News in Brief

C olumbia U niversity RECORD March 12, 2004 3 News in Brief Eric Kandel Leads New Brain of the Sung dynasty as well as present-day From Outer Space to the Third World: NASA, Science Institute at CUMC ritual practices. For his scholarly efforts, Hynes was recently awarded the Joseph Columbia Study Sustainable Development Levenson Prize for best book in Chinese he Kavli studies in the pre-1900 category from the Foundation T Association for Asian Studies. Hynes is ASA engineer John Feighery recently told a group of sustainable development has announced a the chair of the East Asian Languages and Nexperts from the Earth Institute, Columbia University, and the UN Development $7.5 million Cultures Department. Programme that astronauts have a unique view of the disparities between the rich and award to estab- poor. From space, the prosperous areas of the world glow at night with electric lights, lish the Kavli while the poorest areas—most notably the countries of Africa—remain in darkness. Institute for Larry Dais Receives Feighery’s presentation on sustaining human life in space was part of a recent one- Brain Science at Humanitarian Award day workshop that explored research areas common to both NASA and the institute, Columbia Uni- especially in areas of water and sanitation. NASA’s technologies, such as strict sys- versity Medical tems of water purification, system testing and waste disposal used to sustain human Center under the life during long space missions, could prove life-saving to populations living in areas leadership of with no access to potable water, proper drainage or sewage systems. University Pro- “It succeeded in bringing together scientists engaged in space life science research fessor and Nobel with those concerned with increasing access to water and sanitation in developing laureate Eric countries,” said Roberto Lenton, a researcher with the Earth Institute. “It also laid the Kandel. The new institute will focus on groundwork for potentially far-reaching future scientific endeavors—to take some of the development of strategies for analyz- the closed-loop water and sanitation techniques developed for space, and use them to ing and deciphering how signaling in improve the water and sanitation needs of the poor.” neural circuits controls behavior. “Our work will be directed toward developing more powerful tools to enable us to move from the study of individual nerve cells to that of complex neural systems which underlie the higher mental function,” Kandel said. A leader in advancing the neurosciences, Columbia has succeeded in forging into one discipline the previously distinct fields of cell biology, physiology, and nervous system development with molecular biology, including molecular genetics. “Assuring Columbia’s continued arry Dais, assistant vice president of prominence in the neurosciences is a LColumbia’s Office of Government major priority in our long-range strategic Relations and Community Affairs, recent- planning at Columbia University Medical ly received a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center,” said Gerald Fischbach, CUMC Humanitarian Award from New York executive vice president and dean of the Gov. George Pataki. He was cited for his Faculty of Medicine. “strong commitment to public service and Thomas Jessell, professor of biochem- improving the economic health of istry and molecular biophysics at the Col- Harlem.” Gov. Pataki had previously lege of Physicians & Surgeons, and appointed Dais as vice-chair of the PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA Rafael Yuste, Columbia associate profes- Harlem Community Development Corp. This night view from space contrasts a well-lit Europe with a sparsely lit Africa. sor of biological sciences, will be codirec- tors of the institute. Based in California, the Kavli Foundation was established in Elliot Zupnick, Professor of 2000 by its Norwegian-born founder and Economics, Mourned Pediatric Asthma Poses Threat Liberace Scholar Named benefactor, Fred Kavli, to advance science for the benefit of humanity and to embers of the Economics Department lose to half of all children coming into asha Ross, a second-year graduate play- promote increased public understanding and the University community con- M Cthe New York City homeless shelter writing student, has been named the and support for scientists and their work. tinue to mourn the loss of Elliot Zupnick, T system have asthma, according to a report 2003-04 Liberace Scholar. For the third con- professor of economics, who died on Dec. in the March issue of The Archives of secutive year, Columbia’s School of the Arts 25. Zupnick was known for his outstanding Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, whose has received a grant from the Liberace Foun- Hynes Book Honored work in international economics, which he authors include Columbia’s Diane Mc- dation for the Performing and Creative Arts taught, initially at CUNY, and, since the Lean, Department of Psychiatry, and Irwin to provide a scholarship to a playwriting stu- 1970s, at Columbia’s Economics Depart- Redlener, associate dean at the Mailman dent in the Theater Arts division. The grant ment and the School of International and School of Public Health. will partially subsidize her tuition. Public Affairs. He was also director of the Some 740 children in three New York Ross complements her studies at Colum- Institute on Western Europe, now the Insti- City shelters participated in the study, bia with an internship at the Cherry Lane tute for the Study of Europe, from 1981- which comes at a time when asthma is on Theatre in New York. In November, Ross 1990. Zupnick earned his doctorate in eco- the rise nationally. Children in poorer, had a reading at the Cherry Lane of her per- nomics from Columbia in 1954. He retired urban areas are more likely to suffer from formance piece, Subways and Bedrooms, a in the 1991 but continued his research, most the disease because of the higher number collection of six monologues of young, recently publishing the book Visions and of such lung irritants as mold, dust and African-American women commenting on Revisions (1999). His remarkable skills of cockroach feces in their environment. love, race and other topics. “I wanted to exposition and synthesis attracted many Also, the majority of children with write something that could give African- students to his classes. severe asthma were not taking the anti- American women more of a voice in the- inflammatory medication needed to con- ater—to give us a space where we can see SOA Student Chosen for trol it. The report will help researchers and hear things, unique to our experience as Chesterfield Writing Project better understand how to develop success- black women, specifically young black ful remedies to this illness. women,” said Ross. andi Groff, SOA’03, is spending the Syear in Los Angeles as part of the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project (WFP). Quotable Columbian A playwright, Groff joins five other writers in the program. Each will create two origi- n an interview with London’s The Independent previewing his nal, feature-length screenplays. Groff has IBBC4 documentary Historians of Genius, University Professor ere the old Chinese gods divine been paired with writing mentor Sam Harp- bureaucrats or more personal Simon Schama declared that something was missing from most W er, who scripted Cheaper by the Dozen, and current-day history writing—life. After lauding the efforts of such guardian spirits? In his book Way and executive mentor Pam Abdy, former head Byway: Taoism, Local Religion and Mod- giants as Edward Gibbon, Lord Macaulay and Thomas Carlyle, of Danny DeVito’s production company. At on whom the program is based, Schama said, “History’s adven- els of Divinity (University of California the end of the year, WFP writers will be Press, 2002), Robert Hynes, Columbia ture has become a bit lost. It’s not as explosive as it used to be. introduced to literary agents and agencies. What we need to recover is our reckless literary courage… Popu- professor of Chinese history, attempts to Recently, 15 films by WFP alumni have answer this and other questions that have lar narrative history was never entirely lost. It was just conde- been produced, including A Walk to scended to by the juggernaut of academic history which seemed puzzled scholars in recent years by study- Remember and Free Willy 2. ing the exorcist sects and Immortals cults to dictate how and to whom you wrote.”.

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