Atul Gawande, associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at HSPH, spoke with Tom Ashbrook of NPR’s “On Point” about health care and health reform on Jan. 4, 2011. Republicans in the House of Representatives are bringing forward a vote to repeal the reform law, which was passed last March, but Gawande…

Daniel Wikler, Mary B. Saltonstall Professor of Population Ethics and professor of ethics and population health, was interviewed Dec. 17, 2010, on Public Radio International’s “The World,” about health care rationing. The interview was part of a week-long series, “Rationing Health,” which looked at the issue in the United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zambia…

By rethinking what happens on the surface of things, engineers at Harvard University have discovered that Bacillus subtilis biofilm colonies exhibit an unmatched ability to repel a wide range of liquids—and even vapors. Centimeters across yet only hundreds of microns thick, such slimy bacterial coatings cling to the surfaces of everything from pipes to teeth…

As announced in December, the Harvard Corporation will expand from seven to thirteen members, as part of a broader set of changes involving the Corporation’s composition and work. All members of the extended Harvard community are invited to send advice on the search and nominate individuals who would be strong candidates for the Corporation. Email advice…

Two members of the SEAS faculty recently received the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The honor is considered one of the most prestigious for up-and-coming researchers in science and engineering. Stephen Chong, assistant professor of computer science Chong will use the $86,000 grant to develop new methods of…

Marc Lipsitch, professor of epidemiology, gives a presentation about the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, discussing the challenges faced by public health professionals and the lessons learned to more effectively handle a similar outbreak in the future. (49:13)

Lawrence H. Summers, who until recently served as assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the White House National Economic Council (NEC), returns to Harvard University this month. Summers, the Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard University, will be based at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), where he taught prior to taking…

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Council on Economic Education (MCEE), the International Economic Summit Institute (IES), and Harvard University, along with funding support from the Challenger Foundation, conducted the second ever New England high school trade simulation at Harvard’s Murr Center on Dec. 20. During the daylong simulation, 72 teams of…

A team of researchers led by a Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) postdoctoral research fellow and a Massachusetts General Hospital physician report for the first time that using antidepressant medication to treat depression among HIV-positive individuals not only alleviates suffering from depression but improves adherence to HIV antiretroviral medication and virologic outcomes. The study…

Undergraduates in Engineering Sciences 51: “Computer-Aided Machine Design” had spent a semester learning to design gadgets in SolidWorks, building candy-flinging catapults, and mastering the use of the soldering iron. Then came the jaw-dropping final assignment: “Transform a cordless power screwdriver into a functional all-terrain vehicle.” The students were given a small kit of extra materials,…

Adam Bernstein, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition, discusses sodium intake in the U.S. adult population.

Before you take off for holiday break, remember that a few simple energy saving actions can make a big difference in helping Harvard University meet its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2016.  In this month’s Green Tip, the Office for Sustainability (OFS) challenges us all to take part in the “Turn Off…

“Refecting upon my first year as dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), I can’t deny that it’s been a year of surprises. Good ones—and often incredibly great ones,” writes Cherry A. Murray. Cooking up a course … A general education course on science and cooking, first thought up in 2008,…

More than 66 million people live in regions of the United States that have a shortage of primary care physicians. Learn what Harvard Medical School is doing to help by  reading about the new Harvard Center for Primary Care. Also, share your thoughts on this and other topics in the Harvard Medical School idea lab.

