Exposure to diesel exhaust on the job appears to raise the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease, according to Aisha Dickerson, a Yerby Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dickerson was one of seven Fellows who presented their research at the Yerby Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Symposium, held…

Two recent renovation projects by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Extavour Laboratory and the Science Center – Cabot Library Projects, mark the next phase in Harvard’s commitment to green buildings with their recent achievement of the first and second LEED v4 Commercial Interiors certifications in Massachusetts and on campus. Both projects sought to modernize and enhance…

They’re known as roadrunners. The scrawny, indigenous chickens of Ethiopia produce a tough meat that’s delicious when slow-cooked in a spicy stew called doro wat — but their meat doesn’t bring farmers much profit. So an Africa-wide research collaborative stepped in to provide bigger and better local poultry varieties, bred for plumper meat or higher…

David Liu presents two CRISPR upgrades: A cellular detective and sharper scissors David Liu earned the title “Gene Corrector” for good reason. A professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Harvard University and core institute member of the Broad, Liu is also a pioneer of CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology. In recent years, Liu has earned recognition…

Have you ever wanted to make a career change, gain a skill, or just learn something new? On March 1, a group of community members gathered at the Harvard Ed Portal to find out how online learning could help them accomplish these and other goals at “Learn Anything: Exploring the World of Free Online Courses…

In Harvard’s Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab, high school students from Cambridge Housing Authority’s (CHA) The Work Force Program, enthusiastically volunteered to learn about brain research by testing an MRI scanner. Others wore blue gloves as they cautiously interacted with authentic human and animal brains while learning about their neuroanatomy. In a room with iPads…

Boston Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown will visit the Askwith Forums on March 1, to discuss education, race, and institutionalized sport, and how athletes can use their public voices to advocate for change. Professional basketball player Jaylen Brown makes a big impression both on and off the court. Brown, the third pick in the 2016 NBA draft,…

Energy fuels innovation and Harvard’s growing innovation corridor in Allston is going to need an energy system as advanced as the cutting-edge research being conducted up and down Western Avenue. To meet this challenge, the University has designed a lower-carbon, climate resistant, and highly efficient district energy facility (DEF) that’s beginning to take shape behind…

The collected papers of Dr. Andrew F. Brimmer (1926-2012), the prominent economist, monetary policy expert, Federal Reserve governor, professor, advisor, and consultant, are now part of the permanent Special Collections at Harvard Business School’s (HBS) Baker Library. A gift of Brimmer’s wife, Ms. Doris M.S. Brimmer, and their daughter, Dr. Esther Brimmer, this extensive collection…

In the days following last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, classmates of the murdered students have emerged as vocal advocates for preventing gun violence. On February 20, 2018 in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle Williams joined…

Principals today increasingly have multi-dimensional roles — so much so that the role of the principal might be unrecognizable to those from the 1960s, ’70s, or ’80s, as the Center for American Progress states. Along with the expectation that they serve as instructional experts, principals also function as CEOs of their schools, with responsibilities that span…

Drivers who take their eyes off the road to use a wireless device, or indulge another distraction such as eating or putting on makeup, cause almost 3,500 deaths and 400,000 injuries a year, but they tend to get off with light sentences. According to Jay Winsten, director of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center…

Daniel Kahne discovers how Gram-negative bacteria build resistance to antibiotics In the late 1800s, bacteriologist Hans Christian Gram discovered a way to classify bacteria, most of which fall into one of two groups: Gram-positive or Gram-negative. He developed a stain, still in use today, which bacteria either absorb or repel. Gram-positive, with their adsorbent cell wall,…

Harvard Divinity School (HDS) today announced a $25 million gift from artist and philanthropist Susan Shallcross Swartz and her husband, investor James R. Swartz ’64. The gift — the largest in the School’s 200-year history — will enable HDS to move forward on the renewal of its main campus building, Andover Hall. Drew Faust, Harvard’s…

Walk outside on a clear summer twilight and you might see hundreds of minute lights spark and glow. Together, fireflies, which produce chemical light through bioluminescence, display a celestial pattern unlike anything on earth. Or, more precisely, unlike anything visible to our unassisted eyes. In a darkness deeper than those summer twilights, our neurons fire and glow…

The Harvard Ed Portal in Allston was buzzing with the excitement of young minds on Feb. 5, as seventh grade students from the Gardner Pilot Academy (GPA) showcased “novel engineering projects.” The event, coordinated by Kathryn Hollar, Director of Community Engagement and Diversity Outreach at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied…

Mark D. Gearan has been appointed director of the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). Gearan will begin work at the IOP in March. “At Harvard we believe in the power of public service to transform our societies for the better,” said Drew Faust, President of Harvard University and Lincoln Professor of…

Ohio Governor John R. Kasich will deliver the graduation address to the Harvard Kennedy School Class of 2018, Dean Douglas Elmendorf announced today. Kasich was elected governor of Ohio in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. During his time in office, Kasich has worked to improve the state’s economy and has closed an $8 billion budget…

Consumers are increasingly choosing sustainable investments with socially responsible and environmentally-friendly goals. While there is promise in this area, there also is the potential for companies to claim to be more environmentally or socially responsible than they actually are. Now scientists at City University of New York (CUNY) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public…

This March, the Harvard Black Community & Student Theater Group (BlackCAST) strives to challenge tradition with a brand-new production: “Vanity Lane: The Ballet.” Created by Harvard Extension School student La’Toya Princess Jackson, “Vanity Lane” is a contemporary ballet that examines the duality of beauty and self-worth with an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the world of…

It could be argued that nobody is more universally beloved by young children than loveable, furry monster Elmo. And that love extends way beyond Sesame Street, which was evident on Elmo’s recent trip to Jordan to visit with Syrian refugees. “We got to visit a school, and read books, and meet lots of new friends!”…

Vaccines have enormous impact not just on health, but on keeping people out of poverty, according to a new study led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. They estimated that increased investments in 10 vaccines administered in low- and middle-income countries over a 15-year period could avert up to 36 million…