Kudos

Recognition for Dartmouth faculty, staff, and students

Kevin J. Cummings, a research associate in the physiology department at Dartmouth Medical School, has been awarded a fellowship to the Parker B. Francis Foundation Fellowship Program. As one of 18 fellows selected, Cummings is in the company of some of the most promising scientists in the field of pulmonary research. “The Parker B. Francis award will help me in the near future to establish my own research program that investigates the physiological, genetic, and environmental determinants of SIDS,” says Cummings. The Parker B. Francis Foundation Fellowship provides funding to outstanding young lung researchers in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Carla Richters, costume shop manager for the Department of Theater, is the inaugural holder of the Jack Suesse Memorial Trophy, which she won at the 2008 USITT (United States Institute for Theater Technology) convention, held in March. Richters received the traveling trophy, which was built from a rigging pulley from the Palladium Theatre in New York, for winning USITT’s annual “Stump the Riggers” challenge, in which participants quiz a panel of theater industry experts. Richter’s question was judged the best of the 2008 competition.

Reggie Schickel ’09 was the winner of the “Most Original Ad” award in MoveOn.org’s “Obama in 30 Seconds” video competition for his submission “What We Can Draw from Obama.” The animated cartoon was recognized as most original out of the 1,100 advertisements submitted by students, filmmakers, and advertising professionals. As part of the judging process, “What We Can Draw from Obama” was chosen based on overall impact, originality, and consistency with “the positive message fueling Obama’s campaign.” The winning video can be viewed at http://obamain30seconds.org/?rc=homepage.

Megan Steven ’02, visiting assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences and assistant dean of the faculty for special projects, is featured in the Discovery Channel’s segment “When Senses Collide.” In the video, available online at http://science.discovery.com/tv/senses-collide/steven/steven.html, Steven discusses the condition known as synesthesia, and how it can be observed by using brain-imaging techniques. “Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon that is characterized by a union between the senses—there is a mixing of the senses in the brain,” explains Steven. An example of synesthesia is someone who sees color in response to hearing a specific word. Her appearance on the site was filmed by the Dartmouth Media Production Group.

Ian Tapu ’08 has been awarded a Humanity in Action Fellowship for his outstanding commitment to human rights and minority issues. Chosen from a large pool of undergraduate applicants, the selection board recognized Tapu for his leadership ability, demonstrated interest in serving underrepresented groups, and high academic achievement. As part of the fellowship, Tapu, a Native American studies major and public policy minor, will join 11 American and European fellows in New York for an intensive program exploring how Americans understand, practice, and manage diversity. He will then continue his training abroad in Berlin, Germany, with the internship portion of the fellowship, which will allow him to work for a non-governmental organization—Eine Welt der Vielfalt (A World of Diversity)—that offers diversity and antibias education programs.

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