Blue Jay Buffet

May at Hopkins

Congratulations Class of 2008, You Made It!
The academic exercises ending the university's 132nd year were held at 9:15am on Thursday, May 22nd at Homewood Field.  President Brody presided over his final series of commencement ceremonies after 12 years of service to the nine divisions as President.  The undergraduates, after four long years of minimal sleep, too much caffeine, and a string of wins and losses, received their diplomas along with precious memories, intellectual and personal growth, and a ticket to the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. With William Nye -- also known as Bill Nye the Science Guy -- as the keynote speaker, the graduates were empowered with words of wisdom as they face the next stepping stones of their lives.  Masters and doctoral degrees were also given adding to a total of more than 6,600 degrees conferred.  Relive the celebrations of commencement (including what would appear to be one of the university's youngest graduates ever) with this short video.

NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championship 2008
The renown JHU Lacrosse team traveled to  Foxborough, Massachusetts on May 26th to battle Syracuse at the Gillette Stadium.  Although the Blue Jays carry the NCAA Division I Lacrosse Championship title of 2007, they were unable to claim the title for the following year as Syracuse finished the game with a lead of 13-0.  However, Senior midfielder Paul Rabil scored a career-high of six goals in the intense, neck-to-neck game.  After a 11-6 season, the players were pleased with a worthy second-place finish.  To read a detailed account of the play-by-plays throughout the championship game, click here.

NCAA Division III Baseball National Championship 2008
The National Championship game in the Division III College World Series took place in Appleton, Wisconsin on May 27th.  The Blue Jays needed two wins against undefeated Trinity to garner their first National Championship title.  After an initial win with a score of 4-3 (the first loss for Trinity all year), the players were unable to capture the title with a loss of 5-4.  To read a detailed account of the championship game, click here.  However, the Blue Jays led an incredible season with this NCAA Runner-Up finish, two regional title game appearances, and two Centennial Conference Championships.  This year's Blue Jays finished with the most wins in school history.  To read the official letter composed by the administration congratulating the students for a strong finish in all areas of competition this year, click here.

Framework for the Future
Provost Kristina Johnson and President Brody are following the precedent of the plan set forth by the Committee for the 21st Century (C21) in 1994 which led to a building campaign that has nearly doubled  Hopkins' teaching and research space along with developmental campaigns that have collectively raised more than $4.67 billion.  Forming the Framework for the Future project, Provost Johnson and President Brody hope to maintain Hopkins' leadership in research, discovery, creativity, education and practice.  To read more about the specifics of this new plan, read the following articles:

• http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2008/12may08/12future.html
• http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2008/19may08/19frame.html

Colbert Bump for JHU Alumna's New Book
Jennifer Hooper McCarty, alumna of the Whiting School of Engineering, recently joined Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" for her recent book What Really Sank the Titanic.  Dr. McCarty received her Masters and Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering at Hopkins in 2003.  Watch her defend her senior thesis which argues that faulty rivets ultimately caused the Titanic to sink.

Gilman Hall Atrium Design Ideas 
Throughout the spring semester, 15 civil engineering undergraduates enrolled in the Design and Synthesis II course had the opportunity to creatively combine their structural engineering knowledge to brainstorm ideas for the looming Gilman Hall Atrium.  The class focused on sustainability and taught the students how to apply modern materials and techniques to revitalize structures within their historic context as Gilman Hall is Homewood's first academic building.  Read more in the Diary of a Renovation which documents the renovation process of Gilman Hall. More info also in this article: click here. 

Rocker Becomes JHU Press Author
Brian May, founding guitarist of the rock band Queen, is now a JHU Press author.  May recently received his Ph.D in astrophysics and co-authored the new book Bang!: The Complete History of the Universe.  The book takes readers on a tour of what is known about the evolution of the Universe and also posits how the end of time will come.

Marketing Class gets Attention from the Pentagon
Fourteen students in spring semester's Advertisement and Promotion course were invited to compete in the competition hosted by the U.S. Navy and EdVenture Partners (a firm that matches universities with real-world clients seeking to target the student market).  Hopkins was one of seven universities asked to participate.  Winning the competition, Hopkins received a Scholastic Achievement Award and $1,000.  In addition, five students from the class will travel to the Pentagon in June to present the winning "It's More than a Uniform" campaign to senior Navy officials (including the director of Navy personnel).  Read more here.

Truman Scholars
This year, two third year undergraduates in the Hopkins family were recognized as Truman Scholars.  In addition, Hopkins was named 2008 Truman Foundation Honor Institution for its promotion of the value of public service.  Since 1984, the University had 12 students receive the coveted recognition.  To read about the winners, click here.

