Around Campus
On Oct. 3 at 7 p.m., filmmaker Rob Montz will be on hand for a screening of “Juche Strong,” which explores misconceptions about North Korea and argues that the propaganda-fueled national ideology has played an integral role in keeping the country together.
“The Act of Killing” follows the story of Anwar Congo from small-time gangster to founding father of Indonesia's most powerful right-wing paramilitary organization. This film is about killers who have won, and the sort of society they have built. Unlike aging Nazis or Rwandan genocidaires, Anwar and his friends have not been forced to admit they participated in crimes against humanity. Instead, they have written their own triumphant history, becoming role models for millions of young paramilitaries. Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer will be on campus for the screening Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. This is a ticketed event.
Both events will be held in the Wasserman Cinematheque, and are free and open to the community. For more information, contact Dona DeLorenzo.
From left: Stella Salzer, of the American Society of Cell Biology, Melissa Blackman, Prof. James Haber, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Jennifer Beierlein and Keith Hengen
Recently, a group of Brandeis scientists traded data points for talking points and pristine labs for the austere halls of Capitol Hill to lobby Congress to support and fund research in the life sciences.
Postdoctoral researchers Jennifer Beierlein, Keith Hengen and Melissa Blackman took part in a day of advocacy organized by the Coalition for Life Sciences, an alliance of non-profit professional scientific organizations.
They met a number of senators, including Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, to share their research and its implications for human health. Topics of discussion included Brandeis’ impact on local business and the value of research in the economy at local, state and national levels.
“Senator Warren needed no convincing of the importance of the sciences and academic research,” Hengen says. “She was delighted to reiterate her respect, support, and admiration for our work.”
Professor James Haber, director of the Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center at Brandeis, was also in the Capitol as part of the Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus. The bipartisan, bicameral caucus, organized by the Coalition for Life Sciences, works with committees and members of Congress to broaden understanding, support and funding of biomedical research issues.
In a talk on Friday, Oct. 4, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Calloway will meet with the MFA acting class in the Spingold Theater Center to discuss all aspects of the theater business. The session is open to the campus community.
Calloway is currently appearing with “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston in Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Schenkkan’s “All the Way” at the American Repertory Theater.
Visit Upper Sherman Function Hall Oct. 1 to 3, and you could help save lives.
The Waltham Group will hold its annual blood drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both donors and volunteers are needed. Sign up to donate or send an email the Waltham Group if you’re interested in volunteering.
If you plan to donate, remember to: drink a lot of water; eat iron-rich foods like leafy green vegetables, meat and fish; eat a good breakfast; reserve half an hour; and bring identification.
Pizza will be provided.
Brandeis International Business School (IBS) recently unveiled a new branding platform designed to enhance its reputation and visibility around the world. The initiative is encapsulated in the tagline “World Ready” and has been introduced by a new website and video. The new brand unifies the school’s message within a clean, modern design that befits the rapidly growing institution.
Among the key components of the new site are bolder visuals, greater integration with social media, improved audience-based navigation and “responsive design,” which means that it is compatible across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.
“We are excited to launch the new World Ready brand platform as a way to further enhance our efforts to communicate the values of our school and the world-class business education we provide students,” said Dean Bruce Magid. “This new marketing initiative showcases our strengths as a forward-thinking, globally-minded institution.”
The web launch represents the culmination of a two-year process that featured input from focus groups and user testing with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni and other community members. The branding and site redesign were executed by Brandeis IBS’ Marketing and Communications Department in collaboration with Corey, McPherson and Nash, a national branding firm based in Watertown, Massachusetts.
“Our new brand captures the school’s internationally-oriented curriculum, its outstanding faculty and the high-touch model we use to prepare graduates to thrive in the global economy,” said Matthew Parillo, Director of Marketing and Communications at Brandeis IBS. “It represents a true collaboration across the school with our students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends and university partners.”
The African and Afro-American Studies Department, the Dean of Students Office and the Intercultural Center will host a discussion on Aug. 28 to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The discussion, to be held at 4 p.m. in the Intercultural Center Multipurpose Room, will explore the history and legacy of the March on Washington and the continued struggle for racial equality and social justice today.
Dean of Students Jamele Adams will moderate the discussion, which will also feature comments from Chad Williams, associate professor and chair of African and Afro-American studies, and Gordon Fellman, professor of sociology. The panel is in conjunction with the ICC mixer from 3 to 5 p.m.
