Nick Fischer
Nick Fischer created quite a bit of excitement during the 57th Session of the International Statistical Institute (ISI), when he appeared at the general assembly in Zulu clothing. The session was held in Durban, South Africa, August 16–22.
“Before the general assembly took place,” said Fischer, “I approached one of the chief organizers of the conference, who is Zulu, to ask whether this would be an acceptable thing to do, as far as Zulus were concerned. He not only encouraged me to do it, but also facilitated the whole episode. Afterward, he sent me a message saying, ‘Your Zulu outfit was original and added more flavor to the conference. It was greatly appreciated. Cultural diversity is a common thread of what we do here in South Africa.’”
Xihong Lin
The department of biostatistics in the Harvard School of Public Health recently named Xihong Lin, professor of biostatistics at Harvard, the 2009 Myrto Lefkopoulou Distinguished Lecturer. Lin presented a lecture on September 3 titled “Statistical Issues and Challenges in Analyzing High-Throughput ‘Omics’ Data in Population-Based Studies.” A reception was held following the lecture.
Each year, the lectureship is awarded to a promising statistician who has made contributions to either collaborative or methodological research in the applications of statistical methods to biology or medicine and/or has shown excellence in the teaching of biostatistics. Ordinarily, the lectureship is given to a statistician within 15 years of receiving an earned doctorate.
The lectureship was established in memory of Myrto Lefkopoulou, a faculty member and graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health. Lefkopoulou died of cancer in 1992 at the age of 34 after a courageous two-year battle. She was deeply beloved by friends, students, and faculty.
Nominations for next year’s lectureship are being solicited and should be sent to the Myrto Lefkopoulou Lecture Committee, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115. Nominations are due March 31, 2010, and should include a letter of nomination and a CV for the nominee.
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