Faculty
‘We Anticipated This’: Shorenstein Center Faculty and Researchers React to Riots on Capitol Hill
Faculty and researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy said the role of digital platforms in catalyzing the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol Wednesday exposed an acute need for media accountability.
The Good, The Bad, and The Awkward: Faculty and Students Reflect on a Virtual Fall Semester
While the University’s decision to abruptly de-densify its campus in the spring gave little time to shift to virtual learning, faculty spent the summer making numerous adaptations to their courses, some of which clicked with students and others of which were met with less enthusiasm.
Anthropology Dept. Forms Eight Committees in Response to Harassment and Gender Bias Concerns
Harvard’s Anthropology department has formed eight subcommittees — along with hiring an external consultant and launching faculty outreach efforts — in order to address long standing climate issues revealed this past summer.
Students Lament Decline in Courses Soliciting Qualitative Q Guide Feedback
Some undergraduates expressed frustration that some professors did not give the option to make qualitative comments for future students to read on the Q Guide.
Guido Goldman, Co-Founder of Center for European Studies, Dies at 83
In their 30-year collegial relationship, what Professor Charles S. Maier ’60 remembers most about Guido G. Goldman ’59 is his “magic sense of connectivity” — a connectivity that stretched from personal relationships to trans-Atlantic partnerships.
Despite Decrease in Concentrators, Students and Faculty Alike Defend the Humanities
Of the 18 concentrations in the Arts and Humanities division, 10 have experienced significant decreases in numbers of concentrators, six remained relatively steady, and two saw slight increases between 2015 and 2019.
Harvard Researchers Link Arm Bones and Evolutionary Timelines
A team of researchers from Harvard and the University of Cambridge used novel techniques to examine how and when early tetrapods — four-limbed animals — transitioned from living in marine environments to terrestrial ones.
Researchers Connect Antarctic Melt and Northern Hemisphere Sea Level Shift
Climate researchers discovered that changes in Northern Hemisphere sea levels contribute to the shrinking of the Antarctic ice sheet, according to a study published in Nature on Nov. 25.
City of Cambridge Prepares To Distribute COVID-19 Vaccines
Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui said the city is in the process of determining the most efficient strategies to disseminate coronavirus vaccines, as the country prepares to embark on a mass vaccination campaign unseen in decades.
Harvard FAS Looking to Pilot Some In-Person Academic Experiences in Spring 2021
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences hopes to pilot some in-person academic experiences in the spring of 2021, though instruction will remain remote by default, FAS Dean Claudine Gay said during a faculty meeting Tuesday.
Biology Prof. Lue, Visionary in Life Sciences Pedagogy, Dies at 56
Faculty and administrators from across the University said Lue left an indelible mark wherever he went. He fought relentlessly to ensure that all students could access a high-quality education, whether they were at Harvard or not. He saw no limits to where a Harvard education should — and could — be accessed.
COVID Collaborative Launches Vaccine Education Campaign
The COVID Collaborative — a coalition of experts in health, education, and the economy — launched a $50 million vaccine education campaign with nonprofit advertising group the Ad Council on Nov. 23. The effort aims to inform Americans about COVID-19 vaccines and their benefits.
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Andrews Lauded for ‘Ridiculous Smarts,’ ‘Ridiculous Amount of Kindness’
Andrews was named a 2020 MacArthur Fellow in October, receiving $625,000 for his work overcoming statistical inference problems in empirical economics. The grant itself gives him flexibility to take more unpaid leave and focus on research, Andrews explained, but it is also a tremendous honor in its own right.
At Least Five GSAS Departments To Admit No Graduate Students Next Year
At least five departments in Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will not admit students for next year as a result of belt-tightening measures due to the coronavirus pandemic and an increased focus on advising and diversity.
‘Frivolous,’ ‘Insubstantial,’ ‘Bad Faith’: Harvard Law Experts Weigh In On Trump Election Lawsuits
President Donald J. Trump’s recent lawsuits alleging election fraud are drawing criticism from HLS faculty, who claim the lawsuits lack evidence and present a danger to democracy.
A Blue Wave: Harvard Affiliates and their Political Contributions
As an unprecedented and contentious election season draws to a close, Harvard faculty, staff, and students overwhelmingly contributed to Democratic candidates — including President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. — over their Republican counterparts this election cycle, a Crimson analysis found.
Harvard Faculty, Administrators Discuss Election Impact on Youth
Five faculty and administrators from three Harvard schools converged to discuss the 2020 United States election’s impact on young people in a virtual panel hosted by the Graduate School of Education Tuesday.
Departments Court Prospective Concentrators Amid Remote Fall
As undergraduate classes pass the midpoint of a second virtual semester, department leaders within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences say they are unsure how the coronavirus will affect students’ concentration choice.
Scholars Talk COVID-19 Impact on Latin American Minority Groups
Academics discussed the pandemic’s disparate impact on Black and indigenous populations in Brazil and Mexico during a webinar hosted by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Tuesday.
FAS Dean Gay Hopes to Identify Ethnic Studies Faculty by End of Academic Year
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences hopes to identify three to four faculty hires who specialize in ethnic studies by the end of the academic year, FAS Dean Claudine Gay said in an interview Friday.
FAS Projects $112 Million Deficit for Fiscal Year 2021 After Ending 2020 with $22 Million Deficit
The Faculty of Arts and Sciences projects a $111.7 million deficit in fiscal year 2021, according to the Dean’s annual report, presented during a faculty meeting Tuesday.
Harvard Scientists Reconsider the Possibility of Life on Venus
Researchers at Harvard, the Paris Observatory, and MIT, among other institutions, have found that Venus’s atmosphere may not contain phosphine gas, a possible indicator of life, contradicting the results of a study published last month.
Former Chemistry Chair's Defense Could Tie Federal Charges to DOJ China Initiative, Experts Say
Legal experts say recent court filings indicate University Professor Charles M. Lieber — charged with lying to federal officials investigating his funding sources and ties to China — may try to convince jurors that Lieber was swept up in the Trump administration’s broader anti-China campaign.
Harvard Files Opposition in Chemistry Prof. Lieber Indemnification Suit
Harvard filed an opposition Thursday in response to Chemistry professor Charles M. Lieber’s lawsuit alleging Harvard is contractually obligated to pay for his legal defense against federal fraud charges.
Radcliffe Panelists Link Systemic Racism, Obesity, COVID-19
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study hosted a webinar Tuesday addressing the connections between obesity, COVID-19, and systemic racism.