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Faculty of Case Western Reserve University's College of Arts and Sciences vote to express lack of confidence in university president, provost

2006-03-02T19:39:24Z

The faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences at Case Western Reserve University has rendered a non-binding vote to express its lack of confidence in President Edward M. Hundert, M.D., and a separate vote for lack of confidence in Provost John L. Anderson during a special meeting today at Amasa Stone Chapel on the Case campus.

The final vote tally was 131–44 for lack of confidence in the president and 97–68 for lack of confidence in the provost, according to David Singer, professor of mathematics, who chaired the meeting.

The meeting was called by the Executive Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences in response to a petition by at least 10 percent of the faculty who had asked for the vote.

"The opinions of all of our faculty are important to me. I am grateful for the strong expressions of support I have received regarding the direction of the university, and have also learned from the criticism I have heard," Hundert said following the meeting. "John [Anderson, Provost and University Vice President] and I are resolved to lead Case; we are committed to meeting the challenges that face us. With the continued input of faculty, students, staff and alumni, together we will make the necessary decisions to build an even stronger university now and for the future."

The College of Arts and Sciences is one of eight schools at Case. The College is comprised of 221 full-time faculty, or 8.8 percent of the total of 2,523 full-time faculty university-wide. A total of 175 faculty, or 79 percent, from arts and sciences participated in the vote.

"Case is a strong university, built on discussion and debate. The Board is aware of and listens to the many voices on campus. As an alumnus and Chair of the Board, I am proud that Case is challenging itself to become a greater university," said Frank N. Linsalata, chair of Case's board of trustees. "The Board and I support President Hundert and Provost Anderson. We are committed to working with the leadership team and the rest of the Case community to resolve the budget issues and other challenges before us."

Anderson, Case's provost and university vice president since April 2004, stressed the importance of a unified effort in the wake of the vote and as the university works toward a balanced budget for fiscal year 2007.

"Now that the faculty have met, it is more important than ever for this university to come together," Anderson said. "We have known we were going to have a budget challenge ahead of us, and we can and will meet it. I look forward to further discussion on this and other matters. While I cannot guarantee that we will always agree with constituents of the university, we will always listen."

About Case Western Reserve University

Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences.

Innovative Ph.D. program receives $850,000 grant from Howard Hughes Medical Institute

2006-03-01T15:58:59Z

Martha K. Cathcart

A new doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, in which students study the basic life sciences in the context of human biology and disease, will receive $850,000 over four years from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). The program, to be led by Martha K. Cathcart, Ph.D., professor of molecular medicine at Case and a researcher at the Clinic, will include an integrated core curriculum, a clinical mentor program and a specially designed course in principles of clinical research.

Co-directors of the program will be John Lowe, M.D., Ph.D., chair and professor of pathology at the School of Medicine, and Roy Silverstein, M.D., professor of molecular medicine at the School of Medicine and chair of the Clinic‚s cell biology department. Paul DiCorleto, Ph.D., is chair and professor of molecular medicine—the department creating the Ph.D. program—at Case and the Clinic.

"This Ph.D. program is designed to integrate medical knowledge into graduate training so that students graduating from this program will be better prepared to conduct translational research and facilitate application of research findings to clinical situations," Cathcart said. "This grant will support the development of our novel curriculum and administration of the program as well as recruitment efforts." The first students are expected to enroll in July 2007, she added.

The grant is one of 13 Med into Grad Initiative grants totaling $10 million announced by HHMI Feb. 15 to fund innovative graduate programs that will introduce Ph.D. students to the world of clinical medicine, in an effort to shorten the time it takes to translate basic science discoveries into new medical treatments.

"We, like many others, are concerned by how difficult it is becoming for scientists to harness the explosion of new biomedical research information and translate it into medical practice," said Thomas R. Cech, HHMI president. "At a time when science and medicine must work hand in hand to solve problems of human health and disease, we want to help change graduate education to increase the pool of scientists who are doing medically oriented research."

A panel of graduate educators, biomedical researchers and physician-scientists helped select the awardees. HHMI received applications from 82 institutions.

For more information: George Stamatis 216-368-3635.

Case students take honorable mention to Join USA Today's All-American Academic Team

2006-02-28T22:29:27Z

Looking to the future Choi and Mathur put medicine and public health as priorities

Two Case Western Reserve University seniors are among some of the brightest students in America and singled out for their outstanding academic careers and contributions to their schools and communities.

Raymond Choi of Holland, Ohio, and Sunjay Mathur, of Highland Heights, Ohio, have been named honorable mention members of the 2006 All-USA College Academic Team, sponsored by USA Today.

Choi, a senior majoring in chemistry with a minor in Asian studies and biology, and Mathur, a senior majoring in religion and in his first year of medical school through Case's pre-professional scholars program, share a desire to improve public health through careers in medicine. Both will graduate in May.

