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Articles by Monique Carbon
The Context: The Gig Economy and the Future of Work
This is the eighth post of "The Context"—a biweekly series of archival stories—offering our readers a useful background to some of the most important subjects in the news today. We hope you enjoy it. The future of the gig economy will likely be put on the ballot again—this time in Massachusetts.
Harvard Class of 2025 Needs Overflow Housing
Anticipating a larger student body than usual, the Harvard College Dean of Students Office (DSO) has announced additional housing locations for undergraduates. For first-year students, the College will use both 1201 Massachusetts Avenue and a series of apartments on Prescott Street beside the Yard—both of which have been used previously to accommodate undergraduates during House-renewal construction.
Sailing Solo
During his five-days solo at sea this June, professor of economics and decision sciences James K. “Jim” Hammitt ’78 slept no more than 20 minutes at a time. “You…sleep for just 15 or 20 minutes; wake up; check the course, the wind, the sail trim, the navigation; check for other vessels in the vicinity, which you can do in a minute or two; and then go back to sleep,” he said.
Harvard’s Commercial Campus Comes into Focus
During three meetings of the Harvard Allston Task Force in July, Harvard development partner Tishman Speyer shared a more detailed vision of its plans for the first phase of its Enterprise Research Campus (ERC). Those meetings preceded a July 28 public regulatory filing that details the project’s transportation, public-realm, and environmental impacts.
The Context: Affirmative Action and Harvard
This is the seventh post of "The Context"—a biweekly series of archival stories—offering our readers a useful background to some of the most important subjects in the news today. We hope you enjoy it.
Landmark Bio Breaks Ground
Construction began today on a state-of-the-art biomanufacturing facility in a 40,000-square-foot leased space at the Watertown Arsenal, a few miles west of Harvard Square, culminating a several-year process of developing a Boston-area research collaborative. Ran Zheng, a veteran of the biotechnology industry, has been appointed CEO of the company, which will help develop emerging cell- and gene-based therapies for human use.
Governance Reform and Shared Value
How can business help mend the broken U.S. political system—and even step up to fulfill the social needs government fails to meet?Lawrence University Professor Michael Porter, perhaps the best-known scholar of corporate strategy, turned his attention to these problems a decade ago. Harvard Magazine devoted much of its September-October 2012 issue to this pioneering and important work, and has continued to cover its evolution, most recently in this current article on election reform.
The Layered Histories in Black Family Keepsakes
Historian Tiya A. Miles conjured the haunting image of a cotton sack for her audience at a Radcliffe Institute talk on Tuesday, where she read from and discussed her newly released book, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake. The bag tells the story of a mother and daughter, Rose and Ashley, who were separated by slavery but bonded by love.
The “Talking Feds” Podcast
During the tumultuous Trump presidency, Los Angeles Times legal affairs columnist and former U.S. attorney Harry P. Litman ’80 became a “talking head” on cable TV. “Former prosecutors began to play the role that journalists maybe had played in Watergate,” he explained. “There was a lot of interest in their supposedly specialized knowledge.” Litman said news networks called on him to deliver 15-second answers to deeply involved legal questions.
The Context: Life on the Mesopotamian Marshes-and the Specter of Drought
This is the sixth post of "The Context"—a biweekly series of archival stories—offering our readers a useful background to some of the most important subjects in the news today. We hope you enjoy it. As the battle for Mosul in 2016 was raging in Iraq and journalists headed toward the region, photojournalist Emilienne Malfatto went the opposite direction.
Amartya Sen, a Memoir
Home in the World, Amartya Sen’s memoir of his years in the U.K, was published there July 8. Below, Gardiner professor of oceanic history and affairs Sugata Bose previews for North American readers a few highlights of the book, which covers the first 30 years of Sen’s life (the memoir will be published in the United States in January 2022). Sen, who is Lamont University Professor at Harvard, won the 1998 Nobel prize for his contributions to welfare economics.
A Marathon Dream Deferred
The day of the 2018 Boston Marathon was blustery, rainy, and cold—conditions ideal for neither runners nor spectators. Still, despite the wind and downpour, “The race itself was inspirational,” said Stephen J. Bourguet G.S.A. ’24, a graduate student in earth and planetary sciences. “I felt like, ‘I want to do this someday.’” Bourguet, a competitive runner in high school and college, set his sights on Boston’s 2020 race.
