They aren’t topics that appear in the Harvard course catalog, but all — and more — were among the subjects that Harvard College students had the chance to explore during this year’s Wintersession.
Now in its fifth year, the College-led initiative is aimed at using the time between terms to bring together undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and alumni to experience unusual opportunities they may not otherwise be able to pursue.
Along with recreational and creative events, the 10-day Wintersession included a host of professional-development opportunities, from advice on writing resumes to interviewing, as well as classes aimed at helping students develop practical skills. A handful of sessions connected students with alumni, including prominent television producers and industry professionals.
This year’s programming included a new focus on encouraging students to use the break to grow both personally and academically as they move through their College careers and become citizens of the world.
“I think it’s awesome to have an entire week to focus on one topic,” said Dre Cardinal ’15, who took part in a weeklong visit to the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Mass. “Yesterday we did a class on tree identification and learned how to identify different trees based on bark, leaf composition, and color, as well as their smell, and we also learned how to diagnose trees that may be ailing or in the process of dying. Being able to have that personal experience with the world we’re exploring is absolutely a privilege.”
Jessica Brandl teaches printmaking on clay as a Wintersession class at the Harvard Ceramics Program. From the graphic to the painterly, techniques include traditional printmaking techniques such as mono-printing, silk-screening, and stenciling onto clay. Brandl (from left) speaks with Amy Zhao ’18 during class. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Brittany Liebenow (left) and Jamie Lee Solimano ’17 explore a variety of print-making techniques on clay. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Jessica Brandl demonstrates a monotype technique. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Jessica Brandl (left) and Yvenna Chen ’17 speak about various printmaking methods during class. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Tiles from the morning exercise are laid out to dry. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Instructor Joe Huggard looks at 3-D printed samples during “jFab: 3-D Printing — Fused deposition modeling” with Rebecca Chen ’16 (left) and Andrew Wong (right), an applied physics G1 student at SEAS. This hands-on instruction covered the use of Makerbot 3-D printers and 3-D scanners. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Joe Huggard and Thomas Schuhmann, an applied physics G1 student at SEAS, examine the 3-D printed sample up close. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Students learn basic ceramic-throwing techniques in “Handmade Mugs.” Karine Hsu ’17 (left) works on the wheel under the instruction of Kathy King. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Sonia Espinosa ’16 carefully lifts her freshly thrown pot off the wheel. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Learning basic ceramic-wheel skills, students wedge, center, and form basic shapes. Perry Choi ’15 (pictured) works on the wheel. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Melissa Rodman ’18 (pictured) completes a pot on the wheel. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Acting as co-instructor, postdoctoral student Nick Lyons teaches GSAS student Denise Sirias during the MSI Graduate Consortium, a weeklong intensive. The theme of the workshop was microscopy, providing students an opportunity to learn techniques and capture images of microbes in various edible microbial products (e.g., cheese, yogurt, beer, kombucha, and sauerkraut). Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Postdoctoral student Einat Segev (from left) teaches GSAS students Allen Lin and Yolanda Huang during the MSI Graduate Consortium. Participants were given hands-on training in light, fluorescence, confocal, electron (TEM and SEM), and atomic-force microscopy. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Viktoria Betin of GSAS practices using a microscope during the MSI Graduate Consortium. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer GSAS student Denise Sirias (from left) practices biological and biomedical science with Ph.D. hopeful Chris Baker and GSAS students Allen Lin and Max Schubert during the MSI Graduate Consortium, a weeklong intensive workshop offered during Harvard’s January session. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Ph.D. student Chris Baker practices preparing a slide during the MSI Graduate Consortium. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer Wayne Fuerst teaches “Adornment: Basic Jewelry Smithing with Silver Clay” at the Harvard Ceramics Program. Eliza Chang ’16 (from left), Fuerst, Cristina Parajon ’18, and Rebecca Chen ’16 look at jewelry examples. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Eliza Chang ’16 (left) and Cristina Parajon ’18 work with stamps to make jewelry. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Ella Park-Chan ’16 (left) and Tianyu Liu ’16 lay their jewelry on a tray to bake. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer Students lay their work on the cooking tray. Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer
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