More about Raymond Choi

Seeing first-hand the need for public health initiatives while on a trip to Belize during his first year at Case, Choi returned to campus to establish the Global Medical Initiative (GMI)—a student group that aids and ships medical supplies donated by Cleveland area doctors to developing countries.

"I witnessed how easily curable diseases such as the common cold, anemia, worms and infections plague the Belizeans. It helped me to see the practice of medicine on a level beyond that of the interaction between physician and patients," said Choi.

He added that, "the practice of medicine holds greater opportunities to improve health on a grand scale."

Once he graduates, Choi said he hopes to educate students to carry on the GMI project he started two years ago.

As a campus organizer, Choi spearheaded a fund-raising effort with 30 campus organizations to raise over $8,000 for tsunami relief.

He is currently co-organizing, with Case student Rein Lambrecht, a medical mission for 10 students to Guyana.

Beside his volunteer efforts, Choi has undertaken medical science research related to Alzheimer's disease in the neuropathology lab of Mark Smith at the medical school and in neurochemistry with Michael Zagorski in the department of chemistry. He also did neuro-oncology research at the National Institutes of Health with John Park.

In his free time, he is an avid rock climber and table tennis player.

Choi founded Case's table tennis team and recruited the former Olympic coach of Tajikstan to coach the team. The team now competes in the Midwest Division of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association.

In addition to the USA Today academic team, Choi has been recognized as a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar in science, a Joseph S. Silber Fellow, a Trustee Scholar and a two-time honoree of Phi Beta Kappa research grants. He also is a finalist for a Fulbright Scholarship to study at Oxford University.

Sunjay Mathur's contributions

Mathur, who is also a member of the 2005 USA Today academic team, is on his way to earning his medical degree and becoming a public health advocate.

Travel to India, England and Europe allowed Mathur to meet people from diverse walks of life and learn about different cultures of the past and present. "My decision to enter medicine is, in part, a decision to support communities and their members in a meaningful way," he said.

While at Case, Mathur has been an intern at the Cleveland Clinic; a researcher for a study on cancer disparity for the Center for Science, Health and Society; and research assistant for the department of genetics at Case and for the department of ophthalmology at University Hospitals of Cleveland.

While maintaining Dean's High Honors grades, he has volunteered with MedWish International; the Free Clinic of Cleveland; the Cleveland Eye Clinic through activities with the Leo Club at Case; and Community Hiring Hall in Cleveland, helping inner city day laborers.

He also founded the Journal Distribution Project with the guidance of Robert Friedland, professor of neurology and chief of Laboratory of Neurogeriatrics at the Case medical school. He collects medical journals from area doctors and researchers and redistributes them in developing countries.

"I've turned wasted clinical medical journals into a way to improve public health around the world," he said. The organization includes many students now participating in the distribution of journals to such countries as South Africa, Jordan and Iraq.

Mathur's excellence in academics has earned him several honors. He was a finalist for the Truman Scholarship (2005), was named a Morris K. Udall Scholar (2004), and was awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Prize for best academic record for three dufferent semesters (2004).

During his third year at Case, Mathur studied at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University.

At Oxford, he organized and served as finance director for BOSO, the United Kingdom's first online, free student marketplace in England. BOSO's connection with students in Oxford's 40 different colleges and halls met student's needs for books, clothes, electronics and other items associated with college life, while bringing down student costs for attending college. He also served as co-production editor of The Cherwell, Oxford's independent student newspaper.

Aside from his studies, Mathur enjoys singing Indian songs in Hindi—a language he fluently speaks—recording music CDs and learning to play the guitar.

Case administrators help to build economic ties between Israel and Northeast Ohio

2006-02-28T22:26:51Z

Mark Coticchia and Lev Gonick among Delegation of Technology, Community and Business Leaders to Visit Israel

Two top Case administrators were among a high-powered delegation of Cleveland-area technology, community and business leaders who recently visited Israel to strengthen the growing ties between that nation and Greater Cleveland.

Mark Coticchia, vice president for research and technology management; and Lev Gonick, vice president for information technology services and chief information officer, took part in the week-long trip. Some of the others in the delegation included former Cleveland mayor Jane Campbell; Ted Theofrastous, managing director and fund counselor for Panzica Investments; Tom Sudow, executive director of the Beachwood Chamber of Commerce; Michael Goldberg, managing director of the Bridge Investment Fund; and Scot Rourke, president of OneCleveland.

"Our goal was to glean insights on the Israeli technology miracle and consummate a number of specific deals involving leading Israeli technologists and even joint investments on Cleveland technology initiatives," Coticchia explained. "The ultimate objective is to cultivate win-win partnership opportunities to help secure Cleveland's role as the US gateway to Israeli technology innovations and to create pathways to leverage Cleveland's intellectual expertise in Israel." The Cleveland delegation explored multiple areas for collaboration with the Israelis such as medical research, connectivity solutions, customer service models, and technology transfer best practices.