BME Design Projects
Every year, Biomedical Engineering students form groups to devise new tools to help diagnose and treat patients.  The projects are judged at Design Day by a select panel, and many faculty members of the School of Medicine attend seeking new or enhanced tools for their own use.  This year's winners created a SurgyPack, an ICU mover, and a device made to improve visibility of markers used in focus-beam radiation therapy for cancer treatment.  Many recent BME team projects have led to provisional patents, licensing agreements, and start-up companies.  Read more about this year's winner's here.

Coming Soon: Hopkins (after Grey's Anatomy) 
Premiering June 26th, ABC will run a six-part series that takes an intimate look at the men and women who call Johns Hopkins Hospital their home. Learn more about this ground-breaking series, and check out some of the trailers for the show: click here.

April at Hopkins

April at Hopkins is a magical time. Spring is in the air and students emerge from their winter hibernation to sit on the beach, enjoy Spring Fair, and smell the magnolias (we don't have too many roses on campus). Hopkins announced a new initiative for minority faculty, reunion weekend came round once again, and there was a lot of theater on campus. The chocolate festival fattened us up and the ROTC push-up competition slimmed us down.  The engineering school sponsored a video competition and the professionals created a new commercial for Hopkins. So much happens at Hopkins in April, read on to find out more!

New “Mosaic Initiative” Aims to attract more minority faculty

Provost Kristina Johnson announces $5 million support for the Mosaic Initiative, which seeks to increase diversity among faculty hires. The campaign seeks to attract women and underrepresented minorities to the University’s faculty.  Both Johnson and President Brody believe that recruiting a diverse faculty is necessary for the full exploration of the University’s teaching, research, patient care and service goals. Said Johnson on the initiative, "Our aim is to create a mosaic of the best and the brightest faculty across all our schools and in all our disciplines, a mosaic including rising stars interested in becoming part of the intellectual life of this great institution." For more information, click here .

Reunion Weekend brings Alumni back to Homewood

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend was a huge success! Over 4,000 Hopkins alumni arrived on campus for the weekend of April 11-13th, raising over $46 million from their Reunion classes and representing 70 years of alumni. They were also there to cheer on the Hopkins Blue Jays in their 10-4 victory over Maryland.

For more information and photos, check out http://alumni.jhu.edu/reunion/


Spring Fair 2008

The kick off event Thursday night at the Levering Quad started things off with a bang- with a great fireworks display. There was a double line-up for the main concert, featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Reel Big Fish. Vendors came out in full force with annual favorites like “chicken on a stick” and “deep fried oreos”, and the Arts booths had over 100 vendors selling everything from fused glass sculptures to silk clothing. To check out the list of everyone who turned up, check out http://www.jhuspringfair.com/

Research is flourishing at Hopkins! (As usual)

Undergraduate research had a wonderful showcase in April, with both the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Poster session and the Provost’s Undergraduate Research Awards poster session. Both programs provide funding to undergraduate students to pursue their own independent research anywhere in the world.

The poster sessions provided an opportunity for students who have completed their research to present their work to faculty, friends, and mentors who have helped them along the way.

For more information, check out this Woodrow Wilson fellowship article featuring two of the graduating Wilson fellows.

And take a look at this in-depth look at 7 of the PURA projects, chronicled in this article.


Arts Innovation Grant to Sponsor Student and Faculty Art Endeavors

Launched in 2006, the Arts Innovation Grant has awarded about $25,000 to faculty who hope to launch new interdisciplinary arts courses or students wishing to create new arts ventures. Samples of projects funded include courses such as “A History of Musical Instruments” and a class entitled “Intermedia Studio”, which seeks to combine normally unrelated art forms into new media.

Student-proposed ventures which received funding include the new “Concerto and Aria Competition” and a “Senior Showcase” of experimental theater. The Arts Innovation Grant arose out of the “Homewood Arts Task Force”, which aimed to strengthen the arts community at the Homewood campus.

For more information about some of the grant recipients, check out these articles

http://www.jhu.edu/~gazette/2007/03dec07/03innov.html
http://www.jhu.edu/news/home08/apr08/arts_grant.html

Read the blog entry Michelle Brown, grant recipient, wrote about her Senior Showcase 

WSE Video Competition announces finalists

11 student-created videos have been submitted to the Whiting School of Engineering’s Video Competition, and they’re looking to name the “People’s Choice” award! Students in the Whiting school conceived, wrote, filmed, and produced 2-3 minute videos about “Engineering” at Hopkins, and the 11 submissions are up on the web site waiting for votes. Check out the videos, and vote for your favorites, here.

