The 2002 Levitan Prize in the Humanities has been awarded to Diana Henderson , an associate professor of literature. Henderson studies dramatic literature, Renaissance literature and women's studies. She plans to use the $25,000 prize to research her upcoming book "Shakespeare's Europe" which will examine the historical and political setting in Europe at the time Shakespeare wrote. The Levitan Prize is presented annually to a faculty member in the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
Dr. Alice P. Gast, vice president for research and associate provost, has been elected to the board of directors for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. The NSBRI, a NASA-funded consortium of 12 research institutions including MIT, seeks solutions to health concerns facing astronauts on long missions. MIT is a consortium member. "Dr. Gast's background as a renowned researcher is a natural addition to our board," said Dr. Bobby R. Alford, NSBRI board chairman and chief executive officer. "Her experience as a NASA-funded researcher gives her an ideal perspective of the Institute's needs." Gast received funding from NASA's Microgravity Research Program for three projects in the area of fluid physics.
A recent paper by Stanley Gershwin, a senior research scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and associate director of the Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, received two awards from the Institute of Industrial Engineers at its annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., from May 19-22. The paper, which was published in IIE Transactions in October 2000, was titled "Design and Operation of Manufacturing Systems: The Control-Point Policy." It received the Best Paper Award for the IEEE Transactions Focus Issues on Design and Manufacturing for 2000-01 and the Outstanding IIE Publication Award for 2000-01.
ITS Massachusetts (Intelligent Transportation Systems), the state chapter of ITS America, recently established an award named after Joseph M. Sussman, the J.R. East Professor and a professor of civil and environmental engineering. Sussman helped found the chapter seven years ago and served on its board until last year. He was also a member of the ITS America board for six years. To recognize his contributions to intelligent transportaton systems, the annual award will be presented to a someone who has provided leadership in the field. The first award was presented in April to Elizabeth Councilman of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, who serve as president of ITS Massachusetts in its early years.
Sara Pritchard, a postdoctoral associate in history, has been awarded the 2001 Rachel Carson Dissertation Prize for the best dissertation in environmental history. Her dissertation is titled "Recreating the Rhone: Nature and Technology in France Since World War II." The prize is awarded by the American Society for Environmental History. Pritchard is the postdoctoral associate of the Sawyer Seminar series, "Modern Times, Rural Places" which is jointly sponsored by the history faculty and the Program in Science, Technology and Society. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford University.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on June 5, 2002.