"Meeting with Jerusalem Venture Partners, Jerusalem Capital, IsraelSeed, Pitango Venture Capital, Star Ventures, and others, gave us terrific exposure to the Israeli venture market," said Theofrastous. "We explored specific opportunities and expressed interest in companies evaluating a presence in the U.S. via Greater Cleveland as well as opportunities for leveraging intellectual property and capital both in Israel and Cleveland."

The Cleveland delegates arrived at a number of agreements with their Israeli counterparts. Those involving Case include:

Development of prospective collaboration on adult stem cell research with Hadassah University Hospitals. Case and University Hospitals faculty and administrators will present at an event in Israel on May 29—30, 2006, sponsored by Hadasit, the Technology Transfer Company of Hadassah University Hospitals.
Collaboration on best practices in technology transfer between Case and Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A follow-up meeting will be held at the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) annual meeting in March, 2006.
New company pre-seed joint investment between Case, Panzica Investments, and Jonathan Medved of the Jerusalem-based Sweat Equity partners on a Case technology initiative in the visual learning environment.

"Case's proactive efforts to strengthen its ties to leading Israeli institutions such as Hadassah Hospital and the Hebrew University will play an important role in helping promote co-location opportunities in Cleveland to Israeli companies emerging from these institutions," said Goldberg. "Northeast Ohio is becoming a leading location for innovative Israeli information technology and medical device companies to establish their US base of operations. The development of personal relationships between Case's administrators and faculty and their counterparts in Israel is helping to drive this process."

Medved of Jerusalem-based Sweat Equity Partners said, "The Cleveland mission to Israel generated real business and significant follow-up, which is a testament to the mutual desire between our two communities to build a strong and lasting business relationship. We hope this was just the first mission of its kind and are looking forward to welcoming future groups of Cleveland business leaders to Israel."

Case community spotlights principles of ethics, fair scholarship during first annual "Integrity Week"

2006-02-27T22:23:25Z

Highlights include talk by nationally known author David Callahan, "Pledge to Integrity" banner

David Callahan

Ethics and fair scholarship are the focus of the Academic Integrity Board's first annual "Integrity Week", slated for February 27 through March 3 at various locations throughout the Case Western Reserve University campus.

The Academic Integrity Board—comprised of students, faculty and administrators—aims to create an environment where people are proud and respectful of what happens inside and outside the classroom, as well as improve the campus environment in relation to academic integrity. Integrity Week—also referred to as "I Week"—is a great way to focus on the issues, explained Clay Barnard, assistant vice president of student affairs.

According to organizers, "I Week" is designed to provide the university community and others with insight from noted figures in the area of ethics. The programs will help raise awareness of ethical considerations, encourage discussion on the topic, and focus on the campus' culture. "We wanted to look at the whole student—behavior in and out of the classroom—as well as faculty and staff," Barnard said.

The keynote speaker for the event is David Callahan, author of the book "The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead," on March 2 in the Thwing Ballroom from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. His book focuses on the state of ethics from the classroom to boardroom, and why it's become harder to live with integrity in the United States.

Barnard and Joseph Pieri, assistant dean in undergraduate studies, are both advisors to the Academic Integrity Board, and said although the number of students who come before the board for academic integrity violations is small, the majority of theses students tend to be first-year students. However, there are measures in place to address the topic and treat the presenting issue as an educational experience for the students. "We want to be fair. Students do make mistakes," Barnard said. The sanctions for violations are carefully selected depending on the presenting case. However, all students are required to go through ethics counseling as part of their sanctions. This seems to be working, as supported by the extremely low number of second offenses seen over the last four years, they explained.

Why is integrity an issue in the first place? "We've become a bottom line society. People feeling pressure are more apt to take shortcuts. If you don't get a leg up on the competition, you're apt to miss out," Pieri explained about why some students resort to cheating.

Another issue that will be addressed during "I Week" is the role faculty and staff can play when it comes to expectations surrounding integrity. "Students are so influenced by faculty. They can be inspired by them and want to emulate them," Pieri said. Faculty can continue to outline what the expectations are in the classroom—everything from group work to accessing tests from previous semesters. "We want students to feel like they can access faculty," he added.

Pieri explained that it's important to focus on integrity because of Case's role in the community and beyond. "We are a research university. The public needs to trust the research that comes out of here. Also, what you know and habits you form now are important for life after Case." In addition, "SAGES is in full implementation this year. One of the desires is to produce ethical thinkers."

In addition to the Callahan talk, other "I Week" events include:

The signing and display of a Pledge to Integrity banner
A panel discussion, "The Reciprocal Ethic of the Student-Faculty Relationship" moderated by Timothy Beal, the Florence Harkness professor of religion and director of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities
A Career Center program on professional ethics in the workplace
An Academic Integrity Board information session

For a complete list of events, go to http://studentaffairs.case.edu/office/integrity/.

