Notables

Robert L. Harris Jr., vice provost for diversity and faculty development and associate professor of African-American history, has been awarded the 2003 Carter G. Woodson Scholars Medallion for distinguished work in the field of African-American life and history. Harris received the honor during the 88th annual meeting of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) in Milwaukee this September. The Woodson award is presented annually to a scholar whose career is distinguished through at least a decade of research, writing and activism in the field of African-American life and history. ASALH, founded by Carter G. Woodson in 1915, inaugurated the Woodson Scholars Medallion in 1993. Woodson, considered by many as the "father of black history," began publishing the Journal of Negro History (now the Journal of African American History) in 1916, established Negro History Week in 1926 (expanded to Black History Month in 1976) and authored some 18 books. Previous recipients of the Woodson Medallion have included John Hope Franklin, John Henrik Clarke, Adelaide Cromwell, Darlene Clark Hine and Lerone Bennett Jr. Harris served as president of ASALH in 1991-93.

Ergonomist Alan Hedge, professor of design and environmental analysis and director of Cornell's Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory, will receive the Alexander J. Williams Jr. Design Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society for "outstanding human factors contributions to the design of a major operational system" at the society's annual meeting, Oct. 13-17, in Denver. He is being awarded for work that resulted in a new generation of ergonomically designed lift trucks that are now in worldwide operation. About 15 years ago, Hedge worked with local industrial designers and a forklift truck company to redesign new vehicles using what was then a novel "inside-out" human-centered approach. The new trucks were designed around the operator's needs, with special attention paid to maximizing operator comfort, minimizing the risk of accidents and maximizing productivity. Hedge developed a strategy that systematically incorporated ergonomics information at every stage of the design process for lift trucks and that substantially influenced future designs. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society has 21 technical groups, 69 local and student chapters and an international membership of more than 5,200, most of whom are in the United States, Canada and Europe. Its mission is to promote the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems and devices of all kinds.

William Balinbin, a senior in the School of Hotel Administration, was selected in September to receive the third annual AAA Five Diamond Scholarship of $5,000 for the 2003-04 academic year. AAA's Heathrow, Fla.-based organization honors outstanding hospitality students enrolled in educational institutions involved with the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation's (AH&LEF) annual scholarship grant program. Based on various criteria, AAA selects, on a rotating basis, universities and colleges with exceptional hospitality management programs to receive the award. Each year, the selected institution nominates a student candidate for the award, based on academic performance, hospitality work experience, extracurricular involvement and financial need. Balinbin, from Lahaina on the island of Maui, Hawaii, is a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm as a firefighter. After enrolling at Cornell, he co-founded and continues to manage a volunteer industry organization, Hoteliers Volunteering Today.