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CAS professor new chairman of National Library of Medicine committee
David Shepro, a CAS professor of biology, has been appointed chairman of the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee of the National Library of Medicine, starting July 1. The committee evaluates all biomedical serial publications and recommends those journals that meet the accepted criteria for scientific publications. The publications are then added to PubMed, an open-access international electronic biomedical database. Shepro has served on the committee since 2001. He is also chairman of the Marine Biological Laboratory/Woods Hole Oceanographic Library Users Committee.
New lab opens at Photonics Center
The Integrated Optics Laboratory at BU's Photonics Center has officially opened; the lab facilitates hybrid integration, device characterization, and measurement of active and passive photonics devices for industrial collaboration and faculty research. A major sponsor for equipping the new laboratory was Agilent Technologies. The new 2,400-square-foot laboratory, which has a 400-square-foot Class 100 clean room, is expected to see significant activity in the development of smart substrates and low-cost hybrid optical component integration. “This state-of-the-art lab strengthens the already sophisticated product prototyping capabilities of the Photonics Center,” says Donald Fraser, director of the center. “Each new lab that we add to our suite of product prototyping laboratories increases the potential for our business accelerator companies and our corporate partners to succeed.”
American Psychiatric Institute appoints CAS prof to group
Timothy Brown, a CAS psychology research professor in the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, has been selected by the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education to participate in a four-year classification/nosology planning activity. This is a preliminary step in forming groups that will produce the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's bible of psychiatric reference, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The groups will also review the state of the science in key diagnostic areas, propose long-term research needs and opportunities, and recommend short-term research projects.
BU Productions wins awards for videos
A 15-minute recruitment video produced by BU Productions for the Undergraduate Office of Admissions, which last year won a bronze Telly — the television and video equipment equivalent of an Oscar — has received a Communicators Award. “Accept the Challenge,” entered into the recruitment category of the international competition founded by communications professionals to recognize excellence in the communication field, took an Award of Distinction for exceeding industry standards in quality and excellence.
In addition, an eight-and-a-half-minute video about the John Hancock Student Village, which BU Productions created to generate excitement about the new facilities and is shown to students, alumni, and potential donors and corporate sponsors, won a bronze Telly this year in the category of motivation. “We were given the mandate to produce a video that conveys the vision and excitement of this incredible building project that will transform student life at BU,” says Nancy Marrs, manager of BU Productions. “The program needed to inspire and motivate a wide-ranging audience and to prove what a win-win opportunity this is for the University and the surrounding communities. This program was one of the most challenging, technically complex pieces we've ever worked on.” The BU Production team includes Marrs, Chris Palmer, and Phil Zekos.
BU filmmakers shine at Redstone Film Festival
The 2004 Redstone Film Festival's winning films were screened for an audience of 550 at the Tsai Performance Center on February 12. Ranging from 12 to 24 minutes long, they were written and directed by graduate and undergraduate students in COM's department of film and television. Of the 23 films submitted, 5 were selected by a panel that included actor-director Sam Weisman, film editor Karen Schmeer, and Bo Smith, head of the film program at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. The festival, which began 10 years ago, is sponsored by Sumner Redstone (Hon.'94), founder, chairman, and CEO of Viacom. “The outstanding and varied films presented at this year's festival underscore Boston University's growing importance as a training ground for bright and innovative filmmakers,” says Redstone. “I am proud to support the festival and have been privileged to watch it grow and prosper as an important outlet for young creative minds.”
This year's winners are:
1st place: To Be a Woman, Hsiu-Wen Cheng (COM'02): a documentary exploring the values of a Taiwanese-born woman caught between the customs and expectations of her generation and her mother's.
2nd place: The Interview, Galen Summer (COM'03): a comedy about laser surgery, indigestion, and mistaken identity.
3rd place: Disturbing Leonard, William Folman (COM'04): a dark comedy about a quiet nurse caring for a suicidal librarian convinced he's the star of his own reality TV show.
Honorable mention: Real Estate, Alicia Comperchio (COM'03): a film about the feelings of a real estate agent in the process of selling her own apartment, and Eskimo Hill, Max Evry (COM'03): a remote-vehicle operator loses his robot and must leave the safety and seclusion of his vehicle to retrieve it.
Alumni-sponsored screenplay competition winners
Winners of the Rosenberg-Fleder Short Screenplay Contest were announced at the 2004 Redstone Film Festival on February 12. The competition was established by screenwriter Scott Rosenberg (COM'85), who wrote Gone in 60 Seconds and High Fidelty, and director Gary Fleder (COM'85), whose films include Kiss the Girls and Runaway Jury. Winners of the contest are:
1st place: Echo, Carla Edmondson (COM'03)
2nd place: Shimly's Day Made, Peter Schultz (COM'04)
3rd place: Face Unseen, Todd Linden (COM'05)
Honorable mention: Sunday Service, Jonathan Reese (COM'04).
27 February 2004
Boston University
Office of University Relations