Center For Social Concern sponsored its annual Chocolate Festival

The Center for Social Concern turned the Glass Pavilion into a Chocolaty wonderland on April 3rd when they hosted their annual Chocolate Festival. They had samples of treats from Lindt, Whole Foods, Tharakar Brothers Ice Cream, and Cookies by Design. They also hosted two competitions during the day- the Pudding eating competition, and the Top Chef bake-off. The $5 entrance fee, which included the samples from the vendors and access to the silent auctions and raffles, went to fund a Teach for America class’s school field trip. For more information about the Center for Social Concern, click here.

New Johns Hopkins Television Ad shows off our Passion

Johns Hopkins has a new TV spot to advertise the school during televised lacrosse games. Featuring Hopkins junior Wren Haaland, a 2006 International Jump Rope champion, and Peter Agre, a Hopkins professor and 2003 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. Both individuals show incredible passion for what they do, and both represent very different sides of Hopkins. Check out the TV commercial, and get more information about Wren and Peter, here.

Summer Outdoor Film Series searches for its 2008 lineup

The Summer Outdoor Film series began accepting votes for their summer movies. Every summer in June and July, the University sponsors movies to be shown on a huge screen on the Upper Quad in front of Gilman hall. Students and local families bring out blankets, food, and enjoy live music followed by the movie screening. The movies are always chosen by vote, so check out the candidates (and vote for your favorites, if you’ll be here this summer!) here.


Tristan Davies, Writing Seminars professor, publishes a new piece in the Johns Hopkins Magazine

The April issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine features a new short piece of fiction (entitled “Transport Phenomena”) by Hopkins Writing Seminars professor Tristan Davies. Davies teaches fiction workshops, focusing on formative genres in fiction and the evolution of the short shorty.  His honors include a Maryland Artist’s Award, the George and Eliza Gardner Howard Foundation Award in Fiction, a Visiting Artist residency at the American Academy of Rome, and the JHU Alumni Association Award for Excellence in Teaching. Check out his latest piece here.

Up for the Count
Pecs flexed, triceps burned and Homewood deans displayed some physical
prowess at the Johns Hopkins ROTC's first-ever push-up contest, held
on the Freshman Quad. Read more here.

March at Hopkins

March at Hopkins was full of greetings and farewells; at the end of March, the Admissions staff sent letters of congratulations to the class of 2012 which President Bill Brody announced that he will be retiring from his long run as President of the University. Between these hello's and goodbye's, there were short plays, the announcement of the new Young Trustee, art exhibits at Peabody, and networking opportunities for Engineers. Take a look at this past March at Hopkins!

FAREWELL, PRESIDENT BRODY

After 12 years as President of Johns Hopkins, Bill Brody announced his eminent retirement on March 10. Brody, 64, will have led the university for the fifth-longest tenure among Johns Hopkins' 13 presidents. His retirement will coincide with the conclusion of the $3.2 billion Johns Hopkins: Knowledge for the World campaign. In a press release last month, Brody told students and faculty that although he has loved his job, leaving is "inevitable" and sometimes "constructive", and that he believes he has reached that point.

During his Presidency, Brody:

• Established the Carey Business School, the School of Education and numerous interdisciplinary centers such as the Institute for NanoBioTechnology, the Center for Africana Studies, the Center for Global Health, the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response, the Information Security Institute, the Institute for Cell Engineering and the Malaria Research Institute.
• Focused attention on the undergraduate experience both in and outside the classroom, by building new residential, art and recreational facilities; enhancing programs aimed at building a sense of campus community; inaugurating popular academic programs such as museum studies, theater, and entrepreneurship and management; strengthening security measures on campus and in adjacent neighborhoods; and creating new opportunities for undergraduates to take part in original research.
• Created and largely built out a master plan for its Homewood campus in northern Baltimore that emphasized a serene outdoor environment; modern, interdisciplinary research facilities; and a welcoming new entrance and visitor center.
• Expanded and modernized the research and education facilities of the health professions schools on the East Baltimore campus as part of a master plan that also has led to the construction, now under way, of two new clinical towers at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• Revitalized the aging Mount Vernon campus of the Peabody Institute, creating one of the finest music conservatory facilities in the world.
• Expanded Hopkins presence in locations from Rockville, Md., to Washington, D.C., to Nanjing, China.
• Celebrated Nobel Prizes to two full-time faculty members and three graduates; also celebrated NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championships in 2005 and 2007.
• Made significant progress in the diversification of its student body, faculty and administration; committed to aggressive continued improvement in the recruitment of women and underrepresented minorities.

Brody will step down from the position December 31, and until then, the University is on the lookout for the next President. For more information, check out this news release and this web site created in honor of President Brody.