“The 50th anniversary of the March on Washington is actually very timely as this summer has illustrated how issues of race and social justice still remain highly relevant,” Williams said, citing the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act and acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. “We need to take advantage of these moments to have open and frank conversations.”
A new, multiyear initiative funded by the Connecticut-based Leir Charitable Foundations aims to strengthen collaboration between Brandeis University and Israeli neuroscientists. The Henry J. Leir Brandeis-Israel Research Initiative will fund postdoctoral appointments for up-and-coming Israeli scientists at Brandeis and underwrite collaborative projects between Israeli and Brandeis neuroscientists.
Brandeis will host the first Leir Foundation Neuroscience Symposium on Aug. 26 and 27 to explore potential collaborations and shared research goals with Israeli scientists. The symposium will feature lectures and discussions with neuroscientists from top Israeli research institutions.
The Leir Charitable Foundation’s $750,000 grant will help prepare some of Israel’s future scientific leaders, strengthen connections between Brandeis and Israeli scientists and support research projects on the human brain.
Any Brandeisian trying to crack The Jerusalem Post’s Saturday crossword puzzle should have easily solved at least one clue. The Post’s crossword editor David Benkof asked players to name the "'American Judaism' author Jonathan (blank)." Five letters, beginning with an S? Got it?
The clue, of course, refers to Brandeis' own Jonathan Sarna '75, MA '75, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, and his 2004 award-winning book.
"It is extremely flattering to know that Israelis are familiar enough with my work to recognize me as the author of 'American Judaism,'" Sarna says. "Of course, having a five-letter last name probably adds to my popularity in crossword-puzzle circles. So I won't let this get to my head."
Photo/Mike LovettWendy Cadge
Wendy Cadge, an associate professor of sociology and chair of the Women's and Gender Studies Program, received the Association of Professional Chaplains’ (APC) 2013 Distinguished Service Award.
The honor is bestowed upon individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions in promoting standards of professional chaplaincy or in the advancement of clinical chaplaincy.
Cadge, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in religion, sociology and anthropology, and master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Princeton University, advances the cause through her research, writing and teaching, according to the APC. Her work not only documents the history of professional chaplaincy but also offers insights into its future.
She teaches and writes about religion in the contemporary United States, especially as related to medicine, immigration and sexuality. She has spent time at hospitals, APC conferences and at the APC national office, researching, observing and talking with professional chaplains, adding to her field of study of hospital chaplaincy.
In 2010, Cadge presented her research at the APC conference. Her plenary address, “Hospital Chaplains: Listening to What They Say and Watching What They Do,” challenged participants and suggested ways hospital chaplains might close the gap between perception and reality as part of continuing to develop as a profession.
In 2012, APC invited her to speak again at its conference. This time, her address, “Chaplaincy after Pluralism: Engaging in the Big Professional Picture,” compared the relatively young chaplaincy profession with other healthcare professions. She spoke of successful and unsuccessful ways in which chaplains have made the case for the profession over the years, and gave practical examples of how chaplains can collaborate within the profession to affect change on behalf of those they serve.
Cadge’s new book, “Paging God: Religion in the Halls of Medicine” was released by the University of Chicago Press in January 2013.
The APC is a multi-faith nonprofit organization of chaplaincy care providers endorsed by faith groups to serve persons in need, respecting their individual cultures and beliefs, in diverse settings throughout the world.
Since its founding in 1791, the Massachusetts Historical Society has elected distinguished scholars and civic leaders to shape the society’s policies and act as ambassadors to the community.
Other current fellows on the Brandeis faculty include historian and author David McCullough and Kathy Lawrence, senior lecturer in literature. Morton Keller, professor emeritus of history, also served as a MHS Fellow.
Sarna said he is honored by the election, especially as a scholar of Jewish history.
“The society's founders probably never envisaged that an American Jewish historian would one day sit in their midst,” Sarna wrote via email on his way to Jerusalem. “The society has been at the forefront of promoting historical scholarship in this state and I look forward to assisting its efforts.”
Conrad Wright, the Worthington C. Ford Editor and Director of Research at the MHS, said the society is excited to welcome Sarna.
“Jonathan is one of the great scholars of the history of American Jews and he will bring that extraordinary expertise to the society,” Wright said.
President Fred Lawrence will join distinguished legal scholars Erwin Chemerinsky, Lyle Denniston and Jeffrey Rosen on July 2 at noon to examine the significant rulings of the Supreme Court’s 2013 term including decisions on affirmative action, voting rights and marriage equality. The event will be live-streamed, and registration is required. Visit the event page for more information.
