Conversations
Ed Childs Didn’t Plan to Come to Harvard. After 50 Years, He’s Still Organizing Its Workers.
Over a half-century of organizing, he has seen the union through two strikes, participated in dozens of demonstrations, and traversed the globe in search of other workers’ stories.
Where Chemistry Meets Canvas: Talking Art Conservation with Narayan Khandekar
Narayan Khandekar, director of the art museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, inhabits this floor. A senior art conservationist from Australia, Khandekar thrives on the intersection of art and science.
Fifteen Questions: Kenneth S. Rogoff on Bitcoin, Bobby Fischer, and “The Queen’s Gambit”
The Professor of Economics sat down with FM to talk about how he met his wife, his forthcoming book, and the most memorable game of chess he’s ever played.
Teaching Orbitals and Changing Occupations with Dr. Logan McCarty
Meeting in his office in the Science Center, Logan S. McCarty ’96 welcomes us with a smile. His hair is slicked back and dyed pink, and he wears a graphic t-shirt that reads “show up for trans youth.”
From Crimson to Court: Michael Abramowitz’s Fight For Journalism
Abramowitz’s work has shown him “what can happen when we have let freedom slip elsewhere, and heightened his awareness to the risks of when it starts to happen at home.”
The Harvard Business School Grads Behind Beli
Inspired by their Google love map, Judith and Eliot Frost — now married — created Beli during their time at Harvard Business School. Beli, a social-media food app, allows users to track, map, and share restaurants they’ve frequented.
Ed Childs with Passie A. Harley.
Childs (back row, second from the left) with Passie A. Harley (front row, second from the right).
Fifteen Questions: Carissa J. Chen on Poetry, Harvard’s History of Slavery, and the Old Jefe’s Location
Carissa J. Chen ’21 talks to Fifteen Minutes about Harvard's legacy of slavery, pursuing a Ph.D., and creative writing workshops.
What’s Next in the Fight for Harvard’s Future?
Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president and Secretary of the Treasury, backs the University’s decision to push back against the Trump administration, explains how the endowment could help weather the storm, and says this crisis will ultimately strengthen higher education.
Flipping the Script on @askharvardstudents
Sean Park’s Instagram success seems almost obvious in hindsight. His content sits at the intersection of short-form street interviews and online college advice — two genres that have exploded in popularity in recent years. Add in the allure of the Harvard brand, and it seems a bulletproof concept for virality.
Fifteen Questions: Caroline M. Elkins on Liberal Imperialism, Running in the Kenyan Highlands, and “The Crown”
The Professor of History and African American Studies sat down with Fifteen Minutes to talk about the two-sided coin of liberalism, her undergraduate years at Princeton, and her favorite historically inaccurate television shows.
Fifteen Questions: John C. Urschel on Numerical Linear Algebra, Coffee Shops, and the NFL
The MIT professor and Junior Fellow at Harvard sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss numerical analysis, CTE, and his favorite NFL team.
The Archives of Mira Nair
Only a few decades later, the archives of Mira Nair's own artistic career have a home at the Radcliffe Institute’s Schlesinger Library, where you can see for yourself the gray boxes that include her undergraduate exams a few manila folders away from The New Yorker articles and lists of awards, all testaments to a life of activism and art.
Fifteen Questions: Alison Frank Johnson on the Power of Stories, Lacrosse, and Why She Speaks Up
The Germanic Languages and Literature department chair sat down with Fifteen Minutes to talk about how history enables reasoned debate, her research on post-war Germany, and her most recent reads.
Fifteen Questions: Leslie Fernandez on Techno-Orientalism, AI Ethics, and an Ethnic Studies Concentration
The Program Director for the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss their favorite sci-fi novels, multiculturalism, and Blade Runner.
In the Eye of the Storm
“Getting ready to respond to an emergency, building capacity to respond to an emergency, and educating leaders so that they can better respond to emergencies” are the goals that guide Michael J. VanRooyen’s life.
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Slams Sanctuary Cities as ‘Irresponsible’ at IOP
Former Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas condemned sanctuary cities as “irresponsible” in a Wednesday Institute of Politics forum, criticizing Democratic mayors and governors who refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities.
Time-Capped Faculty, In Their Own Words
We talked to 16 time-capped FAS faculty members past and present — in their offices, favorite cafes, and over call — to understand the living realities and reflections of faculty members on the clock.
The Blond Boy in the Big Blue Bus
Aidan’s lived in his repurposed school bus for the past five years and three months, traversing the U.S. in pursuit of the “Great American Novel.”
Fifteen Questions: Christina Maranci on Medieval Armenian Churches, Crumbling Grandeur, and the Best Kardashian
The Armenian Studies professor sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss Armenian art history, architectural palimpsests, and the necessity of coffee in the ghost city of Ani.