Featured series 
Year: 2008
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Science & Tech
New visualization techniques yield star formation insights
New computer visualization technology developed by the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing has helped astrophysicists understand that gravity plays a larger role than previously thought in deep space’s vast, star-forming…
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Science & Tech
John P. Holdren named President-elect Obama’s Science Advisor
President-elect Barack Obama today announced that he has selected Harvard’s John P. Holdren to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology in the new administration. The post,…
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Health
Stem cell researcher honored by President George W. Bush
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientist Kevin Eggan today was cited by President George W. Bush for his work in advancing the field of stem cell science on both scientific…
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Nation & World
Religion in the vernacular
In 1215, Pope Innocent III convened the Fourth Council of the Lateran, a religious convocation that laid out to hundreds of bishops, abbots, priors, and Christian patriarchs 70 new decrees. One enjoined the clergy to stop frequenting taverns, engaging in trials by combat, hunting, and practicing what might be called noncelibate habits.
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Arts & Culture
Scholar asks: ‘How can we know the spectator from the dance?’
When Yvonne Rainer and her fellow dancers took to the stage in the early 1960s, their performances were like nothing American audiences had ever seen. First, there were no costumes. Performers wore T-shirts, casual pants, and sneakers. In place of elaborate leaps and twirls, the dancers engaged in everyday movements like running, climbing, and even…
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Campus & Community
Police reports
Following are some of the incidents reported to the Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) for the week ending Dec. 15. The official log is located at 1033 Massachusetts Ave., sixth floor, and is available online at http://www.hupd.harvard.edu.
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Campus & Community
Newsmakers
Rockefeller Fellows chosen; Hedley-Whyte wins AAMI award; Goldman invited to speak to Homeland Security Council; Steinkeller receives Humboldt award; Counter at Nobel Prize ceremony
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Campus & Community
President’s office hours
President Drew Faust will hold office hours for students in her Massachusetts Hall office on the following dates:
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Campus & Community
George Whitelaw Mackey
At a Meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on November 18, 2008, the Minute honoring the life and service of the late George Whitelaw Mackey, Landon T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Science, Emeritus, was placed upon the records. Mackey’s publications profoundly influenced the next generation of mathematicians and mathematical physicists.
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Campus & Community
New ID card distribution through February
Continuing through the early winter of 2009, Harvard is distributing new, high-technology ID cards to the University community. The Harvard ID card is used in more than 400 systems across campus, and the new card will make those systems more secure by segregating key information and encrypting it in card-based technologies that are unique to…
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Campus & Community
CCSR annual report now available
The 2008 annual report of the Corporation Committee on Shareholder Responsibility (CCSR), a subcommittee of the President and Fellows, is now available upon request from the Office for the Committees on shareholder responsibility. To obtain a copy, e-mail Cheryl Thurman at cheryl_thurman@harvard.edu or call the office at (617) 495-0985.
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Campus & Community
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Standing Committees 2008-09
Upon the recommendation of the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), Harvard President Drew Faust has approved and announced the following Standing Committees. Standing Committees of the faculty are constituted to perform a continuing function. Each committee has been established by a vote of the faculty, and can be dissolved only by…
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Campus & Community
College’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter welcomes 48 new members
Forty-eight seniors were recently elected to the Harvard College chapter of Phi Beta Kappa (PBK), Alpha Iota of Massachusetts.
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Campus & Community
Harvard Magazine site revamped
The Web site for Harvard Magazine, Harvard’s alumni publication, has also been revamped to better reflect its glossy and colorful magazine format. The site now features entire issues online, flashing dynamic graphics, and audio and video clips that enhance articles. Alumni who browse the Web site are greeted with the latest-breaking news at Harvard, including…
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Science & Tech
‘Bicycle Environments’ takes HSPH and GSD students for a ride
At a time when the United States scrambles to resolve the country’s obesity epidemic, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, and lessen dependency on foreign fossil fuels, this semester the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Graduate School of Design (GSD) have launched an interdisciplinary course that tackles all three problems (and…
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Campus & Community
Wrestling’s Jantzen to take over the No. 1 spot
There’s a new No. 1 for the 141-pound weight class. Previously unranked, Crimson wrestler Corey Jantzen ’11 took over the nation’s top spot on Dec. 11.
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Campus & Community
Women’s hoops recover on homestand
After a tough loss to Providence by 12 points and another to Boston University by 19, there was one thing the defending Ivy League co-champion Crimson needed: a home game. Nothing proved that more than the way the 4-4 Harvard women’s basketball team bounced back from consecutive losses with consecutive wins to advance to 6-4.…
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Campus & Community
Q&A with Heather Henriksen
Gazette reporter Corydon Ireland recently had a conversation with Heather A. Henriksen, the director of Harvard’s new Office for Sustainability. Some highlights:
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Campus & Community
Marine squad in Iraq wears crimson, thanks to HKS, Coop
A contact drawn by a Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) faculty member’s research has led to the filling of an unmet need for U.S. Marines in Iraq: Harvard-insignia gear.
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Campus & Community
Student-run haven gives shelter — and a boost — to homeless
The song tells us that there is “no place like home for the holidays,” and soon, many on the Harvard campus will be destined for far-flung places, both dear and familiar. The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter (HSHS) helps those who are not fortunate enough to have a home at all.
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Campus & Community
Toys, clothes, and a visit from Santa
Santa came to Harvard a little early last week (Dec. 13). He sat comfortably in a chair on the second floor of Phillips Brooks House, clad in his familiar bright red outfit with white trim, plus the less familiar, yet practical, Merrell hiking shoes. He was taking a brief break between meeting groups of eager…
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Health
Antacid use during pregnancy may increase childhood asthma
Children of mothers who took acid-suppressive drugs during pregnancy had a 1.5 times higher incidence of asthma when compared with children who were not exposed to the drugs in utero, finds a large population-based study by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston. The findings, accompanied by an editorial, appear online this week in “Early View” in…
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Health
New obesity-related genes identified
A large international consortium has made significant inroads into uncovering the genetic basis of obesity, adding six new genetic variants to the two already linked to higher body mass index (BMI) in previous studies. Most of the newly discovered genes had never before been suspected of having a role in body weight and, curiously, many…
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Health
Pain is more intense when inflicted on purpose
Researchers at Harvard University have discovered that our experience of pain depends in part on whether we think someone caused the pain intentionally. Participants in a study who believed they were getting an electrical shock from another person on purpose, rather than accidentally, rated the shock as more painful than those receiving the same shock…
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Science & Tech
Robotic radical hysterectomy has advantages
New technologies now allow surgery to be performed with less impact on patient quality of life. As the trend toward minimally invasive surgery grows, robotic-assisted surgery has become an appealing tool for gynecologic oncology surgeons. However, to date, there is little data to confirm the benefits of this technology. New research from Brigham and Women’s…
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Science & Tech
Idle computing power may ID candidate molecules for efficient solar panels
The world today uses enough power to illuminate 150 billion light bulbs for a year. According to some estimates, by 2050, demand will double, creating irreversible climate change without reductions in humanity’s carbon output.
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Campus & Community
Algebra, topology expert Lurie named professor of mathematics
Mathematician Jacob Lurie, whose expertise ranges across algebraic geometry, topology, and algebra, has been named professor of mathematics in Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2009.
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Science & Tech
Modeling the forest … and the trees
When building computer models of the ecosystems that cover the earth’s surface, it is tempting to incorporate sweeping generalizations in your calculations.