
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.
Post-Regulatory School Reform
Making the case for charter schools and other choice options to boost educational performance
George Bucknam Dorr
Brief life of a persistent conservationist: 1853-1944
The Plastic Earth
Connecting climate change to the planet’s shifting crust
The Democracy of Everyday Life
Nancy Rosenblum studies neighbors and the power of proximity.
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.