From Corporate Lawyer to Waffle Entrepreneur
By the time Emily Cole Groden, J.D. ’15, was 10 years old, she knew what she wanted to do for the rest of her life: practice corporate law. She didn’t know exactly what that entailed, but she was resolute in her decision. “My dad was a corporate lawyer, and we were very close,” she explains. “And so I figured, you know, if he likes it, I’ll like it.” But after a few years in corporate law, Groden switched to a less-trodden path: selling healthy, frozen waffles.
The Context: How Exercise Gives Us Purpose
This is the fifth post of "The Context"—a biweekly series of archival stories—offering our readers a useful background to some of the most important subjects in the news today. We hope you enjoy it. When studies describe the benefits of exercise, they often do so in negative terms. Physical activity makes men and women less likely to develop depression and anxiety, for instance. The reverse is true too: people who feel depressed or anxious tend not to work out.
Harvard and MIT to Sell edX for $800 Million
Harvard, MIT, and edX announced today that edX, the two institutions’ 2012 joint venture into online education, would be sold to leading educational technology company 2U for $800 million. 2U, a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ, with revenues expected to approach $1 billion in 2021, is an online program manager.
Gabby Thomas ’19 Wins Olympic Trials, Heads to Tokyo
Former Harvard student-athlete Gabby Thomas ’19made history on Saturday, becoming the second-fastest woman ever in the women’s 200 meters and clinching a spot at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Her time of 21.61 seconds was the best since 1988, when Florence Griffith Joyner set the top two marks. The U.S. Olympic Trials was a remarkable few days for Thomas, who grew up in Florence, Massachusetts.
Andrew Zimbalist
Articles News more News Stephen Bourguet Photograph courtesy of Stephen Bourguet Graduate student Stephen Bourguet has set his sights on running a personal best at the Boston Marathon in October. 7.6.21 Proceeds from the transaction will fund a nonprofit dedicated to addressing educational inequities. 6.29.21 Column’s innovations support journalism, and an informed citizenry. 6.24.21 Research more Research Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19.
On Public Notice
Some might doubt that anyone reads those paragraphs of dense text that appear toward the back of the newspaper: the ones that contain information about ordinances, meetings, petitions, foreclosures, municipal budgets, and other official proceedings that governments, businesses, and individuals are legally required to advertise in a local publication. But these notices are more than a formality. There are people who do,in fact, read them—and who are sometimes inspired to take action.
Sequestering Carbon Dioxide in Diamonds
As a child, Robert C. “Bob” Hagemann, M.B.A. ’11, would go out into his garage and break the Styrofoam in the trash into little pieces. “My mom would come out into the garage and ask, ‘What are you doing?’ And I looked at her and I said, ‘I’m starting the process of trying to break these down,’” he recalled.
The Context: Arthur C. Brooks on “Revenge Bedtime Procrastination”
This is the fourth post of "The Context"—a biweekly series of archival stories—offering our readers a useful background to some of the most important subjects in the news today. We hope you enjoy it. Sleep is good, but a lot of people don’t get enough of it. The CDC says about 70 million Americans have chronic sleep problems. Some studies estimate insomnia affects 10 percent to 30 percent of people worldwide; other research pushes those numbers toward 50 percent or even 60 percent.
July-August 2021
News more News An investigation finds the former anthropology professor “engaged in unwelcome sexual conduct and abused power,” among other violations of institutional policies and values 6.11.21 Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19. Art by Niko Yaitanes/Harvard Magazine; images by Unsplash Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19.
Katori Hall Wins 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Your independent source for Harvard news since 1898 | SUBSCRIBE Log-In | Register Search form Search Articles News more News An investigation finds the former anthropology professor “engaged in unwelcome sexual conduct and abused power,” among other violations of institutional policies and values 6.11.21 Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19.
Contending with Long Covid
At the forefront of efforts to demystify the opaque condition known as “long-COVID,” which saddles some survivors of the SARS CoV-2 virus with a slew of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms months after their bodies surmount the initial infection, is Jason Maley. Dr. Jason Maley. Photograph courtesy of BILH. Maley leads Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s Critical Illness and COVID-19 Survivorship Program, where he has worked with hundreds of these so-called long-haulers.
Here Comes the Sun
The sun is shining, temps are rising, and normalcy seems almost on the horizon. It’s the perfect time to get out and explore—safely—at al fresco venues beyond the city limits. If you’re seeking thrills, head an hour north to Salisbury Beach State Reservation. You’ll feel miles away from stress when you’re riding waves courtesy of Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Company, which offers group surf lessons and rentals (www.cinnamonrainbows.com).
