Notables

Linda Donahue has been appointed director of the Great Lakes district for the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) Division of Extension. In her new position, she oversees the ILR school's workplace training and education programs and faculty efforts in the greater western New York area, including training and professional development workshops, college credit courses, research, economic development and technical assistance. The Great Lakes district serves private- and public-sector employers and unions, nonprofits, government agencies, trade and professional associations and community groups. Last June, ILR extension's Buffalo and Rochester districts merged into one Great Lakes district, retaining an office in each city, to broaden its scope and ability to deliver programs. Donahue was appointed interim director before being named to the permanent position this fall. She was senior extension associate/director of labor programs for the new district from October 2002 until June 2003. Before that, she had been senior extension associate/director of labor and special programs with ILR extension's Rochester district and extension associate/director of special programs in Rochester. A former aide to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-28th Dist.), Donahue co-produced a video in 2002 about Rochester's labor history. A graduate of St. John Fisher College with a major in psychology, she is completing a graduate degree in social policy studies at Empire State College.

June Nasrallah, professor of plant biology, was presented with the Martin Gibbs Medal by the American Society of Plant Biologists at the society's annual meeting in Honolulu in July. The society awards the Martin Gibbs Medal biennially, and it is named for the long-time editor (1963-92) of the journal Plant Science. The award is given to the scientist who pioneers advances that establish new directions for plant biologists. The award citation reads: "Dr. June Nasrallah has been a pioneer in elucidating the molecular basis of self-incompatibility. The mechanism of self-incompatibility has been an enigma since first described by Darwin. As a result of incisive experiments conducted over more than 15 years, Nasrallah's group has utilized the methods of genetics, cell biology and molecular biology to identify the male and female determinants of self-incompatibility in Brassica." In accepting the award, Nasrallah acknowledged her students, postdoctoral researchers and colleagues whose work went into the discoveries. "It is extremely gratifying to have our research attract the attention of colleagues responsible for awarding this medal. By 'our research' I mean the research efforts of the students, postdoctoral fellows and colleagues who have contributed to the endeavor," she said.