A collaboration between a physician-researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and a mathematician from Harvard University has led to development of a mathematical model reflecting how red blood cells change in size and hemoglobin content during their four-month lifespan. In their report published online in PNAS Early Edition, John Higgins, MGH Center for Systems Biology…

Each year, the students and faculty of the Harvard Foundation and the Memorial Church nominate distinguished individuals from all over the world whose works and deeds on behalf of humanity deserve special recognition.  These individuals range from a variety of backgrounds — heads of state, outstanding scholars, religious leaders, artists, and others whose humanitarian efforts…

Working professionals and executives can now enroll in one- and two-day intensive programs exploring cutting-edge topics in computing with some of the most notable teachers and researchers in their fields, thanks to a collaboration between Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education and computer science faculty from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The…

Said Tayeb Jawad, former ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States, has joined the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) as the inaugural Fisher Family Fellow. He will engage in a number of public speaking events on the future of Afghanistan during his month-long residence, sharing his knowledge and real world experience…

Material Design is authored by Thomas Schroepfer, associate professor of architecture at the GSD. Architects, landscape architects, and other designers discuss the state of the art and project emerging trends in material design. Using an alternative approach premised on observation, speculation, and experimentation, a comprehensive view of today’s and tomorrow’s material technologies and design methods…

The vast and varied countries of Asia are key cultural and economic drivers for the 21st century and, as a recent sojourn by Dean David T. Ellwood affirmed, they have deep and growing affiliations with Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Building on the School’s well-established ties in China, Singapore and Vietnam, Ellwood’s 12-day trip in September…

Alex Wissner-Gross says the future isn’t coming fast enough. Consider the predictions of the 1950s, he says. Here we are, 10 years past the millennium, and what do we have to show for ourselves? “We’re supposed to have ubiquitous space travel and exploration. We’re supposed to have flying cars. We’re supposed to have ocean cities,…

FREETHINK@HARVARD, a new series of free interactive global e-learning discussions on relevant topics led by Harvard faculty, will hold its first online event Friday, Nov. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. The program is sponsored by the Dean of Students Office at Harvard Extension School. The inaugural FREETHINK@HARVARD discussion will be led by Harvard School of…

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University has named Alison Franklin director of communications. A 1990 graduate of the College, she brings to the Radcliffe Institute 20 years of experience as a communications professional in government, politics, and the nonprofit sector. From 1996 to 2002, Franklin was communications director and press secretary for…

Graduate students and alumni affiliated with Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have won first, second, and third prizes in the graduate student division of the 2010 Collegiate Inventors Competition. The competition “promotes innovation by recognizing inventors and scientists early in their careers, and rewarding students’ often pioneering ideas as they address the…

“I think we need a higher ceiling!” Harvard College senior Colin Saintangelo ’11, his arms outstretched, ran a victory lap around the top floor of the Hemenway Gym as his classmates cried out in astonishment. “Forty-nine feet!” Pole vault? Long jump? No. Saintangelo’s four-inch-long catapult, crafted from a single piece of polycarbonate plastic, had just…

Individuals with albinism face discrimination in societies around the world. Reports of attacks and mutilation occur daily, with thousands of albinos living under threat or at risk. The Harvard Foundation will host a panel discussion and photo exhibition, “Prejudice and Violence against People with Albinism: An International Concern,” on Thu., Oct. 28, and Fri., Oct.…

Harvard University has been recognized by the Sustainability Endowment Institute as an overall college sustainability leader having received an A- in the organization’s 2011 College Sustainability Report Card. Due to its goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the breadth, scope, and effectiveness of its energy efficiency, green building, and occupant engagement programs,…

In secondary schools around the nation, the achievement gap among adolescent readers is wide and growing. Motivation is often low, instructional time is insufficient, and campus environments are rarely conducive to improving literacy performance. University of Kansas Professor Donald Deshler, also director of the Center for Research on Learning, spoke about these realities at the…

The value of children’s literature in our society was examined by a panel of experts ― including creators of the new documentary Library of the Early Mind and several prominent children’s book authors ― at the Askwith Forum on Oct. 21. “People read books when they are kids, then read the books to their kids…

