“Energy, Climate, and the Environment”: Expanding Climate Education at Harvard
On April 7, Harvard announced the launch of a new concentration, “Energy, Climate, and the Environment,” set to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year. The decision came after Harvard faculty members overwhelmingly approved the interdisciplinary program in a 215-3 vote. ENCE is Harvard College’s first new field of study since 2018. The ENCE concentration […]
The “Elixir of Freedom”: Mitt Romney Weighs In on Trump’s Second Term
On April 13, the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School hosted a conversation between Mitt Romney—former U.S. Senator from Utah, governor of Massachusetts, and presidential candidate—and Jill Lepore, the David Woods Kemper Professor of American History at Harvard College. The event marked the second installment in “America at 250 and Beyond,” a series […]
Harvard’s Gabriel Kreiman Thinks Artificial Intelligence Can Fix What the Brain Gets Wrong
A Harvard Medical School neuroscientist left one of the most prestigious posts in academic medicine last year to chase the bold claim that artificial intelligence can give people what the human brain cannot: perfect, searchable, infinite memory. Gabriel Kreiman, whose lab has spent 20 years mapping how the brain consolidates experience, launched Engramme last year […]
Ruminations on “Wild Geese”
“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. […]
Befriending “Paradise”
“Paradise is not easy to reach,” said Nonna Manu. From the ridge upon which her house sat, I could see the white rooftops of Lipari spilling down the island’s green hills and into the sea, where the port and the “Laurana,” the ship that my travel companions and I had just arrived on, were nestled. […]
Kitchen Sink No. 12
The ward is quiet this morning. Rain on the window and the sound of it has the same sound it had that week, and I am writing this at the desk by the window, and my wrists are light against the wood where the ties have been loosened for the hour they are loosened. I […]
A Case For American Nuclear Energy
Science, politics, and economics all say nuclear energy is the key to a clean future. The source currently accounts for just 18.6% of total electricity generation in the United States, despite capacity (the construction of new plants) remaining relatively steady since 1990. The semi-forgotten clean energy source has received minimal investments over the past 30 […]
The Unconsummated Kiss
“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter.” In “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” John Keats, an English Romantic poet, addresses an ancient urn and imagines the scenes depicted upon it, including a “Bold Lover” who can never kiss his beloved, forever poised at the edge of fulfillment. Yet he is told not […]
Exploring American Hometowns: Topsham, Maine
First of all, it’s not “Top-sham,” it’s pronounced “Tops-um.” I am what you call a true Mainer, born and raised—we are very proud of our status, and transplants are almost eternally outsiders. If you’ve ever met someone from Maine, they’ll make it a key part of their personality; I’m no exception. I suppose it’s a […]
Songs for Touching Grass
Earth Day could not have come at a better time. Spring in Boston is in full swing: temperatures are consistently above freezing, the trees boast blooming buds, and soft petals blow through the air. What better opportunity to look outward and appreciate the fresh florals and verdant colors overtaking once-bare branches. The playlist spans soul, […]
Greg (H)ooper of Cambridge, Massachusetts
All college athletes eventually come to face one of the biggest dilemmas in modern publicity—the retirement post. How does one sum up four years of hard work and camaraderie into a singular post without suggesting that they tie all life’s meaning to their athletic career or have “peaked?” Even the Oscar-winning short film that marked […]
Recovery, Remembrance, and the Red Sox
Every year on Patriots’ Day, the Greater Boston area comes together to celebrate the dedication of runners from around the world at the pinnacle of the sport. The Boston Marathon was first held in 1897 to bring the spirit of the Olympics to the city. Having grown significantly since its founding, the marathon is considered […]