NEW YOUNG TRUSTEE

On March 10, the Board of Trustees voted a new member into their ranks: Michelle Brown, a member of the Student Admissions Advisory Board and Hopkins Interactive! Each year, one Young Trustee position opens up, and the Board of Trustees elects one graduating senior from the Homewood campus to serve a four-year term as a Young Trustee. Starting next year, Brown will be one of four Young Trustees on the Board and will serve for the next four years. During her time at Hopkins, Brown has been quite busy: she is a neuroscience major with minors in music and theater arts, she has been involved with Wind Ensemble, Barnstormers, Johns Hopkins University Theatre, and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Brown says that she's looking forward to her responsibilities as Young Trustee. To read more about it, click here .

ART EXHIBIT AT THE PEABODY LIBRARY

To celebrate the [would-be] 500th birthday of famous architect Andrea Palladio, the Peabody Library featured a special exhibit. Part of the Baltimore Festival of Maps, this exhibit traced Palladio's lasting legacy in building design down through the centuries. On display were first editions of rare architectural treatises, hand-colored maps, and original prints from the 15th through the 19th centuries. According to co-curator Judith Proffitt, program coordinator at the University's Homewood Museum, Palladio's European designs were the inspiration for many Baltimore buildings. The exhibit will run through June 17 and is free and open to the public. The works on display have been collected from all around Baltimore, including many of the University's various libraries. Get further details by clicking here.

PLAYS FOR AN AUDIENCE WITH A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN

The weekend of March 7, Johns Hopkins University Theater presented a series of seven short (but sweet) plays in the Merrick Barn. The new play festival was experimental and abstract, but managed to keep the audience entertained and engaged. Among the playwrights were students Sal Gentile, Jackie Jennings, Liz Eldridge, and Joseph Micali. The short plays were varied, featuring topics from alcoholism to Boltzmann brains to life under a volcano. The closing play happened to be the winner of the American College Theatre Festival Region II 10-Minute Play contest: "Without Parachutes", written and directed by sophomore Eric Levitz. In this play, plane crash victims escape the terror of their imminent deaths by they recreating their first date, but their flashback is constantly interrupted by the realities their present situation. One can't argue with the American College Theater Festival: This play was a winner. By the end of the weekend, the playwrights were proud, and the audiences impressed - a success overall. To read the News-Letter's review, click here .

QUICK! IT'S FASTPITCH SOFTBALL

For students that appreciate a little adrenaline to keep them going throughout the week, the University introduced a fun, no-stress Fastpitch Softball Club. Anyone is encouraged to join, from serious ball players with athletic experience to students who barely know what a softball looks like. The new club is in the process of scheduling scrimmages with other teams in the area, and its member will soon be decked out in brand-new uniforms. The softball club is promised to be an exciting new addition for Hopkins athletics, which is rapidly expanding each year. They may not be the nationally acclaimed Lacrosse team, but they're going to be sure to have fun!

MINING THE "AFRO-AMERICAN" ARCHIVES

The Center for African Studies and the Sheridan Libraries'  Center for Educational Resources have embarked on the Diaspora Pathways Archival Access Project, a student internship program funded by a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This project will preserve the immense archival holdings of The Afro-American Newspaper, a fantastic publication for Baltimore's African-American community. The longest-running periodical of its kind in the United States, the family-owned newspaper covers both national and international news from an African-American perspective. Most of the publication's archival collection, which includes older print editions and thousands of photographs, currently resides in stacks of boxes in the "morgue" of its Baltimore headquarters, but the Project promises to dig these findings out of hiding and make them accessible to the public.      In November, the program selected five students from Johns Hopkins, Goucher College and Morgan State University as its initial cohort to uncover and describe the contents of the paper's archives. To read more about the initiative, click here.

February at Hopkins

February here at Hopkins meant the kick-off of all Spring semester activities and lots of excitement -- from the start of Lacrosse season to student-curated museum exhibits to a great new lineup for the Foreign Affairs Symposium. The weather cleared up toward the end of the month, and dozens of students could be seen sprawled out on the lawns in between classes, studying or just soaking up the rays. It's understandable that these students need a little rest ... so much has happened in the past month!

Hopkins in Egypt & Egypt on the Web

During the Intersession period in January, Egyptologist Betsy Bryan took a group of undergraduates on an archaeological expedition to Egypt. Now, the team is sharing their work with the world through an online diary, a digital window into the day-to-day life of their expedition. The Web site, Hopkins in Egypt Today, features photos of the Johns Hopkins group working for their 13th year in Luxor.  The goal of the Hopkins in Egypt Today Web site is to educate visitors by exposing them to the elements of an archaeological work in progress. University photographer Jay VanRensselaer will capture images of the team as they work. The Web site's daily photos and detailed captions emphasize not only discoveries but also the teamwork among Bryan, her colleagues and their "gufti," the local crew members who are trained in archaeology. The Web site typically garners more than 50,000 hits every winter when the dig is taking place.

