The value of children’s literature in our society was examined by a panel of experts ― including creators of the new documentary Library of the Early Mind and several prominent children’s book authors ― at the Askwith Forum on Oct. 21. “People read books when they are kids, then read the books to their kids…

The Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty members participating in an Askwith Forum panel discussing the controversial documentary Waiting for “Superman” expressed mixed emotions about the film’s emphasis on charter schools and teachers unions, and agreed it’s a small glimpse of a large and complicated education problem. “You could tell a number of stories about…

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but chances are you didn’t realize that. That’s because women who have been battered or sexually assaulted are an underserved community; immigrant victims even more so. A conversation in the Schlesinger Library’s Radcliffe College Room, titled “Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: It’s Everybody’s Business,” explored the topic on Monday,…

Researchers at NASA and Harvard University have established the NASA Tournament Lab (NTL), which will be housed at the Institute of Quantitative Social Science under the leadership of Professor Karim R. Lakhani, who specializes in distributed innovation and crowd sourcing at the Harvard Business School. Lakhani will be working with London Business School Professor Kevin…

As part of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Public Service Week (Oct. 12-17), HKS’ Student Public Service Collaborative (SPSC) and its Special Needs Caucus joined forces with the Harvard Football Team and Special Olympics Massachusetts to host a morning of Special Olympics events. After HKS Dean David T. Ellwood opened the ceremonies, more than 70…

The Harvard Art Museums present two traveling exhibitions devoted to underexplored aspects of the work of Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), one of the major figures of European modernism. Lyonel Feininger: Drawings and Watercolors from the William S. Lieberman Bequest to the Busch-Reisinger Museum highlights an important recent acquisition of a stunning group of drawings and watercolors…

Woodcut images of flowers from Harvard-Yenching library, a 1920s-era catcher’s mask (a late-19th century innovation developed at Harvard), and a letter written by John Hancock to his sister – parents of Harvard freshmen got to see all these and more as part of “Your Student @ Lamont,” an interactive event which highlighted the array of…

On Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will host an evening discussion on how news media collaboration and innovative online tools can bridge the foreign reporting gap. Titled “International Journalism 2.0: Bringing Home the Global Water Crisis,” the event will bring Dennis Dimick, executive editor for the environment at National…

Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Joseph S. Nye Jr. has received an honorary doctorate from Keio University, the oldest institute of higher education in Japan, in recognition of what the university described as his central his role in redefining U.S.-Japanese relations, both as a U.S. government official and as a leading academic thinker on political…

Working professionals and executives can now enroll in one- and two-day intensive programs exploring cutting-edge topics in information technology thanks to a collaboration between Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education and computer science faculty from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The newly created professional development initiative will address a growing need among organizations…

Hanspeter Pfister, professor of the practice of computer science and director of visual computing at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), was awarded the 2010 Visualization Technical Achievement Award on behalf of the IEEE. The committee was impressed by Pfister’s seminal technical work in real-time volume rendering. His hardware implementations of fundamental…

Sheena Iyengar is here to tell you that, when it comes to choice, more is not better. Iyengar, the S. T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, is a leading researcher on choice. On Oct. 21, in a lecture titled “The Art of Choosing”—the first in the Dean’s Lecture Series at the Radcliffe…

A new report by a study group from the Center for a New American Security is calling for a dramatic and ambitious expansion of ties between the U.S. and India. The study group was co-chaired by former Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns, who heads the Future of Diplomacy Project in the Harvard Kennedy School’s…

This year, many African countries are celebrating 50 years of independence from their European colonizers. In celebration of the contributions of African women both during and after the independence struggle, the Harvard College Women’s Center is hosting an event titled The Golden Girls: Women Activists in Post-Independent Africa. From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on…

A new national poll of America’s 18-29 year-olds by Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds waning enthusiasm for participation in the midterm elections as less than three-in-ten (27%) say they will definitely be voting in November, a drop of nine points from eleven months ago (36%).…