Case School of Engineering professor applies virtual reality simulation to train world's brain and heart surgeons

2006-02-24T15:09:23Z

Another research project of the professor's could virtually eliminate need for heart/lung machines

M. Cenk Cavusoglu

Virtual reality simulation tools are already revolutionizing the way dentists are taught at Case Western Reserve University—and if M. Cenk Cavusoglu has his way, simulation technology at Case will also train the world's brain and heart surgeons.

"Simulation is a popular training tool because it reduces the learning time and allows students to learn independently," said Cavusoglu, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the Case School of Engineering.

Prior to joining Case in 2002, Cavusoglu helped to develop sophisticated laparoscopic and endoscopic tools in the Robotics and Intelligent Machine Lab at the University of California at Berkeley. Laparoscopy and endoscopy enable doctors to treat diseased organs and tissue and remove cysts and tumors through tiny rather than major incisions and often with local rather than general anesthesia. The challenge now, he says, is to expand these minimally invasive techniques to complex surgeries, and he intends to close that gap.

Cavusoglu and his colleagues at Case and other institutions nationwide are applying engineering, computer science and biomedical expertise to develop the simulation technology and open architecture software necessary for simulation technology. They also are experimenting with soft tissue models and "haptics" technology to replicate the appearance and functions of the heart and brain, and enable doctors to "feel" when they accomplish procedures correctly.

"Laparoscopy requires a different skill set than open surgery," Cavusoglu explains. "Surgeons typically view patients from the outside in. When a laparoscopic camera is inserted, they see patients from the inside out. Hand/eye coordination is difficult to master. Practice on a simulator would allow surgeons to perfect their technique with no risk to patients."

Another undertaking—Cavusoglu's "robotic beating heart surgery" project—is also advancing surgical science. In a joint program with the University of California at Berkeley funded by the National Science Foundation, Cavusoglu and several Case doctoral students are building a prototype robot that will allow surgeons to routinely perform open surgery on a beating rather than a stopped heart, minimizing risk to the patient. Designed to stabilize and track the heart's motion, the robot would virtually eliminate the need for heart/lung machines, currently used in approximately 80 percent of heart surgeries.

"Traditional coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has undesirable side effects that range from cognitive loss to increased hospital stays that are believed to be related to artificial heart pumps," Cavusoglu said. "In this project, we believe that if the heart were able to beat freely during surgery, these pumps would not be needed and it is possible that these side effects might be lessened."

For more information: Laura M. Massie (216)-368-4442.

Lecture at Case Western Reserve University School of Law to Explore Role of Labor Law in Decline of Unions

2006-02-24T15:07:03Z

University of Texas law professor Julius Getman will deliver Rush McKnight Labor Law Lecture

One of the nation's foremost labor law experts will discuss how labor laws have affected the decline of unions in an upcoming lecture at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Julius G. Getman, the Earl E. Sheffield Regents Chair at the University of Texas School of Law, will speak on "The Decline of Unions: Is Labor Law to Blame?" when he delivers the law school's annual Rush McKnight Labor Law Lecture. The event will take place Wednesday, March 8 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in room A59 of the law school, 11075 East Blvd. It is free and open to the public and will be webcast live on the Internet at http://law.case.edu/lectures. One hour of free CLE credit will be available for those attending the lecture.

"We are very pleased to welcome Professor Getman to the Case School of Law," said Gerald Korngold, dean and McCurdy Professor of Law. "His insights regarding labor law and union membership will be valuable to our faculty and students."

Getman has been a faculty member of the University of Texas Law School since 1986. Prior to that he was at Yale Law School where he was the William K. Townsend Professor of Law. He has also taught at Stanford Law School, University of Chicago Law School, and Georgetown University Law Center.

He is author of The Betrayal of Local 14: Paperworkers, Politics and Permanent Replacements and In the Company of Scholars: The Struggle for the Soul of Higher Education. A former president of the American Association of University Professors, Getman is currently writing a book with former Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall on the future of the labor union movement. He holds a B.A. from the City College of New York and LLM and LLB degrees from Harvard Law School.

The Rush McKnight Labor Law Lecture was established in 1997 by the Cleveland-based law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold; and by Richard J. Cusick, Charles R. Emrick Jr. and Joseph D. Sullivan to honor retired partner Rush McKnight. A 1955 graduate of the Case School of Law, McKnight headed Calfee's Labor Law and Employee Relations practice and Executive Committee for many years. Before joining Calfee in 1961, he served as attorney-advisor to the chair of the National Labor Relations Board. He is a member of the law school's Society of Benchers.

For more information: Jeff Bendix 216-368-6070.

