the Buckminster Fuller Institute, the Sierra Club, and the National Audubon Society, among other nongovernmental organizations. Since its launch in late February, more than 1 million people have viewed the film. Visit http://www.daversitycode.com to view the short.

Deadline for HMS grant

Each year more than 50 postdoctoral and faculty fellowships/grants are available to the Harvard medical community by invitation only. The private foundations that fund these grants permit a limited number of individuals to be nominated for these awards. In order to choose candidates that will represent the Harvard medical community in the national competitions, the Harvard Medical School (HMS) Faculty Fellowship Committee conducts an internal selection process.

The application deadline in the office of the HMS Dean for Academic and Clinical Programs is April 9. Please direct all inquiries to Stacy A. McGrath, program administrator, Office of the Dean for Academic and Clinical Programs, stacy_mcgrath@hms.harvard.edu, or Erin Cromack, erin_cromack@hms.harvard.edu. Information on invitational fellowships/grants is available online at http://medapps.med.harvard.edu/fellowships/.

— Compiled by Andrew Brooks. Send news briefs to andrew_brooks@harvard.edu