Pumpkin carving, face painting, and pressing cider were just a few of the activities enjoyed at the first annual Harvest Fest held Oct. 16 in the Harvard Community Garden. The event, planned by student caretakers of the garden, marked the end of garden’s first summer growing season. During the three hour event held last Saturday,…

Although the United States is winding down its military operations in Iraq, it is ramping up its bilateral engagement in less dangerous and more convivial pursuits. One example was on display last Sunday (Oct. 17) when a group of Harvard military veterans participated in a 500-meter race with the Iraqi national rowing team on the…

In 2002, after her first year as a master in public policy student at Harvard Kennedy School, Amy Dain, HKS ‘03, spent the summer as a Rappaport Policy Fellow in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Almost 10 years and two jobs later, that fellowship is still paying dividends. “The Rappaport Institute and network…

On Oct. 11, Harvard University received a 2010 Campus and Student Sustainability Award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in the “Best Campus Case Study” category.  Harvard was recognized for the 2010 Phillips Brooks House Student Weatherization Project case study describing a collaborative sustainability event during which students and…

Federico Capasso, Robert L. Wallace Professor of Applied Physics and Vinton Hayes Senior Research Fellow in Electrical Engineering, has won the 2010 Julius Springer Prize for Applied Physics. He will share the honor with Henri Lezec, project leader in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology Nanofabrication Research Group at the National Institute of Standards…

A collaborative, six-year study of carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in Beijing and surrounding provinces suggests that combustion efficiency, a component of overall energy efficiency, is improving in the region. The findings, published in the September 21 issue of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, are generally consistent with official Chinese government statistics and could bolster their credibility…

The Office of the Provost is seeking nominations for a new curator to lead the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. Bob Giles, who has served as Nieman curator for the past decade, plans to retire from the post in June 2011. All nominations as well as feedback and questions about the selection process may…

Nine faculty members from HMS are among the 65 new appointees to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. Established in 1970, the institute is both an honorific membership organization and an advisory group that analyzes health issues and makes recommendations on national health policy. Appointment recognizes individuals who have demonstrated…

Fall brings with it cold weather and the comforts of tea, hot cocoa, or coffee. That’s why October’s Green Tip of the Month from the Harvard University Office for Sustainability encourages you to BYOB—bring your own reusable bottle and/or mug, that is! According to the Pacific Institute, making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled…

Fifty years after presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first proposed the idea of sending American civilian volunteers to nations in need across the world, current and former directors of the Peace Corps gathered at the Kennedy School Tuesday night (Oct. 12) to discuss how the Corps has impacted generations of young people and societies both…

Olli Heinonen, who joined the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs as a senior fellow last month, has received the Scientist of the Year Award in his native Finland. The 7,500-member Finnish Union of Experts in Science made the award at its annual conference on Oct. 7 to recognize Heinonen’s 27…

Harvard Divinity School (HDS) hosted “Queer Youth and Religious Debates Over Sexuality,” a panel discussion held Oct. 7 on queer youth in the United States and their relationship to religion and the church. Cheryl A. Giles, Peabody Professor of the Practice in Pastoral Care and Counseling at HDS, moderated the conversation, which featured prominent gay…

Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, today announced Jeb Bush, governor of Florida (1999-2007) will serve as a visiting fellow at the institute this fall. Visiting fellows traditionally meet with student groups; lead discussions on topical issues and their experiences in public service; and participate in policy…

The bells of Memorial Church ring at 8:45 a.m. to signal the start of Morning Prayers, a daily service that takes place in Appleton Chapel every Monday through Saturday during the school year. The small chapel at the back of Memorial Church is intimate, a place for contemplation and prayer as you sit in the…

The students, faculty, and staff of Harvard Kennedy School will amplify John F. Kennedy’s call to “ask what you can do” during the School’s Fall Public Service Week (Oct. 12-17). During a year in which HKS is celebrating the 50th anniversary of JFK’s presidency, public service week will include a panel with current and former…