Black History Month

February was National Black History Month, and Hopkins hosted a myriad of events to highlight Black achievement in the arts, science and literature. A weekly film screening, every Tuesday evening in Charles Commons, showed Spike Lee's documentary on Hurricane Katrina and its cultural impacts on the Africa-American community in Louisiana. Each year there is a different theme for Hopkins' Black History Month, and this year, it was VISAGE: Visualizing Independence While Studying African Greatness Everywhere. In the Arts sector, there was a step show, a choir concert, a talent show and a poetry slam. For the lecture lovers, there were discussions on black identity, presentations on homophobia in hip-hop and a speech by Baltimore City State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy. All events were free and widely attended by students and faculty alike. Follow these links for more information: February 4, 2008 JHU Gazette Article & Announcement for the Black History Month film series.

Foreign Affairs Symposium

A talk by Paul Rusesabagina, the inspiration behind the film Hotel Rwanda, opened the 2008 Foreign Affairs Symposium, a student-run series that for the past 10 years has brought to the Homewood campus a celebrated group of high-powered speakers to address matters of global importance.  This year's panel discussions and lecturers centers around the theme A Decade of Discussion, an examination of the major changes and continuities in politics, economics, human rights, war and technology over the past 10 years. Specific topics include Islam, global health, climate change, Iran, Iraq, the world economy and U.S. national security. The 2008 symposium features Mike McConnell, U.S. director of National Intelligence and former Navy admiral (March 12); Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize winner and former chief economist of the World Bank (April 8); Kimberly Dozier, a CBS news correspondent who was wounded in Iraq (April 14); and Robert Baer, a former CIA operative and the inspiration for the film Syriana (date TBA). All events are free and open to the public. Read the February 4, 2008 JHU Gazette Article for further information.

Hubble Images at the Walters Museum

One of 10 interstellar wonders on display in a Walters Art Museum exhibit is an image from the Hubble Telescope, called Mapping the Cosmos: Images from the Hubble Space Telescope. The exhibit has been co-curated by undergraduates from Johns Hopkins' Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. The show serves to illustrate the inherent beauty of the cosmos by using images that have been instrumental in tracking its evolutionary history. Mapping the Cosmos, which opened this past month, will be seen in conjunction with a larger exhibition called Maps: Finding Our Place in the World, which arrives in Baltimore in March from Chicago's Field Museum. This show has been made possible largely by the efforts of Elizabeth Rodini, associate director of the Program in Museums and Society. Rodini brainstormed with the Walter's Museum to come up with a course called Behind the Scenes at the Walters Art Museum course. The course was held during the fall semester and was dedicated to putting together this Hubble exhibit. Learn more about the course, and the exhibit, by clicking here.

B'More Aware!

The Center For Social Concern hosted three B'More Aware Days throughout the course of the month. This volunteer extravaganza featured a day of drop-in service projects - where volunteers could assemble hygiene kits, make beaded key chains and write letters to soldiers in Iraq - a day of food and gaming services, and an open service day at various service sites in Baltimore. The Center for Social Concern emphasizes the necessity of a connection between the Homewood campus and the surrounding communities, and these service days present great opportunities for students to get out into the city and get involved with service.

Hollywood Hits Hopkins

With Oscar season fever and the much-celebrated end of the Writers' Strike, Hopkins decided to celebrate Hollywood as well. Members of the Hopkins community were proud to view the film Charlie Wilson's War when it hit theaters this past month, because "Doc Long" - a star character in the film and an important congressman in U.S. History - portrays none other than Professor Clarence D. Long, a member of the Johns Hopkins Political Economy Department from 1946 to 1963. In the 1950s, students in Long's Economics classes never would have guessed that their professor would become a well-known U.S. congressman, or that he would be portrayed by actor Ned Beatty in this 2008 hit movie. Following this fever, the Homewood campus saw another celebrity. On February 8, actor Kal Penn - star of Harold and Kumar and The Namesake came to speak at Hopkins on behalf of Barack Obama. He garnered quite the large crowd - both fans of Penn and fans of Obama came to see the star speak out. The speech was sponsored by JHU Students for Barack Obama and JHU Votes. Click here to read more about about "Doc" and here for Kal Penn.

