Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting (also available at the library), will speak at the Brookline Booksmith on Thursday, March 1st at 7pm. This event is free to the public.  Read about Bringing Up Bebe, which is one of our featured books this month.

In her talk, Richardson dispelled the myths that the female members of SNCC were “poor, oppressed women” and that the individuals that made up the organization were somehow extraordinary. The women of SNCC, argued Richardson, were strong women who braved threats, violence, and imprisonment but who were also drawn together through the humor, music and dancing that helped them get through the horrors they were facing on a daily basis. She also stressed that it is important for younger generations to understand that normal, everyday people were the driving force of the Civil Rights Movement, not just legendary figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. In her conclusion, Richardson drew parallels from her experiences in the Civil Rights Movement to modern struggles against economic and racial inequalities the nation continues to face.

We thank Judy Richardson for sharing her experiences of being a young women fighting for Civil Rights. This event was sponsored by the Black History Month Observance Committee; the Hospital Library; the Office of Faculty Development; the Diversity and Cultural Competency Council; Human Resources and the Office of Fellowship Training.

The first report “Like It? Pay for It” (p. 252) by Jim Giles, highlights the emergent trend of researchers turning to crowd-funding in order to subsidize their studies. Typically in crowd-funding, websites, such as SciFlies and Kickstarts, allow scientists to pitch their proposals to prospective contributors, who usually donate small portions to the research fund.  Giles sites President Barack Obama’s 2008 election campaign as a success story of how small donations can add up quickly by using the crowd-fund model.  In order to raise funds through crowd-funding, researchers must be able to win the trust of potential donors by effectively communicating the viability of their idea without making promises that may not be fulfilled.

Heidi Ledford’s article, “Sponsor My Science” (p. 254) presents another way that researchers can raise money for their projects: appealing to wealthy individuals for donations.  In this model, researchers put their schmoozing skills to the test in order to create contacts and win the trust of philanthropists.  While researchers must be weary of the possibility that donors may want to attach strings to their funds, attracting wealthy investors has the potential for raising large amounts of money for projects. 

Check out the January 19^th issues of Nature for more information about these innovative methods of research fundraising, which is available for in-library use.  Please email the librarians if you would like a copy of either of these articles.

This talk will take place on Monday, February 13, 2012 from 4:30 – 5:30pm in the Gamble Room of the library. Please register with Alison Clapp if you wish to attend the program or if you have any questions.  Limited copies of the book and video are available for loan at the library.  Refreshments will be served.

*Great News! Isabel Wilkerson will be discussing The Warmth of Other Suns at the Newton Free Library on Monday, March 19 at 7pm! Thanks to Maxine Milstein from the Office of Faculty Development for bringing this exciting event to our attention.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration is Pulitzer Prize award winner Isabel Wilkerson’s extensively researched and gripping account of the movement of African Americans to the north and west that started during the First World War and continued until the 1970s as a response to the atrocities and oppression of the Jim Crow south. The narrative of Wilkerson’s book focuses on the stories of Ida Mae Brandon Gladney from Chickasaw County, Mississippi; Robert Joseph Pershing Foster from Monroe, Louisiana and George Swanton Starling from Wildwood, Florida, who were three out of the over six-million African Americans that fled the south during this “great migration.” PBS’ website includes a selection of materials about the Jim Crow laws created to accompany the series “The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.”  The site includes timelines, videos, an interactive map, interviews and other media.

Wilkerson’s book was reviewed by the New York Times,The New Yorker, the Boston Globe and NPR.  Additionally, NPR ran an interview of Isabel Wilkerson on Fresh Air on September 13th, 2010.  

Lawrence O’Donnell interviewed Isabel Wilkerson and NBA star Bill Russell, whose grandfather migrated from Monroe, Louisiana during on MSNBC.  In his introduction O’Donnell states that “your understanding of American is woefully incomplete until you read the Warmth of Other Suns:”  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640


Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Children’s Hospital Book Group will meet on Thursday, February 2nd at noon and Friday, February 3rd at 7:30am.

The 2012 NPSGs are located on the Joint Commission’s website.

Are you a social or behavioral scientist looking for a better understanding of genetic research? The NIH is now offering a free, online course  entitled Genetics and Social Science: Expanding Transdisciplinary Research that is specifically designed to help you gain the background knowledge necessary to collaborate with geneticists. Created by the National Coalition for Health Profession Education in Genetics (NCHPEG) and NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), Genetics and Social Science uses case studies in order to simulate real-life collaborative research experiences.  Visit The NCHPEG’s website to learn more information and to start the course.