laurels

TRUMAN SCHOLARS Political science majors JENNIFER C. BAILEY, A09, and SOFIA V. NELSON, A09, have been selected as 2008 Truman Scholars, an award often called the “Rhodes Scholarship for leadership and public service.” Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, noted that this year’s crop of scholars includes 65 students from 55 U.S. colleges and universities. Each scholar receives up to $30,000 for graduate study. Bailey says she is passionate about providing equal access to educational opportunities for diverse populations of young people. At Tufts, she is president of the Emerging Black Leaders, cofounder of the Tufts Social Justice Arts Initiative, and chair of the student senate’s Culture, Ethnicity, and Community Affairs Committee. She plans to concurrently pursue master’s degrees in public policy and divinity. Nelson, who is committed to institutional and grassroots social justice work through Democratic Party politics and queer activism, has interned with state and federal legislators and works at Tufts’ LGBT Center. She plans to attend law school and serve as a social justice advocate for underserved and underprivileged communities. Since 2005, four Tufts undergraduates have been named Truman Scholars.

OSTEOPOROSIS LEADER BESS DAWSON-HUGHES, M75, is the new general secretary of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, which brings together scientists, physicians, and corporate partners to fight the debilitating brittle-bone disease. She is a professor of medicine at Tufts and directs the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

PUBLIC POLICY FELLOWS HOLLY ELWELL and RYAN FATTMAN, both graduate students in urban and environmental policy and planning, have been awarded summer public policy fellowships from Harvard’s Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. Elwell is helping the EPA’s Region I office incorporate the effects of climate change into management plans for New England coastal areas and organizing the agency’s first climate change workshop. Fattman is working at MassHousing, researching the mortgage foreclosure crisis.

THREE FELlOWSHIPS IOANNIS D. EVRIGENIS, assistant professor of political science, has received a Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Fellowship for 2008–09 from Princeton University’s Center for Human Values, as well as fellowships from the Newhouse Center for the Humanities at Wellesley College and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.

CARNEGIE SCHOLAR LEILA FAWAZ, the Issam M. Fares Professor of Lebanese and Eastern Mediterranean Studies and director of the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies at Tufts, was named a 2008 Carnegie Scholar by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. She will receive a two-year grant of up to $100,000 for her research titled “The Experience of War: Muslims in the Middle East and South Asia, 1914–1920.” One million South Asian soldiers fought on the side of the British colonial power, some in the Ottoman-controlled Middle East. Fawaz plans to write “a book that will help to give people a deeper understanding of the complex issues of power and identity that continue to affect the Muslim world today.”

CASE TRUSTEE BRIAN LEE, vice president for university advancement, has been elected a District I trustee for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international association of professionals in education. He came to Tufts in 1986 as associate director of development for the School of Veterinary Medicine. In 1995, he was appointed director of development for the entire university and was named to his current position four years later. Under his leadership, the university completed a $600 million capital campaign and is in the midst of a $1.2 billion campaign. Lee is a longtime member of CASE and contributor to the organization’s magazine Currents.

DEAN OF RELIGIOUS LIFE VARUN SONI, A96, has been appointed dean of religious life at the University of Southern California, making him the first Hindu to serve as a primary spiritual leader for an American university. Soni will work with the 70 student religious groups and 35 religious directors on the USC campus. “My background is unique,” Soni told India-West newspaper. “I’ve lived as a monk, but I’ve also been CEO of a company. I’ve been a teacher, but I’m also an attorney. I’ve been a researcher, but I’m also a DJ. So I think I have the diverse experiences that are particularly well suited for this position.”

KOREAN MEDAL OF HONOR The Korean government has awarded NAK-HO SUNG, professor and chair of chemical and biological engineering, its 2008 National Medal of Honor, the highest award given to scientists and engineers. The award recognizes Sung for his work in helping to develop Korean industry and for his role in furthering cooperation between his native Korea and the United States. Sung’s efforts helped bring about the manufacture of such products as Coca-Cola bottles, CD cases, videotapes, and packaging materials in Korea.