Holy Cross Professor and An Alumnus Among 2003 MacArthur Fellows

WORCESTER, Mass. – The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today announced the names of the 2003 MacArthur Fellows. Among the 24 individuals chosen for this honor are Osvaldo Golijov, associate professor of music at Holy Cross, and alumnus James J. Collins, professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University. Each will receive a $500,000 "no strings attached" grant for support of their work over the next five years.

According to the MacArthur Foundation "the Fellows Program is designed to emphasize the importance of the creative individual in society. Fellows are selected for the originality and creativity of their work and the potential to do more in the future. Candidates are nominated, evaluated, and selected through a rigorous and confidential process. No one may apply for the awards, nor are any interviews conducted with the nominees."

"We are proud to count two members of the Holy Cross family among the recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowships," says Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of Holy Cross.

"Osvaldo Golijov and Jim Collins exemplify the breadth and depth of opportunity available in a liberal arts education. Brilliant composers and scientists alike are encouraged and shaped by institutions like Holy Cross, dedicated to bringing together outstanding students and gifted faculty to explore fundamental questions."

Golijov is the world-renowned composer of " La Pasión Según San Marcos" (The Passion according to St. Mark). In September 2000, Golijov's "Passion" had its world premiere in Stuttgart, Germany, where it opened to fantastic critical acclaim. In February 2001, his "Passion" had its United States debut at Symphony Hall in Boston, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Schola Cantorum de Caracas. An Argentine-born Jew, Golijov was chosen by conductor Helmut Rilling to compose this original work for the 250-year commemoration of Bach's death. Only three other people on the planet were selected for this honor. His "Passion" stylistically and visually reimagines Bach's Passions on the streets of Cuba and Brazil.

Golijov earned his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the winner of the first prize at two Kennedy Center's Friedheim Awards, in 1993 for "Yiddishbbuk," and in 1995 for "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind." Golijov's music is frequently performed around the world by numerous ensembles and orchestras, including the BSO, the Kronos Quartet, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the London Sinfonietta.

James J. Collins has made a name for himself as one of the most inventive researchers in the field of biomedical engineering. This will come as no surprise to those who knew him as a student at Holy Cross. As an undergraduate, he was a Dana Scholar, a Fenwick Scholar and the winner of the Presidential Service Award. He graduated summa cum laude in 1987 as a physics major and was valedictorian at that year's commencement. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned a doctoral degree in medical engineering from Oxford University in 1990.

Collins, professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, is also co-founder and co-director of the University's Center for Biodynamics and director of the Applied Biodynamics Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding how biological signals can be either degraded or, counterintuitively, enhanced by noise. Collins has recently applied his understanding of the biophysics of noise to the control of gene networks in living cells.

Collins has published in journals such as Nature, Physical Review Letters, Chaos, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.