Cookbook Author, Artificial Heart Designer, and Music Dean Honored

Sharing the stage with graduating NYU students this year are cookbook author, Shelia Lukens (Art Education, BS '70), artificial heart designer, Robert Jarvik, M.D. (Occupation Health and Safety, MA '71), and music educator and performer Giacomo Oliva (Music Education, EDD '80).

Lukens, who is being honored at the Baccalaureate Ceremony with the Distinguished Alumnae Award is a chef, food writer, and cooking teacher. Among her best selling books are The Silver Palate Cookbook, The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, and Celebrate! There are more than 6.5 million copies of her books in print.

At Steinhardt's Valedictory Ceremony, Jarvik will be awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The designer and biomedical engineer of the first artificial heart used as a permanent implant in a human being, Jarvik holds more than 20 patents for inventions such as permanent artificial hearts, temporary blood pumps for use in heart surgery, and virtual reality exercise devices.

Oliva, who will be honored at Steinhardt's Doctoral ceremony with the Distinguished Alumnus Award is professor of music and dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition to his work in education, Oliva is also a pianist and conductor in both the classical and popular music traditions.