Engineers Week

The Whiting School of Engineering was proud to celebrate National Engineers Week, a week to recognize and appreciate the achievements made by engineers throughout history and around the world. Throughout the week of February 18-22, the Whiting School of Engineering hosted fun and entertaining events to help raise public awareness and show appreciation for the many engineers who have contributed to society. To read about all the events that took place during this week, click here.

January at Hopkins

Although classes didn't officially begin until the end of January, many students chose to return to Baltimore around January 7th to participate in the optional (yet highly recommended!) three-week period called Intersession. Students took advantage of a quieter campus, fun and unique course offerings, unique activities, and the chance to relax and explore all Baltimore has to offer.

WECOLME TO INTERSESSION 2008!

The Intersession Program offers courses for academic exploration, experiential learning, programs abroad and personal enrichment. Students could register for up to three credits, leaving plenty of time to try out different activities around campus and explore the city during the afternoons. Click here to read about one of the many unique Interesession experience from last year - Extreme Jump Rope.

This year, many freshmen chose to pursue explore Baltimore through the "B-More: A Common Freshman Experience," an academic and personal enrichment experience offered exclusively to freshmen in the last week of Intersession. To read more about what the freshmen discovered during this week, click here.

During Interession students had the option of choosing from classes like Italian, Boy/Girl Boy/Birl (Crossdressing Culture in America), Journalism, Stand-Up Comedy, and numerous other interesting courses that are only offered during this three-week period. Last year's course listings included Introduction to Playing the Appalachian Fiddle, Ballet for Adults, Introduction to Massage, Getting to Know Your Shadow, Healing with Color, Juggling, Beer History and Appreciation, Practical Chinese for Business and Pleasure, What Are Words For? and others.

This year, even President Brody took to the classroom to teach two classes: one on "uncommon sense" and another on flying.  Offered by the Whiting School of Engineering, the first class dealt with such everyday issues as making money, marketing yourself and prioritizing your time. Brody, who has been a licensed pilot for many years, designed the flying class to offer an introduction to the basic principles of flight and the process of obtaining a pilot's license. Read more about President Brody's classes by clicking here.

It's safe to say that every student who chose to return to campus early for Intersession found something worth coming back for.

JHU'S MISSION TO MERCURY

The MESSENGER spacecraft, built and managed by Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory, executed a landmark flight close to the planet Mercury in January. First of their kind images taken by the spacecraft are regulary being beamed back to Earth and making national and international news.

On January 14, the MESSENGER passed 124 miles above Mercury's surface and executed extensive scientific observations, including imaging a large portion of Mercury's surface that has never before been seen by a spacecraft. Read much more about the discoveries and see some of the images:

• Main MESSENGER site including numerous galleries: click here.
• January 14th JHU Gazette article: click here.
• CNN.com article about MESSENGER's accomplishments: click here.
• A second Gazette article on January 22 revealing new images: click here.

BIG ON CAMPUS: ELECTION 2008!

Students and administration alike are getting involved and getting the word out about the 2008 elections. The political attitude of the campus is diverse and ever-fluctuating, and it's common to hear people debating the issues while they walk to class.

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies' (JHU's well-known graduate school in D.C.) annual SAISphere magazine focuses this year on elections around the world, with essays from many faculty members, including Francis Fukuyama, Azar Nafisi, Riordan Roett and Ruth Wedgwood. Read individual articles or the entire issue by clicking here.

President Brody himself has gotten involved in the national campaign, promoting initiatives over the past few months to encourage a fuller, more meaningful discussion of healthcare issues. Over the past few weeks, he has been engaged in discussions with presidential candidates and other leaders for a series of half-hour television programs to air on Retirement Living Television, a national cable network. His discussion with Republican candidate Mitt Romney aired on January 14. He even was spotted at the State of the Union address. Read more about President Brody's Health Care '08: Search for Solutions program by clicking here.

And finally, Communications faculty member Erika Falk led a Podcast discussion on the topic of her recent book: what happened to women candidates - and how they were covered in the news media - in eight prior presidential elections. Click here to read the Gazette article about Professor Falk's work, and click here to check-out the podcast.

STUDENT-CURATED MUSEUM SHOW!

Homewood curator Catherine Rogers Arthur and students in the fall 2007 Introduction to Material Culture course, part of the Museums and Society Program, introduced the show “Welcome Little Stranger: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Family in Early Maryland” on Jan. 17 at Homewood Museum. The special display explored practices associated with pregnancy, childbirth and family at the turn of the 19th century. Cribs, cradles, silver baby bottle nipples, forceps, early medical books and other period items on display offer a look at practices, traditions and politics concerning childbirth and childrearing in early Maryland, particularly those of Baltimore families like the Carrolls of Homewood. The show is on view through March 30 as part of regular museum tours. Click here to read the Gazette article, and also read more about the show at the Homewood Museums web site.

