Letters

Cambridge 02138

Readers comment on Harvard and slavery, scientists and sex, final clubs, Seamus Heaney, and more

Thought, Feeling, and Purpose

President Faust on Harvard Divinity School's bicentennial

Elephant and Mouse

How Harvard might better explain itself to faculty, friends, and the world at large

Kit Reed

A distinctive Harvard Magazine voice remembered

Note to Readers

Welcoming an accomplished new editorial colleague

September-October 2016

Features

A Literary Chameleon

Colson Whitehead ’91 plays for higher stakes in his new novel.

by Jesse McCarthy

Post-Regulatory School Reform

Making the case for charter schools and other choice options to boost educational performance

by Paul E. Peterson

George Bucknam Dorr

Brief life of a persistent conservationist: 1853-1944

by Steven Pavlos Holmes

The Plastic Earth

Connecting climate change to the planet’s shifting crust

by Jonathan Shaw

The Democracy of Everyday Life

Nancy Rosenblum studies neighbors and the power of proximity.

by Lydialyle Gibson

RIGHT NOW Harvard research and ideas

Born to Rest

Evolution shaped humans to rest—and to run only when absolutely necessary.

Printing in Free Space

A new kind of 3-D printer forms wires in midair.

Aiding the “Doubly Disadvantaged”

Sociologist Anthony Jack studies two types of low-income students.

John Harvard's Journal University news

Harvard Loves Hard Hats

Harvard's sweeping building boom.

Michael Brenner

Applied mathematician Michael Brenner on not knowing anything

House Renewal Gains and Challenges

Three projects in, some physical and financial assessments

Yesterday’s News

From the pages of the Harvard Alumni Bulletin and Harvard Magazine

A Moral Conscience for Economics

New HKS dean Douglas Elmendorf talks progressive policy and economics.

Illuminations

Little-known treasures from Houghton Library and other collections

Sesquicentennial Soirée

The Harvard Advocate turns 150.

Brevia

Chao Center, a Law School alumnus as vice-presidential nominee, sexual-assault lexicon, Gen Ed transition, and more

News Briefs

Continuing challenges to undergraduate-admissions policies, and diversifying faculties

New Fellows

The magazine's Ledecky Fellows provide an undergraduate perspective.

Volumes to Write

The Undergraduate bears witness for a friend.

Strokes of Genius

Anne Cheng anchors Harvard's new golf prowess.

Montage Books, creative arts, performance and more

Beauty from Disarray

From the beginning, artist and advocate Judith Brodsky felt “pulls in different directions.”

Supporting Cast

A film composer's career, from annotating Sneakers to doing “archaeology” for 12 Years a Slave

Making a Bee Line

Thomas D. Seeley on the craft and science of bee hunting

Off the Shelf

Recent books with Harvard connections

The Business of Lies

Joseph Finder makes technology the texture of his new thriller, Guilty Minds.

America's Higher-Education Agenda

A focused briefing on degree-attainment, democracy, and economic opportunity

Chapter & Verse

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Harvard Squared What to do in Boston, Cambridge and beyond

Innovation-Colonial Style

The Saugus Iron Works highlights early U.S. industrial history

Cranberry Harvest Celebration

Learn how New England’s iconic berries are cultivated at this annual event.

The Bruce Museum

The Bruce Museum highlights “Science in Motion” in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Boston Fire Museum

Children and adults alike are drawn to this eclectic array of firefighting artifacts.

Global Groceries

Ethnic markets serve up a world of food.

Almuni Harvardians far and wide

Private Eye

Boston-based private investigator Sarah Alcorn is “a bit of an oddball in this business.”

Staying Fit Through the HAA

President Martin J. Grasso boosts alumni volunteerism.

New Leader, New Look

The Harvard Club of Boston’s makeover, and new president

Seniors Help Houses Thrive

The Aloian Memorial Scholars contribute to House life.

Outstanding Service

Harvard Alumni Association awards honor volunteer service to the University.

“Math Kids” Facilitator

A private San Francisco middle school and high school nurture a passion for numbers.