Harvard Departments Split on AI Use in Senior Theses, With Many Yet to Set Rules

Only 18 of Harvard College’s 50 concentrations have department-wide restrictions on how seniors can use artificial intelligence in their theses, according to a Crimson review of departmental policies.

SEAS Pilots Client-Facing Capstone Option for Engineering Students

Harvard undergraduates pursuing engineering degrees can now formally partner with an outside client — including industry partners — for their senior capstone project under a pilot launched this fall by the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Harvard's Kempner Institute Bet Big on AI. Now It Has to Prove Itself.

Harvard’s Kempner Institute made an early bet on owning its own AI computing cluster — a gamble that has quickly made it a rare academic hub for artificial intelligence research, even as private industry still threatens to outpace it.

David Parkes Has a Plan for SEAS. His Hardest Decision Still Looms Over It.

SEAS Dean David Parkes is trying to rally Harvard’s youngest school around AI, climate, and entrepreneurship — but after layoffs that strained staff, students, and faculty, his biggest challenge may be rebuilding trust at home.

‘Trial and Error’: SEAS Design Fair Invites Students to Present Capstone Projects

Students from 15 undergraduate courses and organizations flocked to Harvard’s Science and Engineering Complex on Thursday for the annual School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Design and Project Fair.

Researchers Find Random Movement Helps Robots Navigate Crowds Faster

A team of researchers led by Harvard Ph.D. student Lucy Liu ’22 found that robots moving through crowded spaces reached their destinations faster when programmed to move with a small degree of randomness — a finding that could help researchers better understand traffic jams, pedestrian flow, and crowd management.

Researchers Document Rare Sperm Whale Birth, Find Evidence of Cooperative Behavior

A team of scientists with Project Cetacean Translation Initiative published the most detailed record of a sperm whale birth last month, offering the first quantitative evidence that non-primates assist one another in giving birth.

‘It’s Really Unfortunate’: Students Say SEAS Layoffs Have Strained Labs, Courses, and Support Networks

As SEAS grapples with budget pressures and staff cuts, students say the consequences are showing up in disrupted courses, unfixed machines, and shrinking support.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

SEAS Eliminated Extra Pay for Graduate Students Who Teach Beyond Required Load

Graduate students at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences who teach more courses than required for their degree programs no longer receive additional compensation under a policy that took effect at the start of the fall 2025 semester.

Harvard Students Turn to Entrepreneurship As University Moves to Keep Pace

Entrepreneurship is drawing increasing interest among Harvard students, driven by rising technology salaries and national shifts in the startup economy — though some investors and alumni say the University’s support for founders still lags behind peer institutions.

Harvard Researchers Turn City Trash into Sustainable Jet Fuel

Everyday trash, food waste, and even discarded metal and rubber scraps can be used as a source of sustainable aviation fuel, Harvard researchers concluded in a new study published last month in the journal Nature Sustainability.

SEAS Researchers Develop Wearable Sensor System to Measure Running Forces Outdoors

Researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have developed a wearable sensor system capable of estimating braking and propulsion forces while running outdoors — a breakthrough that could transform how scientists analyze real-world running mechanics.

Harvard Lays Off Student Advisers and Lecturers in SEAS Cuts

Nearly a dozen positions that directly support students were among those eliminated in a sweeping round of layoffs at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences earlier this month, according to a document obtained by The Crimson.

Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Lays Off 25% of HUCTW Staff

Harvard will lay off roughly 25 percent of staff represented by its clerical and technical workers’ union at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and reorganize several offices in response to mounting funding pressures, according to the union.

Students Mourn the Loss of Free Coffee as Schools, Departments Trim Budgets

Harvard students in the know used to have no problem finding free coffee on campus. Now, schools and departments have removed coffee-making equipment or slapped prices on coffee that was previously poured for free.

MethaneSAT Went Dark in June. What’s Next for the Harvard Scientists Behind It?

In March 2024, a state-of-the-art methane-detecting satellite — the product of nearly a decade of work in Harvard labs — soared into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But a year later, MethaneSAT lost power in space, and its stream of data on emissions of the potent greenhouse gas went dark.

Harvard Researchers Design Algorithm to Improve Wearable Robot for Stroke, ALS Patients

Harvard researchers created an algorithm that allows a wearable robot to adapt to and assist the arm movements of stroke and Lou Gehrig’s disease patients in real-time.

‘Harder for All of Us’: Confusion Reigns After Harvard Excludes 900 Grad Students From Union

Harvard removed more than 900 students on research-based stipends from representation under its graduate student union in July. More than a month later, they’re still searching for clarity — and getting few answers.

Harvard Names Serial Entrepreneur Jill Kravetz as Executive Director of Innovation Labs

Jill Kravetz will succeed Matthew M. Segneri ’04 as executive director of the Harvard Innovation Labs, a University-wide center that provides funding, workspace, and mentorship to entrepreneurs, Harvard announced Thursday.

Harvard To Phase Out Concurrent Master’s Degrees in 3 Engineering Programs

Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will phase out its concurrent master’s degree program in Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering, and Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering.

Seeking Revenue and Reach, SEAS Sets Its Sights on Expanded Professional Education Programs

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences aims to expand its professional education programs and increase the programs’ revenue by at least one million dollars by 2030.

SEAS Cuts Conference Sponsorships, Urges Student Groups To Watch Budgets Closely

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences will no longer be a sponsor of the Grace Hopper Celebration — one of the world’s largest conferences for women in tech — and the CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing Conference.

McKay Lab Undergoes Facade Updates

The Gordon McKay Laboratory at Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is getting a significant facade renovation to its east side, expected to be complete by early fall.

Harvard Affiliates Anticipate Uncertain Landscape for Climate Research Funding

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted environmental regulation — withdrawing from the Paris Accords, cutting staff at the Environmental Protection Agency, and even issuing an executive order banning paper straws at federal agencies. In late February, the administration cut funding to any research that mentions the word “climate.”