Hough boys to experience the classroom of Africa

2006-02-23T15:49:05Z

With MSASS professor who will accompany International Partners in Mission trip

Sharon Milligan

Nine teenage boys from Cleveland's Hough neighborhood have earned a rite of passage that gives them a ticket for a 10-day trip to Kenya and Tanzania.

Sharon Milligan, a Case associate professor of social work and co-director of the Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change at the Mandel School of Social Sciences, will travel with the young men from the Fatima Family Center on Lexington Avenue as they participate in the International Partners in Mission (IPM) immersion experience.

As the African proverb goes, it takes a whole village to educate a child. In this case, villagers from Cleveland's community helped. The Bruening Foundation funded the trip, organized by IPM—a Cleveland Heights-based, interfaith, international organization. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation provided the required vaccinations like tetanus and yellow fever for travel to western Africa. Cleve Gilmore, Case dean of the Mandel School, has supplied some Case shirts as well as given Milligan the time to travel.

"As Case thinks about internationalism and connecting to the inner city, this is the kind of experience young people need," said Milligan. "This exploration helps them build a notion of going to school to learn more about math and science. It broadens their world."

The trip has been Milligan's dream for years. She wanted to recreate the transforming experiences that she had as a college student and later with adults and children from the suburbs.

After conducting needs assessments for the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Milligan said she realized the young men could use this kind of experience to see how others lived and bring back that knowledge to their own communities to make changes or to help through programs like IPM's in developing countries. IPM, which was founded by Lutheran missionaries in 1974, has partner projects in El Salvador, India, Kenya and Nicaragua.

Milligan has worked closely with Fatima Center's Executive Director LaJean Ray. "We were committed to making this program happen," Milligan said.

Until all the pieces of the trip were in place, it was kept as a surprise for the young men between 13 and 17 years old, who enrolled in the 10-month Passages program focused on building character and responsibility through educational and civic activities.

In December, after the two women were certain the excitement of the trip would not be the motivational force for performing and fulfilling the Passages Program requirements, they let the young men know.

"They had to earn this trip through their actions and commitment," said Milligan.

The boys have been busy learning the statistics about Kenya, but Milligan cannot wait to see their reactions first hand.

"I just want to see the lights go on when they connect what they have learned with what they are seeing," she said.

According to Milligan, the students will leave all their electronic gear like CD players and iPods at home. "I want them to use their eyes, ears and noses to experience the trip."

She plans to have them reflect about their experiences in their journals and their turn at the special reflection chair, where each member of the trip will have an opportunity to express verbally what they have encountered during the day and use it as a spring board for others to join in the conversation.

Plenty of eye-opening experiences will provide discussion topics, including the visit to Fort Jesus Museum, an old slave trade site in Mombasa.

After the group's arrival in Nairobi, Kenya, they will visit VViEW, an education project for rural Kenyan women; A.I.C. Kajiado Primary School, a rescue project for girls from early forced marriages and a program that is an IPM partner; Okekajiado Boys High School where each Cleveland boy will have a photo of his home and the Fatima Center on display to spark an exchange of conversations about American and African life; a safari to Amboseli National Park in Kenya and Tsavo West National Park in Tanzania; and DeedNet Orphanage on their final full day in Nairobi.

The group returns to Cleveland February 28.

For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004.

The readiness is all: preparing to move

2006-02-22T21:31:37Z

Case biologists show that what a neuron can do is a function of mechanical context

The brain as command center for bodily movement was too simple an idea, thought the Russian physiologist Nicolas Bernstein some 60 years ago. After studying human movements for years, Bernstein pointed out in 1940 that the great flexibility of the body, coupled with unexpected events in the world, meant that the nervous system had to prepare the body in advance for what might happen next.

If Bernstein were right, it would affect the design of prosthetic devices and biologically inspired robots.

Using computer technologies unavailable to their predecessor, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have provided direct evidence for Bernstein's hypothesis. Reporting on their findings in the Journal of Neuroscience are Hillel Chiel, professor of biology, neurosciences and biomedical engineering, Hui Ye, Chiel's former graduate student who is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Toronto Western Research Institute, and Dr. Douglas Morton, another former graduate student who is currently a radiologist at Premier Medical Imaging in Michigan.

To test Bernstein's hypothesis in animals, Ye, Morton and Chiel studied the neural control of swallowing in the sea slug Aplysia californica. In stronger swallows, part of the neural output sets up feeding muscles so that they act in new ways. Specifically, a "grasper" muscle, controlled by motor neuron B8, acquires a new function: it not only grasps the food, but also pulls it in.

Another muscle, called the "hinge," that exerts no force in weak swallows can pull the grasper back during strong swallows. This means that the motor neuron for the hinge, B7, affects behavior in one context, but not in another.

These studies provide the first demonstration of Bernstein's hypothesis in a behaving animal, and indicate that the behavioral roles of motor neurons can change depending on how parts of the body are positioned.