December at Hopkins

December at Hopkins was festive, spirited, and overwhelmingly exciting. As the semester wrapped up, there was a lot more activity on campus besides just studying for finals (though we do admit, the library was quite a hot spot): plays, sporting events, lighthearted competitions, and the annual lighting of the quad! Here are some of the highlights...:

Let's Light Up the Quad

Each December, to welcome students into the holiday season and bring a little festivity to the tree-lined campus, the Student Council and the Deans' offices hold the "Lighting of the Quadrangles." On December 3 at 9 pm, herds of students and people from the community emerged from the library and the warmth of their houses to watch Mrs. Brody "flip the switch" to illuminate lampposts that had been artfully wrapped in lights by the Facilities Management staff. To celebrate the occasion, a capella groups and the JHU Pep Band performed holiday songs, and everyone was invited to indulge in free hot beverages, donuts, and Christmas-tree cookies. Read more about it by clicking here.

Engineers Without Borders: In Time Magazine!

On November 29, Time Magazine Online published a story about the volunteer group Engineers Without Borders. EWB is a national non-profit group that focuses on low-tech, high-impact projects in the developing world, implemented almost entirely by student engineers. There are chapters of EWB at universities across the United States, but Hopkins was among the few featured in this article! Engineering professor William Ball told the magazine that more than half of his department's students have signed up with Hopkins' EWB chapter, which is engaged in long-term work to improve irrigation in rural South Africa. Read the rest of the article, and see what Time has to say about Hopkins students, by clicking here.

Forward-Thinking

The evening of December 3, dozens of students and faculty members turned out to partake in a discussion held by beloved Professor Steven David. He discussed the recent Annapolis Conference, its possible outcomes and its implications for Israel and the United States. Students reported feeling well-informed and inspired after listening to David's insights on the current issues.

"Rap Sessions:" On New Orleans and Baltimore

On December 5, The Center for Africana Studies presented "Rap Session," an intellectual student exchange on the black experience. The theme of the exchange was "Tragic Visions of the City: New Orleans and Baltimore." The session was facilitated by the Department of Political Science's Blake Ethridge, and dozens of students went to Café Azafran to discuss or merely observe. The event was jointly sponsored by Center for Africana Studies, the CAS Student Advisory Council, the Black Graduate Student Association, and the Black Student Union.

Who Will Become Johns Hopkins' Next Top Model?

For a little light-hearted competition in the midst of not-so-light-hearted finals, dozens of Hopkins undergraduates battled it out to claim the title of Hopkins' Next Top Model. Tyra Banks was a bit too busy to make it to the event...but this year, President Brody joined the judges' panel! The competition was held on December 4 in the Glass Pavilion, and model-wannabees strutted their stuff on a makeshift runway, to the cheering and jeering of their adoring peers.

Hopkins Ranked First in R&D Spending for 28th Year in a Row

According to new National Science Foundation ranking, released on December 3, Hopkins performed $1.49 billion in science, medical and engineering research in fiscal year 2006, making it the leading U.S. academic institution in total R&D spending for the 28th year in a row. The university also ranked first — once again — on the NSF's separate list of federally funded research and development. Read more about it by clicking here.

Blue Jays Expected to Reign Supreme

On December 13, the votes were counted: it was announced that the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team earned the number one spot in the 2008 Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Poll. This is the third time in the last four years that Hopkins has earned the number one ranking in Face-Off Yearbook's Preseason Poll (2005, 2006) and the fifth straight year the Blue Jays have been ranked in the top two (2nd in 2004 and 2007). We're all looking forward to a great season! Read more about the team by clicking here.

November at Hopkins

November meant the first hints of holiday spirit, and a full calendar of openings and student-run events. And the highlights, in no particular order…:

Study Abroad Gets a Makeover
Hopkins created the Office of Study Abroad this past summer to help out the hundreds of undergraduates that choose to temporarily trade in the Homewood campus for foreign excursions. In November, the Office welcomed Lori Citti as its first official director. Citti will oversee all study abroad programs for the School of Arts and Sciences, and the University is excited to see what she has planned. Meet Lori, and read more about the new and improved study abroad programs by clicking here.

Change to Change the World
On November 1, the student-run group Engineers Without Borders unveiled their plan to build a nursery in Ecuador. They asked local businesses in Charles Village to keep collection jars by their cash registers, so students and members of the community can contribute to the effort. EWB also decided to add a little friendly competition to the mix: the class that donates the greatest amount of change to these collection jars will be entered into drawings for gift certificates to Chipotle and Coldstone’s Creamery. Read more about the various projects of Engineers Without Borders by clicking here.

