Notables

Francis Barany, professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been named to the 2004 Scientific American 50, Scientific American magazine's annual list recognizing leadership in science and technology from the past year. Barany is included as a "Research Leader in Medical Diagnostics" for his role in the development of a universal array genomic chip that allows for the rapid and accurate detection of cancers and other diseases -- especially breast and colon cancer. "As an avid reader of Scientific American since the age of 10, I was honored to be recognized for our work in DNA chips and mutation detection. The true credit belongs to my postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and collaborators, without whom the work would not have been possible," Barany commented. "I've never been afraid to collaborate with people smarter than me." Scientific American 50 winners will be honored Nov. 16 during a celebration at the New York Academy of Sciences in New York City.

Ronald Hoy, the David and Dorothy Merksamer Professor of Biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, has won the 2004 Education Award from the Association of Neuroscience Departments and Programs (ANDP). The award was conferred Oct. 23 at the ANDP annual meeting in San Diego, where Hoy was cited for "contributions to education and training in neuroscience." In particular, the association noted Hoy's neural-systems courses at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory as well as his development of the Cornell Crawdad Project, which promotes the use of invertebrates in undergraduate physiology and neuroscience courses. Hoy said he was honored to be in the company of previous ANDP Education Award recipients, such as neurologist Oliver Sacks, an A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell, and Floyd Bloom, former editor of the journal Science. More information on Project Crawdad is at: http://www.crawdad.cornell.edu/home.html.

Stephen Pope, the Sibley College Professor of Mechanical Engineering, has been elected vice chair of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics (APS/DFD). In subsequent years he will serve as chair-elect and then chair of the division. The APS/DFD is the principal professional organization for physicists and engineers working in the field of fluid dynamics.

LeNorman J. Strong is the co-author of an article that has been named Best Feature Article for 2004 by the National Association of College Auxiliary Services (NACAS). Strong, assistant vice president for student and academic services and director of Campus Life at Cornell, co-authored the article "Putting the Puzzle Together" with H. David Porter, FCSI, CEO of Porter Consulting Worldwide Inc. in NACAS's association journal, College Services. The article, which appeared in the October 2003 issue, was on planning for on-campus student centers/unions. The award was announced at the 36th annual NACAS conference in Orlando, Fla., this past Oct. 26. Strong commented: "Because student centers are so vital in the day-to-day life of the campus community, we thought it would be helpful to our peers to contribute to the effort of better understanding some of the key issues involved in planning and programming for a successful center. I also needed a way to get beyond some of the mistakes I've made in renovation and construction planning, and there have been a few. Having our article recognized for that contribution is immensely gratifying." The authors said that the role a student center plays on campus is critical to student life and that the key to success is putting together the pieces of the puzzle -- facilities, services and amenities -- in a manner that supports institutional goals.