The Case scientists have previously applied their research findings to the creation of mechanical devices that mimic the interactions of an animal's neurons and muscles to produce movement.

"This study demonstrates the interconnectedness of the neurons and the muscles and how it is just as relevant in humans as it is in the less complicated system of the slug," said Chiel, who has patented robotic graspers based on the sea slug's behavior.

Understanding how neurons trigger and interact with the muscles will help Chiel and his research group develop new generations of robots that can move through water or tube-like structures such as pipes, blood vessels and the colon.

For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004.

Cleveland Foodbank and the Aids Taskforce honored with new Innovation Award from Case's Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations

2006-02-22T21:29:16Z

David Simpson, CEO of the Hospice of the Western Reserve receives the 2006 Leadership Award

The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University, a nationally recognized graduate program designed to build leadership skills in the nonprofit community, announced two inaugural winners of its new Nonprofit Innovation Award. Honored are the Cleveland Foodbank and the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland for their "first rate job of reaching deep into the community and their astounding work in a complex environment," said David T. Abbott, Chair of the Mandel Center awards selection committee and Executive Director of the George Gund Foundation

David A. Simpson, chief executive officer of the Hospice of the Western Reserve, will receive the Mandel Center's 2006 Leadership Award. The award winners will receive recognition on March 28 at noon during the Mandel Center's annual Awards Luncheon at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel.

"This year the Mandel Center added the Innovation Award to be given to an organization in order to recognize outstanding work by a nonprofit that thinks outside of the box and is creative in its management and service to the community," stated Susan Lajoie Eagan, PhD, executive director of the Mandel Center. She went on to say that the selection committee was so impressed by the nominations that two exemplary organizations were selected for this first-time award.

"This is a very proud moment for the Cleveland Foodbank as there is no more prestigious award in Cleveland's nonprofit community than this," said Anne Goodman, the executive director of the Cleveland Foodbank.

The award selection committee cited the Cleveland Foodbank as "amazing" in its delivery of 14 million meals annually to fight hunger in Northeast Ohio Their innovations included completing a new distribution center which combined four buildings into one. The new facility in its first year distributed more than 1.1 million more pounds of food than in 2004. The new Center was also built using environmentally friendly or green design on a former Brownfield site. An additional result will be to reduce the Center's operating expenses in the long run.

Goodman praised the work of the Foodbank's donors, volunteers and dedicated people as making the program a big success.

The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland is one of the oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service, prevention, education advocacy organizations in Ohio, annually serving over 2,000 people.

The selection committee said that the Task Force's efforts to build their organization through mergers and collaborations have been "exceptional."

"We're truly honored to have received the Mandel Center's Innovation Award. It is recognition of the passion and creativity of our Board, staff, volunteers and the community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS that we are here to serve," said Earl Pike, director of the AIDS Taskforce.

The Mandel Center will recognize Simpson for his work at the Hospice of the Western Reserve, and will continue the Center's tradition over the past decade of recognizing outstanding area leadership in the nonprofit sector. For 20 years, Simpson has played a profound role, and has had an immense impact nationally, around the hospice movement.

While honored by the award, Simpson is also "humbled."

"I am cognizant that it is our entire Hospice of the Western Reserve team that truly deserves this recognition. The Hospice is led by an amazing Board of Directors and a very talented management team," said Simpson.

The mission of the Hospice of the Western Reserve is to provide the highest quality palliative end-of-life care, caregiver support and bereavement services throughout Northeast Ohio.

"This award is a tribute to our entire staff of 1,700 paid and volunteer employees. It is their dedication and compassion that are the essence of our mission-based, not-for-profit organization," he added.

During the annual awards luncheon, Bill Shore, president of Share Our Strength, will give the keynote address. For luncheon information and reservations, contact Ann Lucas at 216-368-5214 or visit http://www.case.edu/mandelcenter.

For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004.

University unearths 1915 time capsule at site of West Quad

2006-02-21T14:54:12Z

Capsule contains documents pertaining to founding of Mt. Sinai Hospital and, newspapers

Case Western Reserve University President Edward M. Hundert (left) presents to Bennett Yanowitz, chairman of the board of directors for the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation, a time capsule found on the site of the former Mt. Sinai Medical Center. A demolition crew found the capsule dating back to June 6, 1915, when the hospital's founders placed it in the cornerstone of the original building. The campus is now Case's West Quad, where, Yanowitz said, future research and education will continue the Mt. Sinai tradition. "We're very proud of the partnership," he said, referring to the foundation's work with Case.

The construction under way on Case's West Quad holds promise for the future of the university and the city, but it has also yielded valuable information about Cleveland's past.

Early in February a crew demolishing the South Hospital Building of the former Mt. Sinai Medical Center—the site of the West Quad—uncovered a time capsule, planted there on June 6, 1915 by the founders of Mt. Sinai. They immediately turned the box over to the University.

