Notables for September 22

Of note

The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the School of Medicine has been recognized for its outstanding efforts in breast cancer prevention by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP). The award was presented recently at the NSABP's annual meeting in New Orleans to Colleen Kilbourne-Glynn, research coordinator for Siteman's participation in a national clinical trial of two drugs that might prevent breast cancer. The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center's participation in the Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene trial is led by Joanne E. Mortimer, M.D., clinical director of the medical school's Division of Oncology. É

Robert Brendza, Ph.D., of the Department of Neurology; Seema Dalal, Ph.D., and Richard Stewart, Ph.D., both of the Department of Cell Biology; and Jingsong Xu, Ph.D., of the Department of Pediatrics, are the recipients of this year's W.M. Keck Awards. Each year the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences selects four outstanding scientists in biomedical research with less than two years of postdoctoral research experience and awards each a fellowship for $15,000 for partial stipend support. É

Ron K. Cytron, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, has been elected for a two-year term as chair of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Programming Languages (SIGPLAN). Cytron's duties will include overseeing conferences and interacting with the SIGPLAN board and other special interest groups. É

Ralph G. Dacey Jr., M.D., the Edith R. and Henry G. Schwartz Professor and head of neurological surgery at the School of Medicine, has been named secretary of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. The board is responsible for devising the curriculum for neurosurgeons in training and certifying those neurosurgeons who meet its requirements. It has 14 directors, each serving for six years. Dacey became a director in 1999. Dacey's clinical research centers on better ways to diagnose and treat brain aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. These weak spots and tangles in blood vessels can rupture, causing sudden death. Dacey also is testing an experimental system that uses a magnetic field to guide instruments through the brain and other parts of the body. He performed the world's first magnetic brain surgery in December 1998. É

Gruia-Catalin Roman, Ph.D., chair of computer science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, has received a $30,000 IBM Partnership Award. The award is renewable by IBM annually for up to three years. Roman also was recognized in a recent issue of Emerson Electric Co.'s Innovations magazine. An article described how Emerson's Software Center of Excellence Director Bill Trosky sought Roman's help as a consultant and coach in implementing object-oriented analysis. Roman is a nationally known expert in the area.