Fall Sports Wrap-Up
The Blue Jays wrapped up their fall seasons in November, with a great many fans cheering them on. The men’s soccer team ended their season at a proud 18-4-0, finishing just on win shy of the school record. Women’s soccer closed at 14-5-2, which included an impressive nine game winning streak. Women's cross country closed their finest season in school history with a 29th-place finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships, and men’s cross country wrapped up with an 86th-place finish. The men’s waterpolo team placed seventh at Eastern Championships. In field hockey, juniors Leah Horton and Adair Landy were named Second Team All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association – this, too, was a first in Blue Jay history. The women’s volleyball team ended their season at an impressive 25-6, the third most wins in school history. Read more about all the teams by clicking here.

Sculpture, Prints, and Paintings: Oh My!
Student curators took initiative with exhibits this month. On November 5, seniors Gillian Maguire and Whitney Shaffer unveiled their exhibit titled “Renaissance Men: Classical Form in Art and Anatomy” at the Eisenhower Library. On November 14, undergraduates in the department of Museums and Society opened their show “Printed Sculpture/Sculpted Prints” at the BMA. Both exhibits are free and open to the public. Read more about them by clicking here.

Where Finance Meets Economics, There is…!
A new center! Hopkins welcomed the opening of the new Center for Financial Economics, an exciting and comprehensive new program that will eventually offer an undergraduate major and minor and train graduate students in financial economics. The center aims to demonstrate how the two facets of the economy are integrated. Learn more about the new program by clicking here.

Culture, Theater, and Comedy
So many different performances hit the stages this month, it was hard for students to pick just one to attend at a time! The Johns Hopkins University Theatre opened their production of Twelfth Night on November 9 to a full and admirable audience. The Barnstormers presented their comedic and original “Six Degrees of Separation.” On November 17, the Entertainer’s Club hosted a majestic night of juggling, fire spinning, unicycling, and other awe-inspiring talents. Perhaps the most well-attended of all performances was the CultureShow, an incredible collaboration of 20 of JHU’s finest performers from nearly every area of entertainment expertise.

October at Hopkins

October brought an array of weather patterns, fall colors, and a whole lot of events to campus! Here are some of the highlights:

Literary Magazine Returns to Hopkins
On October 2, Writing Seminars faculty, students, and general admirers gathered at Hodson Hall to celebrate the relaunch of the Hopkins Review. The literary magazine had been dormant for more than five decades, but recently the Writing Seminars and the Johns Hopkins University Press decided to bring it back – just in time for the 60th anniversary of the Writing Seminars program. Read all about the ceremony and the new magazine by clicking here.

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Confessions at Barnes and Noble
Frank Warren spoke at Barnes and Noble on October 9 to celebrate his new book “A Lifetime of Secrets.” He created the popular blog PostSecret.com and has been called “the most trusted stranger in America.” Herds of Hopkins students showed up to hear his confessions and witness his impressive multimedia presentation. Check out the site at PostSecret.com.

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Politicians Crusade at Hopkins!
The MSE Symposium hosted Martin O’Malley (Governor of Maryland and former mayor of Baltimore City), Howard Dean (grassroots Democratic politician), and Danny Glover (actor and political activist) on three separate nights. This “triple play” was not just attended by Political Science and International Studies majors – everyone was welcome to check out the motivational speakers on campus. Learn more about the MSE Symposium by clicking here and read the campus news release about the 2007 line-up by clicking here.

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Halloween Debate

Halloween brought debate to campus (and not just over whether or not to trick or treat). The Humanities Colloquium hosted a discussion of “Dracula, Deadlines, and Standard Time”. Dr. Hollis Roberts presented special research on these topics and highlighted what they have in common. As the event was held at 5 pm, attendees were still able to change into their costumes before nightfall! Learn more about the new Humanities Colloqium in this recent Gazette article.

Freshmen take the Stage!
On October 19, 20, and 21, the curtains opened on the 22nd Annual Freshmen One-Acts. Six excellent short plays were performed, including works by Ives, Durang, and Shel Silverstein. The One-Acts provide a great opportunity for freshmen to get involved in theater, and for upperclassmen to witness the new talent on campus! Click here to read the JHU News-letter review.

Blue Jays Storm the Field
The men’s soccer team wrapped up the month by claiming their seventh Centennial Conference title in 15 years. After a bold 14-1 victory over Gettysburg College, the proud Blue Jays now stand at a record of 17-3. They’re geared up for a good chance at the NCAA tournament, and crowds of Hopkins fans will continue to be there to cheer them on. Read more about the team in this News-letter wrap-up.