Ken Basch, vice president of campus planning and operations, said the capsule contains a variety of documents, including meeting minutes, Mt. Sinai's articles of incorporation, and the original construction contract, as well as newspaper articles from the Jewish Independent, the Plain Dealer, and the now-defunct Cleveland News and Cleveland Press.

The capsule also contains items of interest to the Jewish community, such as a list of subscribers to The Federation of Jewish Charities of 1914, a pledge card to the Jewish Hospital Association, and fund-raising campaign materials.

"Finding this time capsule was a wonderful surprise," said Case President Edward M. Hundert, M.D. "The documents contained in it will undoubtedly be of great value to researchers studying the beginnings of the hospital and Cleveland's Jewish community in the early years of the 20th century."

Steven Varelmann, the university's director of architectural services, said he had alerted the demolition crew to be on the lookout for a time capsule. "I noticed a cornerstone on the south building (also called the main hospital building), and many times cornerstones have a cavity for a time capsule," he explained.

Rick Pruden, project manager in construction administration, said that despite some damage to the capsule when it was excavated, the documents inside are remarkably well-preserved. "The newspapers could almost be put on a newsstand today, that's how good condition they are in," he said. The copy of the Plain Dealer contained an easily readable Cleveland Indians box score, he added.

The university turned (will turn) the time capsule over to the Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundation on February 21 "We're very eager to get a look at the contents," said Mitchell Balk, president of the foundation. "We've already had requests from some of the senior Mt. Sinai physicians to study them. We want to better understand the rationale for opening a Jewish hospital in those years."

Balk added that the foundation has not yet decided on a final repository for the documents. The Western Reserve Historical Society and the new Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood are both possible sites, he said.

For more information: Jeff Bendix 216-368-6070.

Harry Belafonte talk rescheduled for February 28

2006-02-21T14:48:14Z

Harry Belafonte
photo courtesy of Grabow

The Harry Belafonte talk that was recently postponed has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 28 at 7 p.m. in Strosacker Auditorium, 2125 Adelbert Road. Tickets from the previously scheduled date will be honored. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

The event is a free, but ticketed event. Tickets may be obtained from the University Program Board (UPB) office located in the lower level of Thwing. They may also be available at the door on the day of the event. For information contact the UPB at (216) 368-2438 or the co-chairs at the following email addresses: eric.hammond@case.edu; jeremy.sharper@case.edu; and sachin.java@case.edu.

For more information: Kimyette Finley 216-368-0521.

Case Western Reserve University celebrates, observes National Engineers' Week, February 18-24

2006-02-20T15:19:42Z

The Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University is holding several events this week to celebrate National Engineers Week February 18-24. "E-Week" is dedicated to the recognition and promotion of engineering as a career and how the contributions of engineering have impacted our daily lives.

"Engineers: In Tune with Our World," the theme of this year's week of activities, will have Case students, faculty, staff and local high school students and the general public spending much of the week testing their engineering and technology acumen in competitions demonstrating that engineering can be fun and practical at the same time. Major events this week include an engineering expo held at the Great Lakes Science Center; the Society of Women Engineers Luncheon, featuring Dr. Myra Dria, Case alumna and founder of Myden Energy LP; and the popular Lego Robotics, Bridge Building and Battery Powered Car competitions for area high school students.

"It's important that people understand the contributions of engineering and how it has impacted our quality of life," said Robert F. Savinell, dean of the Case School of Engineering. "Through the events of this week, we are enriching a new generation of engineers to continue the tradition of the engineering profession to be socially responsible, using their technical expertise to provide remedies to present and future engineering challenges."

The week's signature event, the Engineering Expo for elementary and secondary school students and their families, will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Great Lakes Science Center. The expo, co-sponsored by the Cleveland Engineering Society, is a fun and educational day of fun hands-on experiments, interactive displays and local engineers and students staffing tables, greeting visitors and answering questions. An egg-drop competition features teams of middle schoolers who design and build a package for a raw egg that will allow the egg to survive a free fall from a height of up to 50 feet. The package will be progressively dropped from various floor levels without the installed egg cracking or breaking.

The High School Lego Robot Competition, which will be held Wednesday, Feb. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Thwing Center, features Northeast Ohio high school students competing against each other for prizes and awards. The contest features two robots at a time going "head-to-head" in the designated arena. Both should sense light and race as quickly as possible to reach the brighter of two randomly lighted arena wall sections. The first to reach the target area surrounding the brighter of the two lighted sections will score a point. The last robot standing wins.

In addition, the department of civil engineering and the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering are co-sponsoring two design competitions to encourage high school students with interest in, and aptitude for, engineering design. This year's competitions will be the Model Bridge Building Contest and the Eveready Battery-Powered Car Contest. The events will be held on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Adelbert Gymnasium.

