Month: March 2013

  • Nation & World

    Jason Alexander, front and center

    Actor Jason Alexander, best known for playing the neurotic George Costanza on the television comedy “Seinfeld,” visited Cabot House for a cozy conversation with 60 students.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Where corporations, public meet

    After six years of work, Harvard Kennedy School Professor John Ruggie has developed United Nations-approved guidelines to ensure businesses respect the human rights of those they interact with around the world.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    From Hong Kong to South Korea

    During a historic visit to Hong Kong and South Korea, Harvard President Drew Faust presided over an array of academic activities and alumni events.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    A taste of Harvard in Shanghai

    Harvard Center Shanghai provides programming support, local expertise, and meeting space for Harvard researchers, students, and alumni in one of the world’s most dynamic cities.

    7 minutes
  • Nation & World

    College admits 2,029

    Letters and email notifications of admission were sent today to 2,029 students, 5.8 percent of the record applicant pool of 35,023.

    10 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Reading the president’s mind

    Jon Favreau, who recently stepped down after several years as President Obama’s head speechwriter, took a Harvard Kennedy School audience on a behind-the-scenes tour of the president’s best-known addresses.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Faculty Council meeting held March 27

    On March 27, the Faculty Council met with the president to ask and answer questions as representatives of the faculty, discussed draft principles on outside activities, and heard a proposal about reading and examination periods.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Calvert Watkins dies at 80

    Calvert Watkins, the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Linguistics and the Classics, emeritus, died March 20 at the age of 80.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Statement by President Drew Faust on Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino

    Statement by President Drew Faust on Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Earth Month at Harvard

    On Earth Day, April 22, the world celebrates the birth of the modern environmental movement. Harvard takes that commemoration to the next level, reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and a healthier planet with a monthlong series of events and activities.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    A look inside the lab

    The Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Division of Science recently relaunched its “Science Research Lecture Series,” aimed at introducing the broader local community to research conducted by Harvard faculty members. The talks will be held once a month in the Science Center, and will be open to the public.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    The human toll of war

    Members of human rights organizations gathered at Harvard Law School to reflect on the lasting impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    A tuned-in savior

    Harvard music professor Anne Shreffler and a trio of graduate students have developed an exhibit based on the extensive material related to contemporary music patron Paul Fromm. “Composing the Future: The Fromm Foundation and the Music of Our Time” is on view at the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library through May 2.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Major weight loss tied to microbes

    In a study conducted by Harvard and MGH researchers, gut microbes of mice underwent drastic changes following gastric bypass surgery, and transfer of the microbes into sterile mice resulted in rapid weight loss.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Tweaking the universe

    In a question-and-answer session, Harvard astronomy chair Avi Loeb explains the new data from the European Space Agency’s Planck satellite.

    7 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Financial aid increases by $10M

    Harvard College will increase its financial aid budget for the 2013–14 academic year by $10 million, or 5.8 percent, bringing the total to a record $182 million. Since 2007, Harvard’s investment in financial aid for undergraduates at the College has increased by 88 percent.

    2 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Portraits of vanished Indian life

    A pair of 19th-century photo albums, recataloged after more than 130 years at Harvard, reveals a vanishing world of North American Indians.

    6 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Astronaut named chief marshal

    The Harvard Alumni Association announced that Stephanie D. Wilson ’88, a NASA astronaut and engineer who flew three missions aboard the space shuttle Discovery, will serve as Harvard’s chief marshal for Commencement 2013.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Space and climate change

    A lecturer from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics says that “dark clouds of gas and dust have the potential to alter Earth’s climate.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    A Harvard bridge to Japan

    Carl Kay, president of the Harvard Club of Japan, reflects on a career in which his undergraduate concentration in Japanese studies led to a business helping U.S. companies gain a foothold in Japan.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Isaacson to deliver Rothschild Lecture

    Best-selling author and journalist Walter Isaacson will present the 2013 Maurine and Robert Rothschild Lecture, “The Genius of Jobs, Einstein, and Franklin,” on April 8 at the Radcliffe Gymnasium.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    New support for nursing mothers

    Harvard has had lactation rooms on both the Cambridge and Harvard Longwood campuses for more than a decade. It most recently added two additional rooms and updated three others. The most recent room opened in Widener Library.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Admissions, beyond a single test

    Inspired by Harvard College, Trinity College Dublin will pilot a holistic model for admissions.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Sharper view of matter

    In a breakthrough that could one day yield important clues about the nature of matter itself, a team of Harvard scientists has measured the magnetic charge of single particles of matter and antimatter with unprecedented precision.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Finalists selected in President’s Challenge

    Harvard University today announced the selection of 10 teams of finalists in the 2013 President’s Challenge for social entrepreneurship.

    6 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Oxtoby, Chang to lead Overseers

    David W. Oxtoby has been elected president of Harvard’s Board of Overseers for 2013-14. Lynn Chang will become vice chair of the board’s executive committee.

    4 minutes
  • Nation & World

    More opportunities for women

    Speaking in South Korea at the conclusion of a five-day visit to Asia, Harvard President Drew Faust urged greater educational opportunities for women.

    3 minutes
  • Nation & World

    The dark side of chocolate

    Exploring the sweet and dark sides of chocolate, a new course examines the history and food politics of the beloved treat.

    5 minutes
  • Nation & World

    Women’s basketball beats Hartford

    Harvard’s women’s basketball, making its fourth appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, has advanced to the second round for a second straight year.

    1 minute
  • Nation & World

    Harvard-HRI preserve affordability at Putnam Square Apartments

    Harvard University and Homeowner’s Rehab Inc. (HRI), a Cambridge-based nonprofit, have agreed to terms on a property transfer for the Putnam Square Apartments at 2 Mt. Auburn Streetthat will ensure the building remains affordable housing.

    2 minutes