Campus & Community

Harvard Gazette’s top stories of 2018

367th Harvard Commencement

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

4 min read

Celebration, exploration, reflection, and insight from the University and beyond

As a new year approaches, we look back at some of the Gazette’s most-read and best-loved stories of 2018.

Campus Life

These were the stories that made us laugh, cry, and connect to each other

Facing the future, Lewis and Faust see reason for hope

by Alvin Powell

In a time of uncertainty, Congressman Lewis and then-President Faust urged the graduating class to rise to the challenge of a world in need of leadership.


Harvard names Lawrence S. Bacow as 29th president

After an extensive search supported by faculty, students, staff, and alumni, Harvard welcomed its 29th president.

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer


Not just a humanities cat

by Rose Lincoln

After four years at Harvard, Remy the cat has had pretty much the full Harvard experience.

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer


It’s Housing Day, with snowballs

by Aaron Goldman

First-year students battled the snow to learn where they’d live next.

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer


When her life is over, she’ll have lived

by Jill Radsken

Harvard senior Elsie Tellier uses courage, strength, sadness, and compassion to respond to her lethal disease.


Spreading the word on college admissions

by Liz Mineo

Harvard students developed a college admissions guide to help others traverse the competitive path.


Bringing a dying language back to life

by Brigid O’Rourke

Through Harvard’s Project Teach program, an instructor is teaching seventh-graders the origin of the Gullah language.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer


Mourning Devah Pager

by Jill Radsken

Harvard mourned the loss of Devah Pager, an academic “force of nature,” remembered for her trailblazing scholarship and extraordinary mentorship.

Devah Pager.

From the Lab

These were the stories that explored the world around us and the mysteries within us

When science meets mindfulness

by Alvin Powell

The first in a series that looked at the expanding research on mindfulness and stress.


How fast can we run?

by Alvin Powell

The chair of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology discussed the body’s triumphs and limits.


Microbes by the mile

by Deborah Blackwell

Harvard researchers shared the beauty of the microscopic world.

This timelapse shows a few days of growth in an incubator after making a handprint. Each colony that grows contains millions of individual bacteria and originated from invisible cells present on the hand.

Video by Scott Chimileski and Michael Baym/Harvard Medical School


Five healthy habits to live by

by Karen Feldscher

Harvard Chan researchers looked at over 25 years of data to get a better idea of which habits are the healthiest.

health habits illustration

Songs in the key of humanity

by Peter Reuell

A Harvard study questioned whether music is more universal than we previously thought.

The Year in Pictures

These were the stories that were too big for just words

The center in the crossroads

Students and staff embraced Harvard’s new Smith Campus Center.

Harvard Bhangra dancers.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Toba Olokungbemi and Tiffany Thompson.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Photo by Liza Voll

Photo by Liza Voll


The ending as beginning: Commencement ‘18

There were cheers and tears at the 367th Commencement ceremony.

Harvard graduates wave books.

Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Razaak Eniola, Jr. hugs his mother

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

Drew Faust and Larry Bacow during commencement.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer


Beauty in the eye of the microscope

by Rachel Traughber

New tools helped Harvard researchers display the world in unexpected and compelling ways.


Playing The Game, both past and present

by Jon Chase

The celebration transcended generations when Harvard beat Yale at Fenway Park.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Photo by Olivia Falcigno


Catching up with the class of ‘48

by Jon Chase

A wonderful look at the lives of alumni at 90 and beyond.

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer


Deep Dives

These were the in-depth stories that our readers couldn’t put down

‘What the hell — why don’t I just go to Harvard and turn my life upside down?’

by Colleen Walsh

Part of the Experience series, then-President Drew Faust opened up about family, history, and the illness that urged her forward.

Drew Faust.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer


Onward and upward, robots

by Alvin Powell

First in a series on cutting-edge research at Harvard, researchers showed off the unique approaches they are taking with robotics.

Thousands of Kilobots from Radhika Nagpal’s lab work together to complete tasks.

Video by SEAS


‘The greatest gift you can have is a good education, one that isn’t strictly professional’

by Liz Mineo

Howard Gardner talked about his secret to a successful career and a happy life.


A summer of service to cities

by Christina Pazzanese

The Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative is working to help city officials be more effective and train the next generation.


‘To be horrified by inequality and early death and not have any kind of plan for responding — that would not work for me’

by Alvin Powell

Paul Farmer talked about making impoverished lives his life work.

Dr. Paul Farmer speaks with 12-year-old being treated for jaundice at University Hospital in Haiti.

Photo by Rebecca E. Rollins/Partners In Health


Social Media

These were the stories that we had to share

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