University Times

Pitt law dean Peter M. Shane has been appointed to the Administrative Conference of the United States, an independent federal agency that works to improve the performance of government programs and processes.

Shane, an expert on constitutional law, will serve a two-year term beginning July 1, 1995.

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Three Pitt faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for their distinguished contributions in physics, psychology and engineering. They are: Wolfgang J Choyke, a solid state physicist, who is currently studying "large bandgap" semiconductors and their potential uses.

Walter Schneider, a neurophysiologist, who was recognized for his study of human information processing, attention and memory scanning.

Max L. Williams Jr., dean emeritus of the Pitt School of Engineering, who is currently studying structural mechanics, design and behavior of materials, with a focus on cohesive and adhesive fracture.

Founded in 1848, the AAAS is the world's largest federation of scientists. It has more than 140,000 members and publishes the weekly magazine Science. The honor of fellow was granted to only 297 new members this year.

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Ronald W. Frisch, the director of human resources and administration at Deloitte and Touche, has been appointed as the director of Compensation and Benefits in Pitt's Office of Human Resources.

In his new role, Frisch will be responsible for all aspects of benefits and compensation and will work to develop a Human Resources Information System.

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John T. Yates, in recognition of his research achievements, has been elected the recipient of a Humbolt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists. This award offers the opportunity for an extended research stay in the Federal Republic of Germany.

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Two faculty members from Pitt's School of Library and Information Science have recently returned from Haiti, where they had been examining what may be the largest and most extensive collection of books on slavery in the Western Hemisphere.

Sally Buchanan and Romano Almagno had been assessing the scholarly significance of the collection and the need to preserve and restore the more deteriorated volumes.

The Pitt trip was part of a larger effort being spearheaded by the Congregation of the Holy Ghost at Duquesne University to assist a junior college in that country.

Their recent visit to Haiti is just one of three one week trips to Haiti the professors are planning to make over the next two years. Instructing the four person Haitian book care team will be the primary purpose of each visit.