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News Briefs
Term Themes President Drew Faust , speaking at Morning Prayers in Appleton Chapel, opened the 2015 fall term by talking about diversity—a frequent theme, sharpened in this case by a lawsuit attacking Harvard’s admissions practices that she characterized …
Issue: November-December 2015
Publishing “The Harvard Advocate” Despite the Pandemic
The Harvard Advocate , a venerable publication now 154 years old, has published writers who have gone on to form much of the American literature we know in the twentieth century: poets John Ashbery ’49, Litt.D. ’01, Adrienne Rich ’51, Litt.D. ’90, Frank …
Polishing off Plastic Pollution?
“There’s a great future in plastics.” The iconic line, advice to a fresh-from-college ingenué played by Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film The Graduate , was intended for laughs. But in 2023, it highlights a grim reality. The world’s economies generate …
Issue: September-October 2023
Thinking Archaically
Romolo Del Deo ’82 knew his sculpting career was going well. In his opinion, perhaps too well—unsustainably well. He was teaching at Harvard shortly after graduating himself, receiving grants, winning awards. The whole “system” of academic art seemed to …
Issue: January-February 2024
Could Regenerative Biology Work in Humans?
Chop a three-banded panther worm in half, and the head and tail will swirl around as if nothing had happened. Even more astonishing, a few days later, the halves will grow to become two complete and almost indistinguishable worms. Loeb associate professor …
Issue: July-August 2021
Quantum Leap for Engineering
Harvard’s Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences (DEAS) may soon become a full-fledged school of engineering, under a plan presented in May to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) by the division dean, Venkatesh Narayanamurti. During his …
Issue: July-August 2006
COOP Conversion
Taking advantage of pandemic-reduced customer traffic, the Harvard COOP has accelerated a renovation. It is consolidating books and merchandise (formerly in the Palmer Street annex) in its main store space, and eliminating its café; original architectural …
Issue: May-June 2021
A Faculty Meeting “Unlike Any Other”
The president in an open-collared shirt and pullover. The dean of the College sporting headphones. A peak of 271 participants logged in ( a huge number for a faculty meeting )—perhaps eager to see colleagues, hear more about the dismal University …
In Search of the Social Microbiome
The microbial flora that inhabits the gut, skin, lung, and oral cavity of humans and other animals is thought to play a critical role in regulating metabolism and immunity. Any disruption or imbalance in that mix, a growing body of literature suggests, …
Issue: September-October 2024
“The Promise of This New Presidency”
Claudine Gay spent part of the last day of summer and the first day of the fall semester introducing herself to the community she has led since July 1—and in doing so, building a bridge to the aspirations she holds for the University during her …
Commencement Address by John Lithgow ’67: “An Actor's Own Words”
by John Lithgow '67, Ar.D. '05 Mr. President, faculty, graduates, families, and friends, good afternoon and thank you for the honor of addressing you all today. This speech is a major event in my own personal history but an interesting little footnote …
Off the Shelf
The Art of Cloth in Mughal India , by Sylvia Houghteling ’06 (Princeton, $65). To wide public knowledge of Mughal masterpieces in painting and architecture, Houghteling now adds comprehensive appreciation of the textiles created and traded at the height …
Issue: July-August 2022
Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships
Four seniors have won Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships to study at Cambridge University during the 2022-23 academic year. Jack Swanson, of Currier House, a government concentrator, will be the Lionel de Jersey Harvard Scholar at Emmanuel College. Sorcha …
Issue: July-August 2022
Benjamin Porteous, Latin Salutatory
In Honorem Iohannis Martini Annenbergensis Praeses Bacow, Decani, Professores doctissimi, Hospites ter-honorati, Alumni Alumnaeque eminentissimae, pro nobis permulta passae familiae, et praecipue vosmet, condiscipuli carissimi, salvete! …
This Old (Red) House
For most of its 202-year history, the cottage at 98 Winthrop Street has been a private residence. A year ago, Paul Overgaag, owner of the now defunct Giannino in the Charles Hotel courtyard, turned the crimson clapboard home into a notable new dining …
Issue: July-August 2004