The Society of Women Engineers luncheon featuring Case alumna and Cleveland-area engineering entrepreneur Myra Dria will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 11:30 a.m. in Nord Hall on the Case campus.

For more information on all Engineers' Week events, visit http://www.engineering.case.edu/cec/eweek/. The events at Case are being held with the generous support of Accenture.

For more information: Laura M. Massie (216)-368-4442.

Weatherhead School of Management to host panel discussion on challenges and opportunities of doing business abroad

2006-02-20T15:15:53Z

Event will feature representatives from Eaton Corporation, Invacare Corporation, and law firm of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP

With a population of more than one billion and a burgeoning economy, China represents an enormous potential market for American companies. But while China is more open to foreign investment today than in the past, doing business there still presents significant challenges for foreign enterprises.

Representatives of three Northeast Ohio firms doing extensive business in China will discuss their experiences and provide suggestions for other companies thinking about establishing operations abroad, especially in China, in an upcoming panel discussion, "Surviving and Thriving in the New Global Economy," at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management. It will take place Monday, February 27 at 8 a.m. in the George S. Dively Building, 11240 Bellflower Road, with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m. The event is sponsored by the public accounting and consulting firm Crowe Chizek.

Panelists include:

Craig Arnold, president of the Fluid Power Group and head of Asia-Pacific operations for Eaton Corporation
Matt Mullarkey, vice president of Global Operations for Invacare Corporation
Peter Shelton, partner and co-chair of the China Practice for the law firm Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP

Eaton has operated manufacturing facilities in China for many years, while Invacare opened its first plants in Shanghai in 2004.

Moderating the discussion will be Leonard Lynn, professor of management policy, chair of the Department of Marketing and Policy Studies, and interim director of the Weatherhead School's Global Business Studies Institute. He is the author of Organizing Business: Trade Associations in America and Japan (with Timothy McKeown), How Japan Innovates: A Comparison with the U.S. in the Case of Oxygen Steelmaking and more than 50 articles in such journals as Science, Research Policy, and the Journal of Engineering Technology-Management. Lynn has been a Fulbright visiting research scholar at Tokyo University and a Japan Ministry of Education Visiting Professor at Hitotsubashi University.

The event is open to the public. Admission is $30, which includes breakfast and parking, but pre-registration is required. The deadline for registration is Thursday, February 23. To register or obtain more information call (216) 368-6413, or visit http://weatherhead.case.edu/breakfast/.

The Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management is an international center of management scholarship, committed to preparing and enhancing organizational leadership. The Weatherhead School is dedicated to making discoveries of enduring consequence, developing innovative educational programs, fostering strategic partnerships with students and organizations, and providing services to multiple communities.

For more information: Jeff Bendix 216-368-6070.

Reporters on the frontline of news to speak at Case

2006-02-17T15:42:06Z

As part of the Susie Gharib Distinguished Lectureship in Journalism series

Hafez Al-Mirazi

Susie Gharib

Hafez Al-Mirazi, the host of the Al Jazeera Arabic television show From Washington, will be the first speaker in the 2006 "Conversations with America's Premier Journalists and Writers" in the Susie Gharib Distinguished Lectureship series at Case Western Reserve University. Al-Mirazi's free, public talk begins at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 22, in 206 Clark Hall, 11130 Bellflower Road.

Al-Mirazi is the first of four journalists to visit Case this year and talk about their careers as reporters on the frontlines covering breaking news. Other speakers featured this year are Dana Priest, the intelligence and national security writer for the Washington Post, Monday, February 27; Michael Getler, ombudsman for the Public Broadcasting Service, Monday, March 6; and Bill Marimow, managing editor of National Public Radio, Wednesday, March 22. All talks are at 4 p.m. in 206 Clark Hall on Bellflower Road and are open to the public.

Since joining Al-Jazeera in 2000, Al-Mirazi has been highlighting issues related to U.S.-Arab relations during his weekly show From Washington. At Case, he will discuss his career as the television network's Washington bureau chief.

Prior to his current position, Al-Mirazi was the Washington correspondent for BBC Arabic/World Service and a writer, editor and broadcaster for Voice of America. He launched his career in journalism in 1980 as a radio journalist and broadcaster with Voice of the Arab's Cairo Radio.

This is the fourth year for the Gharib lecture series, which is made possible by a gift from Susie Gharib—co-anchor of the Nightly Business Report on PBS Television and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Case (1972)—and her husband Fred Nazem. Visits to campus by these distinguished lecturers form the cornerstone of an advanced journalism class. Ted Gup, Case's Shirley Wormser Professor of Journalism and a former Washington Post and Time Magazine reporter, is director of the Gharib lecture series.

To learn more, visit the Susie Gharib Distinguished Lectureship In Journalism Web site or call 216-368-4837.