Medical school gears up for Yale's 300th

With its own bicentennial only a decade away, the medical school has its sights set on a more immediate cause for celebration and reflection: the 300th anniversary of the founding of Yale College in 1701. The first of three University-wide Tercentennial weekend celebrations is planned for Oct. 21 of this year along the theme of “New Haven and Yale,” with a number of open houses in laboratories, museums, classrooms and theaters across the University.

The second anchor celebration will take place April 20-22, 2001, around the theme “300 Years of Creativity and Discovery” at Yale. The culminating events of the Tercentennial will occur Oct. 5-7, 2001, the weekend closest to the anniversary of the signing of Yale’s charter.

The medical campus will join in the opening of the Tercentennial in October with events exploring the themes of “Community Outreach,” “Teaching What We Do” and “Engaging the Public.” In a series of exhibits, demonstrations, hands-on activities and lectures, the public will have a chance to learn how to conduct a physical exam, explore the body using virtual anatomy software and peer at molecules through an electron microscope. A photographic exhibit will chronicle the activities of students and faculty who volunteer their time and skills in service of New Haven. Under the category of “Teaching What We Do,” the public is invited to a series of activities which include a visit to the Magnetic Resonance Center and an anatomy class for young children. The Historical Library is planning tours and a display of prints from the Clements C. Fry Print collection.

In November playwright and performer Anna Deveare Smith will create a theater piece based on interviews with patients, physicians, caregivers and others at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the School of Medicine. She will perform the piece at grand rounds during the week of Nov. 13.