The Harvard Graduate School of Education faculty members participating in an Askwith Forum panel discussing the controversial documentary Waiting for “Superman” expressed mixed emotions about the film’s emphasis on charter schools and teachers unions, and agreed it’s a small glimpse of a large and complicated education problem. “You could tell a number of stories about…

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, but chances are you didn’t realize that. That’s because women who have been battered or sexually assaulted are an underserved community; immigrant victims even more so. A conversation in the Schlesinger Library’s Radcliffe College Room, titled “Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault: It’s Everybody’s Business,” explored the topic on Monday,…

Researchers at NASA and Harvard University have established the NASA Tournament Lab (NTL), which will be housed at the Institute of Quantitative Social Science under the leadership of Professor Karim R. Lakhani, who specializes in distributed innovation and crowd sourcing at the Harvard Business School. Lakhani will be working with London Business School Professor Kevin…

As part of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Public Service Week (Oct. 12-17), HKS’ Student Public Service Collaborative (SPSC) and its Special Needs Caucus joined forces with the Harvard Football Team and Special Olympics Massachusetts to host a morning of Special Olympics events. After HKS Dean David T. Ellwood opened the ceremonies, more than 70…

The Harvard Art Museums present two traveling exhibitions devoted to underexplored aspects of the work of Lyonel Feininger (1871–1956), one of the major figures of European modernism. Lyonel Feininger: Drawings and Watercolors from the William S. Lieberman Bequest to the Busch-Reisinger Museum highlights an important recent acquisition of a stunning group of drawings and watercolors…

Woodcut images of flowers from Harvard-Yenching library, a 1920s-era catcher’s mask (a late-19th century innovation developed at Harvard), and a letter written by John Hancock to his sister – parents of Harvard freshmen got to see all these and more as part of “Your Student @ Lamont,” an interactive event which highlighted the array of…

On Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard will host an evening discussion on how news media collaboration and innovative online tools can bridge the foreign reporting gap. Titled “International Journalism 2.0: Bringing Home the Global Water Crisis,” the event will bring Dennis Dimick, executive editor for the environment at National…

Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor Joseph S. Nye Jr. has received an honorary doctorate from Keio University, the oldest institute of higher education in Japan, in recognition of what the university described as his central his role in redefining U.S.-Japanese relations, both as a U.S. government official and as a leading academic thinker on political…

Working professionals and executives can now enroll in one- and two-day intensive programs exploring cutting-edge topics in information technology thanks to a collaboration between Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education and computer science faculty from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). The newly created professional development initiative will address a growing need among organizations…

Hanspeter Pfister, professor of the practice of computer science and director of visual computing at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), was awarded the 2010 Visualization Technical Achievement Award on behalf of the IEEE. The committee was impressed by Pfister’s seminal technical work in real-time volume rendering. His hardware implementations of fundamental…

Sheena Iyengar is here to tell you that, when it comes to choice, more is not better. Iyengar, the S. T. Lee Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, is a leading researcher on choice. On Oct. 21, in a lecture titled “The Art of Choosing”—the first in the Dean’s Lecture Series at the Radcliffe…

A new report by a study group from the Center for a New American Security is calling for a dramatic and ambitious expansion of ties between the U.S. and India. The study group was co-chaired by former Undersecretary of State R. Nicholas Burns, who heads the Future of Diplomacy Project in the Harvard Kennedy School’s…

This year, many African countries are celebrating 50 years of independence from their European colonizers. In celebration of the contributions of African women both during and after the independence struggle, the Harvard College Women’s Center is hosting an event titled The Golden Girls: Women Activists in Post-Independent Africa. From 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on…

A new national poll of America’s 18-29 year-olds by Harvard’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds waning enthusiasm for participation in the midterm elections as less than three-in-ten (27%) say they will definitely be voting in November, a drop of nine points from eleven months ago (36%).…

Pumpkin carving, face painting, and pressing cider were just a few of the activities enjoyed at the first annual Harvest Fest held Oct. 16 in the Harvard Community Garden. The event, planned by student caretakers of the garden, marked the end of garden’s first summer growing season. During the three hour event held last Saturday,…