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October Music Break October break was both travel- and music-filled for music professors Linda Laderach and Larry Schipull. The duo played two concerts as part of efforts associated with The Campaign for Mount Holyoke College. One was in Los Angeles at the home of Carolyn Liptonn Ellner '53, cochair of the Major Gift Committee in L.A. and former trustee, and the second was in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the home of Ada E. Berkey '38, who has established the Ada Berkey Classical and Art Music Trust for concerts at the College in the future. Nearly 100 alumnae and friends of the College attended. Programs performed by Laderach and Schipull, featured sonatas by Busoni and Prokofieff and a Gershwin prelude. There was also a "guided tour" through the architectural plans for the Pratt/Hammond renovation, which is scheduled to break ground in March of 2000 and be completed by September of 2000.

Sisters, Sisters For children ages four to eight, there's a new book out about matryoshkas, cherished Russian nesting dolls. Written by MHC professor of English Corinne Demas (who writes under the name Corinne Demas Bliss), The Littlest Matryoshka was released last month by Hyperion Books for Children, a part of Disney Publishing Worldwide. The book, which was llustrated by Kathryn Brown, begins with a goodbye and a journey of six matryoshka sisters from a village in Russia to a toy store in America. But once the girls arrive, the littlest sister, Nina, is swept off the edge of the shelf and into the street, and then through rivers and streams, while her older sisters find their way into the hands of a new owner. The story will have children wondering how Nina will be returned to her sisters and is a tender tale about the power of sisterly love. A starred review in Booklist says, "This picture book was crafted of emotional heart-wood and children will respond to its essential goodness."

Grants Granted The following faculty members have been awarded grants: Wei Chen (chemistry), a faculty start-up grant of $20,000 from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation; Donald Cotter (chemistry) a $4,000 grant from DuPont for chemical research; Donald Cotter, Sean Decatur, and Helen Leung (chemistry), a CCLI (Curriculum, Course and Laboratory improvement) grant of $95,432 from the National Science Foundation; Darby Dyar (geology), a $27,468 grant from the National Science Foundation for her part of the work in collaborative RUI (Research at Undergraduate Institutions) research on chemical equilibria involving iron and hydrogen metapellites from western Maine; Charlene Morrow (psychology and education), Emily Monosson (Center for Environmental Literacy), a POWRE (Professional Opportunities for Women in Research and Education) grant of $71,060 from the National Science Foundation; the Eisenhower Professional Development Program of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education has awarded $16,000 to SummerMath for Teachers, and the Massachusetts Educational Opportunity Grant has awarded $36,276 for a two-year grant to SummerMath. The Ernest E. Stempel Foundation has awarded Mount Holyoke $26,180 for student financial aid. The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust has granted the College $10,000 for student financial aid. The Henry Luce Foundation has approved two new Clare Boothe Luce assistant professorships for women in science: Janice Hudgings (physics) and Lisa Ballesteros (computer science). They join Jill Bubier (earth and environment), Michelle Markley (earth and environment), and Sarah Bacon-Temaner (biology), the College's current Clare Boothe Luce professors.

What's new with you? Send news for "New & Notable" to Janet Tobin, Office of Communications, or email jtobin@mtholyoke.edu.