Author Neil Gaiman has received multiple honors for his stories, books, and comics, including several Hugo Awards, the Newbery Medal, and the Carnegie Medal. But until his 2012 address to the graduating class of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, he’d never delivered a commencement speech. “I had no idea how to give a …
At the recent Harvard IT Summit, Anne Margulies, vice president and University chief information officer, mentioned how Harvard had been at the forefront of information technology since its inception, even to the point of naming the burgeoning field. Quoting from a then-futuristic piece titled “Management in the 1980s” in a 1958 issue of the Harvard …
All her life, Jennifer Cloutier ’13 wanted to understand how things work. “When you’re a kid, basic mechanisms like household appliances can seem magical,” she said, explaining her fascination with science. “I wanted to understand and explain that magic.” Cloutier’s curiosity has long since evolved from kitchen items to stem cells. As an undergraduate researcher …
In 2012, when a journalist asked the White House about Israeli authorities withholding SAT exams intended for Palestinian students in the West Bank, it was a question that had been prompted by an op-ed written by two Harvard students. “Israel vs. No. 2 Pencils” by Lena Awwad ’13 and Shatha I. Hussein ’14 argued that …
As portraits of former deans and presidents looked down from the walls of University Hall, Michael Shinagel, Ph.D. ’64, received confirmation that he had set a record as the longest-serving dean in Harvard’s history. Shinagel was first appointed director of the Division of Continuing Education (DCE) in 1975 before being named dean of the Extension …
Distance learning is typically thought of as a relatively modern innovation — accelerated through the Internet and online classes. But Hansun Hsiung, a Ph.D. student in East Asian languages and civilizations, isn’t convinced. As part of the Harvard Horizons symposium on May 6 at a packed Sanders Theatre, Hsiung argued that distance learning began significantly …
This week at the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab) 10 teams of students from across Harvard demonstrated their projects as finalists in the President’s Challenge for social entrepreneurship. The winner and up to three runners-up selected later this month will take shares of the $100,000 purse and continue their residencies at the i-lab. President Drew Faust …
On any given day, informal conversations between public intellectuals are taking place on the Harvard campus — but often behind closed doors. Those doors were flung open Tuesday as Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology, and Howard Gardner, John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the …
Back in January, as she headed to teach the first class of her new undergraduate course, “Chocolate, Culture, and the Politics of Food,” Harvard College Fellow Carla D. Martin wondered whether it would resonate with students. Those fears proved unfounded. More than 170 students are now delving into the rich subject, enjoying in-class tastings of …
Bundled up against the morning chill, tourists in Harvard Yard blinked in befuddlement as Currier House upperclassmen in green bikinis and Speedos cheered wildly, racing a brisk victory lap past Harvard’s stately brick buildings. Welcome to Housing Day at Harvard. Freshmen, who spend their first year on campus in dormitories in Harvard Yard, were sorted …
Asked to define the concept of “cultural citizenship” at a panel convened to explore that question, Yo-Yo Ma ’76, cellist and artistic director of the Silk Road Ensemble, pointed to an unexpected answer: guest pianist Tania Rivers-Moore ’15. Rivers-Moore had met with Ma and two other ensemble members for the first time that morning …
Moments after receiving the sixth annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism at Harvard’s historic Memorial Church, Emmy-award winning comedian, actor, and aspiring politician Eddie Izzard delighted in sharing a typo on his award with the audience. “There’s an E missing!” he said, grinning wolfishly, of the award presented by the Humanist Community at …
Amid brass bands, a bevy of glamorous drag queens, Harvard cheerleaders, and a duck tour vehicle, actress Marion Cotillard had a day in her honor in the cool Cambridge sunshine. Cotillard, who won the Academy Award as best actress in 2007 for “La Vie en Rose” but may be better known for her roles in …
The six Harvard seniors study widely diverse fields, including computer science, Chinese studies, human migration, economic development, global health science, and math and science education. What they have in common is that they’re all incoming Rhodes Scholars. They were named Sunday as recipients of the prestigious academic awards, among only 32 scholars selected nationally. Aidan C. …
When alumna Danielle Thiriot ’07 returns for the Harvard-Yale game (aka The Game) on Saturday, she’ll have one of the best seats in the house. Above the house, in fact, and traveling at 300 knots, about 345 mph. The Navy lieutenant — call sign “Purple” — will be one of two pilots conducting a U.S. …
As voters across the United States traipsed to the polls and awaited the election results, so did students, faculty, and staff members at Harvard, the University that helped to educate both major presidential candidates. Nearby polling places were busy. Local pubs hosted parties to watch the results roll in. Harvard’s Schools organized viewing sessions and …
The Harvard freshmen watched the team of precision gymnasts diving and tumbling through the air, eliciting gasps from the audience as they continued a long tradition of gravity-defying, life-and-death acrobatics. Behold, the noble pigeons. Students taking the “Getting to Know Darwin” freshman seminar visited the home of Jim Spring, a pigeon fancier in Sutton, Mass., …
Spencer Lenfield ’12 never thought he’d be able to travel abroad as an undergraduate, until he won the 2010 Jacob Wendell Scholarship Prize, an annual award that identifies the most promising and broad-ranging scholar in Harvard’s freshman class. During the next two summers, he used the $17,000 award to study art history in Paris and …
At Sanders Theatre this weekend, a mother explained that she had cooked a special breakfast for the whole family to share together on her daughter’s first morning home — a plan that was derailed when her daughter slept until 1:30 p.m. “I’m just thrilled that you’re eating it now,” the mother said. “Thanks,” the daughter …
For one new fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, images are the way he tells a compelling story. For another fellow, the way to convey it is through data. The foundation recently welcomed 24 fellows to campus for 2012-13. Among them are Finbarr O’Reilly, Reuters chief photographer for west and central Africa, and Laura Norton Amico, founder …
My online portfolio lists the press releases, magazine articles, and online content I’ve written for Harvard and other institutions in the past 20 years. You may also visit me on twitter (@Jen_Doody) or email me at jennifer_doody@harvard.edu. Thank you! Continue reading »
Cesar Alvarez, president of Native Americans at Harvard College (NAHC), couldn’t stop dancing. In a single day during the recent Arts First festival, he joined a performance with NAHC’s Harvard Intertribal Dance Troupe, and then served as Head Man Dancer in the Harvard Powwow: six straight hours of dancing, in total. “I loved every minute … Continue reading »
