Month: May 2012

  • Nation & World

    Straight to the source

    As described in an April 23 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), graduate students Eric Morrow and Carling Hay demonstrate the use of a statistical tool called a Kalman smoother to identify “sea level fingerprints” — telltale variations in sea level rise — in a synthetic data set. Using those…

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Signs of progress against PTSD

    A decade after the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, studies have shown that the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among troops is surprisingly low, and a Harvard researcher credits the drop, in part, to new efforts by the Army to prevent PTSD, and to ensure that those who develop the disorder…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Meticulous design

    A recent SEAS workshop emphasized comprehensive planning, cultural awareness, and a holistic approach to design in developing solutions to global problems.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Using DNA as bricks and mortar

    Researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have figured out how to use short lengths of DNA as physical, rather than genetic, building blocks, creating letters and other shapes from the molecules in a proof of design that could one day lead to the creation of structures that, among other things, deliver drugs…

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Fletcher Awards announced

    The Committee on Regional Studies — East Asia (RSEA) announced the recipients of the 2012 Joseph Fletcher Memorial Awards.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    High drama

    In a talk at the Boston Public Library’s Honan-Allston Branch, the final event in the John Harvard Book Celebration, Linda Greenhouse ’68 said President Obama’s health care law is constitutional and should stand.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    The last dance between Venus and the sun

    Before 2004, the most recent Venus transit occurred more than a century ago, in 1882, and was used to compute the distance from the Earth to the sun. On June 5, 2012, another Venus transit will occur. Scientists with NASA’s Kepler mission hope to discover Earth-like planets outside our solar system by searching for transits…

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Disorder in the American courts

    In a luncheon address, retired jurist Margaret Marshall, the 2012 Radcliffe Medalist, cautioned that money-mad judicial races may be tipping the scales of justice.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    An enterprising mind

    Fresh off his own failed venture, Andrew Rosenthal still wanted to build things. At Harvard Business School, he helped to build a bridge between startup-minded students and the broader community.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Fareed Zakaria Commencement 2012 Speech

    Fareed Zakaria, a Harvard alumnus whose insights into the power shifts setting the stage for a new global era have made him a celebrated thought leader on international affairs, was the principal speaker at the Afternoon Exercises of Harvard’s 361st Commencement.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Jasper Johns, and a technique he loved

    A new exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum profiling the print-inspired works of contemporary artist Jasper Johns was put together with the help of four Harvard undergraduates.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Organizing for health care

    Pedrag Stojicic, who is graduating from the Harvard School of Public Health, plans to apply his passion for organizing to problems in his Serbian homeland, including HIV/AIDS and physician corruption.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Driving toward the future

    In four years at Harvard College, hard work and determination have propelled Patrick Staropoli to a 3.94 grade point average and earned him a place in Phi Beta Kappa. But when folks in Staropoli’s home state of Florida talk about his drive, they’re usually referring to the fact that he races super late-model series stock…

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Bridging the doctor-patient divide

    Graduating Harvard Medical School student Katherine Johnson hopes to bridge barriers between doctors and patients by using her skills in the community as she begins her residency.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Commencement in 90 seconds

    Scenes from the 2012 Commencement exercises.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Family values, in an orphanage

    Sonya Soni always felt called to serve the Indian orphanage that her family has run for four generations. Two years at Harvard Divinity School challenged her to rethink what the struggling community needs most.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Daring to be a doer

    Clara Long, who has worked many jobs in many lands, plans to use her new Harvard Law Degree to help ensure the rights of others.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Building community, one note at a time

    Now 59, Gregg Moore is set to receive a master’s from the Graduate School of Education, which he plans to use to foster community arts programs, with an emphasis on music education, as a way to bring disparate groups together. It’s an idea inspired by his career as a professional tubist in Europe, where he…

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Celebrating Commencement 2012

    All over campus, graduates toasted their hard work and great accomplishment on this perfect New England day as they also looked toward the hope of what tomorrow will bring.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Zakaria offers parting words

    Delivering Harvard’s Commencement address, journalist Fareed Zakaria told members of the Class of 2012 to trust themselves as they journey into a world that is more peaceful and contains more opportunities than ever before.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Board of Overseers election results

    The president of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) announced the results of the annual election of new members of the Harvard Board of Overseers. The elected directors of the HAA were also announced on May 24.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    After graduation, reflection

    Harvard’s 361st Commencement continued well into the later afternoon, with graduates, alums, family, friends, and faculty joining in the festivities.

    6 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Harvard Medalists 2012

    The Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has named Charles W. Collier, Ellen R. and Melvin J. Gordon, Harry L. Parker, and Susan S. Wallach the recipients of the 2012 Harvard Medal.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Another degree, and a passion realized

    Catherine Musinsky, an Extension School graduate, used a serious illness to inspire her artistry, creating a documentary and moving on to study movement.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Text of Zakaria’s Commencement address

    Commencement address by Fareed Zakaria on May 24, 2012.

    12 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Rep. Barney Frank ’61 Class Day 2012 Speech

    Harvard alum and Massachusetts senator Rep. Barney Frank ’61 delivers his class day speech to seniors in Tercentenary Theatre on May 23, 2012.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Odes to joy

    Harvard Gazette staff writers covered the campus to capture snapshots of Harvard’s 361st Commencement, on a picture-perfect day.

    16 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Where horseplay is the point

    The Harvard Polo Club, which dates to early in the 20th century, is enjoying a strong revival after a hiatus.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Andy Samberg Class Day 2012 Speech

    Comedian Andy Samberg addresses graduating seniors at Class Day 2012 in Tercentenary Theatre

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Unraveling the secrets of the epilepsy diet

    Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified a protein that plays a key role in the long-mysterious effectiveness of an extremely low-calorie, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet in suppressing epileptic seizures.

    4 minutes