Feb. 19, 2002

Briefs

Tele-Course Brings Bush to ESIA
A group of 15 GW students from the Elliott School of International Affairs, the University Honors Program, and the Department of Political Science took part in a live video conference via closed circuit TV with former President George Bush.

The conference was part of a joint distance learning course taught by Maurice A. East, professor of international affairs and political science, in conjunction with Texas A&M University, to study post-Cold War US foreign policy. The class, “Problem Management in Foreign Policy in the Contemporary World,” makes use of long distance learning technology by allowing students at GW and Texas A&M to interact with major figures from past political administrations.

The line up of prominent political figures scheduled to speak later this semester includes former US Ambassador to Russia Robert Strauss and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.

Medical Center Leads Post Sept. 11 Conference
The George Washington University Medical Center presents the first in a series of conferences, “After Sept. 11: Today’s Lessons for Tomorrow’s Preparedness” at the Media and Public Affairs Building on Feb. 28, beginning at 8 am.

Moderated by GW experts from government, healthcare, media, and policy, the panels will help those who provide leadership, medical expertise, and emergency care develop disaster plans and create crisis response procedures for the post Sept. 11 world.

The conference is presented at no charge as a public service. Reservations are required. Call 994-8110 for more information.

Dining in Style
University President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will be hosting his 45th President’s Lunch with Faculty on Feb. 20, marking seven years since he began holding these successful gatherings.

Meeting with an intimate group of six professors each month, the lunches give Trachtenberg the chance to have frank discussions with faculty in a group small enough to enable real dialogue. Although he has many opportunities to speak with faculty in different contexts every day, these lunches provide an interactive environment for the exchange of ideas.
The professors come from a cross section of disciplines within the nine different schools of the University and often do not even know each other. The meetings give them time to share ideas for new initiatives and to compare what is going well and what problems they may be having in their departments.

“Often professors will find that they share common interests,” says Rhoda Fischer, special assistant to the president. “Once we had a professor from the Columbian College who was getting ready to publish a book and met a professor from the Law School who specialized in copyright law. They realized that they could help each other out.”

At the upcoming lunch Trachtenberg will be joined by Michael Moses, associate professor of mathematics and associate dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and Hibba Abugideiri, assistant professor of history and international affairs.

HHS Secretary Announces National Bioterrorism Funding at GW Hospital
Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson chose the lobby of the GW Hospital to announce that letters are on their way to governors detailing how much each state will receive of the $1.1 billion package to help strengthen the country’s response to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies resulting from terrorism.

The funds come from the $2.9 billion bioterrorism appropriations bill that President George W. Bush signed into law Jan. 10, and will be used to develop comprehensive bioterrorism preparedness plans.

“We’re putting money in the hands of states and local communities so they can start building strong public health systems for responding to a bioterrorism attack,” Thompson says.

The District of Columbia will receive almost $12 million to begin building the public health systems necessary to respond.

At the press conference Thompson also announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the license for the BioPort Corporation to begin distribution of licensed anthrax vaccine. BioPort is the only licensed manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine.

Although the vaccine meets FDA high standards for safety and efficacy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend vaccination for the general public. The vaccine is a critical component in the fight against bioterrorism.

“In addition, Health and Human Services is aggressively supporting efforts to develop new vaccines and diagnostic tools for the disease agents most likely to be used in a bioterrorism attack,” Secretary Thompson says.

 

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