The Dudley House Jazz Band and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) are proud to present Mary Lou Williams’s classic, rarely heard Zodiac Suite on Friday, Dec. 17, at 8 p.m. in Harvard’s Paine Hall. The concert will mark the first large ensemble performance of the work in 65 years. The event…

Tune in hear what leading journalists and other watchdogs have to say during the Nieman Foundation’s conference “From Watergate to WikiLeaks: Journalism and Secrecy in the New Media Age” on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. Although the event is now full, live streaming of the sessions will begin at 9 a.m. You may also follow the…

In response to Harvard’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal and Green Building Standards, building managers and facilities leaders across the University are renovating and constructing greener labs, offices, and classrooms that cut energy use and are healthier, happier places for staff to work and students to learn. As of Dec. 1, 2010, Harvard had 85 buildings…

Nancy M. Cline, the Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard College for more than 15 years, will retire at the end of the academic year. In an announcement to faculty, Michael D. Smith, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, said, “Over the last 18 months of intense University focus on the libraries, Nancy…

Each year since 1998, Harvard-Yenching Library has offered a series of holiday and note cards featuring images from interesting pieces in their collections. For 2010, Kuniko McVey, Librarian for the Japanese Collection, and Raymond Lum, Librarian for the Western Languages Collection, have selected paired woodblock prints for our holiday and note cards. These woodblock prints,…

Kristin Stoklosa, e-resources manager and e-resources coordinator for the sciences, has been named this year’s recipient of the 2010 Carol Ishimoto Award for Distinguished Service in the Harvard College Library. Created through a 1991 endowment established by former Associate Librarian of Harvard College for Cataloging and Processing Carol Ishimoto, the award annually recognizes a member…

Laura Farwell Blake, head of Services for Academic Programs at Harvard University’s Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, has been named one of 10 librarians recognized for service to her community as a winner of the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award. Farwell Blake is noted for her “genuine excitement…

For the second year running, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) will convene a flexible series of January seminars, workshops, and recreational opportunities designed to help Ph.D. and master’s students build skills and take advantage of the winter break. January@GSAS, as the series is called, includes approximately 75 events, workshops, and classes, scheduled…

Harvard Medical School and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation are accepting applications for the Nancy Lurie Marks Junior Faculty Merit Fellowship. Applicants must be affiliated with Harvard Medical School or one of the Harvard hospitals, have at least two years of prior postdoctoral training, and be actively engaged in autism research. This fellowship is…

Students will have an unusual opportunity to polish the computing skills they need for tackling spring-semester science challenges in January. In response to demand, the new Institute for Applied Computational Science in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) has organized workshops and seminars during Optional Winter Activities Week, Jan. 18-21, using MATLAB…

Harvard College students flocked to the Maxwell Dworkin lobby on Thursday for the fifth annual Harvard Undergraduate Research Symposium (HURS). Hosted by the Harvard College Undergraduate Research Association (HCURA), the event highlighted student research and exposed interested undergraduates to a wealth of opportunities across the sciences. It also provided a forum for students to meet…

On Dec. 16, 2010, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will host a one-day conference “From Watergate to WikiLeaks: Journalism and Secrecy in the New Media Age.” The WikiLeaks Iraq and Afghanistan war logs—and now the roll out of diplomatic cables—are having an enormous impact on journalism. At this conference, the Nieman Foundation will…

With a more than 16 percent reduction in both electricity and natural gas usage, Dunster/Mather dining hall was a strong competitor in Harvard’s 2009-10 Green Skillet competition. But the implementation of the kitchen’s Donation Station, which provided opportunity for staff and students to regularly swap and donate unwanted items, proved this kitchen to be the clear winner.…

As high unemployment rates and company downsizing have left many Americans discouraged and unsure of the future, community colleges across the country have experienced a tremendous surge in enrollment over the past few years, with a diverse range of students, from high school graduates to older, displaced workers, all seeking marketable skills to survive in…

Reflecting on her time as the District of Columbia’s chancellor of education, Michelle Rhee encouraged those at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to get active in the game if they want to see change in education. “We need help now,” she said. “We can’t wait 10 years for the longitudinal study.” During the discussion…

Gavin Creel, the two-time Tony Award nominee (Hair, Thoroughly Modern Millie) will be in Boston giving concerts and master classes for the weekend. He is an actor, musician, human rights activist and a great leader – leading the Hair tribe to marches in Washington D.C. and NYC. He is a respected advocate for the LGBT community and co-founder of Broadway Impact,…