Open Book: The Case for Commitment
As the graduate English Orator at the 2018 Commencement, Pete Davis ’12, about to add his J.D., spoke about what he called a “counterculture of commitment” (see harvardmag.com/comm-davis-18).
Boston’s Cycleboat Cruises
Sipping their canned tequila cocktails, two young women who’d hopped aboard the Cycleboat Boston cruise gamely pedaled away from Charlestown’s Pier 6. A briny breeze kicked up. Along with four other riders, including a just-married couple, they were out for an evening on the water. The boat seats 12 pedalers, but a motor does pick up when riders opt out. This usually happens, Cycleboat Boston co-owner Ed Cardinali notes with a smile, about 10 minutes into the 90-minute tour of Boston’s inner harbor.
Pondering the Extracurricular “Founders” Puzzle
When I interviewed for a postgraduate fellowship last fall over Zoom, one of the interviewers pointed out that during my time at Harvard, I’d co-founded four different extracurricular activities. “Why do you spread yourself thin by starting so many new things, instead of joining what already exists?” he asked me bluntly. I had spent the weeks leading up to the interview inspecting my résumé like a microbe, preparing to summarize my involvement in each bulleted activity, elevator-pitch style.
New Bedford
People know about New Bedford’s thriving fishing industry, its history as a whaling hub, and its role in inspiring Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Evidence of that maritime history abounds, especially in the robust permanent displays of art and artifacts at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Graduates Head to the Other Cambridge
Your independent source for Harvard news since 1898 | SUBSCRIBE Log-In | Register Search form Search Articles News more News Amartya Sen Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The book covers the first thirty years of the Nobel-prize winning economist’s life. 7.9.21 Stephen Bourguet Photograph courtesy of Stephen Bourguet Graduate student Stephen Bourguet has set his sights on running a personal best at the Boston Marathon in October.
Thomas Starr King: Protector of the Union, and Yosemite
He was the eldest son of a shoemaker turned Universalist preacher. When he was 15, his father died, but his father’s message, “the gospel of inclusion”—that God loves us all, asking us to do the same for others—became his life mission. He became the sole support of his mother and five younger siblings, working in a store, as a teacher, a bookkeeper, while studying Latin, Greek, French, and German. At 17, he wrote a friend of mixed race, explaining transcendentalism.
Putting the Music in Musical Theater
Last spring, during the height of the pandemic’s catastrophic first wave in New York City—the streets empty, the air full of ambulance sirens—musical-theater composer Zoe Sarnak ’09 wrote a new song. Titled “Storm” and commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, it attempted to make sense of the grief and chaos. “When will the mighty come?” the opening lyrics almost pleaded.
A New Way
Though it is not the case for an increasing number of alums, many of us can still remember a time before the internet. When the technology really started to catch on, I was at MIT writing about real estate capital markets. There was widespread speculation that the internet would bring about the death of location. Commerce and work would migrate online; retail and office space would become obsolete; cities would empty; people would connect, in large part, virtually.
The Future of Teaching
During two and a half pandemic semesters, instruction throughout the University first pivoted online, and then, after the summer of 2020, evolved into more sophisticated, engaging forms of Zoom-based teaching and some hybrid classes at the Business School (see “School Goes Remote,” November-December 2020, page 29). Peering ahead, what is the future for pedagogy at Harvard?
Harvard Graduate Leads in NBA Analytics
Unlike many children, Jason Rosenfeld ’12 didn’t delude himself with dreams of athletic stardom. “As you could probably tell by looking at me,” he says in the opening minute of a Zoom interview, “I’m not tall or athletic enough to play sports professionally.” But he was good at fantasy sports. After his school friends banned him from their leagues for winning too much, he covertly drafted a team for an un-banned friend, who then won.
Jaju’s Premiere Pierogies
Tough. Doughy. Bland. A stingy stuffing-to-starch ratio. Premier pierogies—Polish dumplings—must leap all these culinary hurdles to become the ultimate comfort food. “We have family recipes,” answers Vanessa White, part of the sister-duo who own Jaju Pierogi, “but we also know that a lot of the magic is in the feel.” Their eggy dough’s elasticity and airiness shift with humidity, or an early freeze. “We are always changing it based on the weather and the seasons,” she says.
Harvard Arts and Sciences Centennial Medalists
Articles News more News An investigation finds the former anthropology professor “engaged in unwelcome sexual conduct and abused power,” among other violations of institutional policies and values 6.11.21 Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19. Art by Niko Yaitanes/Harvard Magazine; images by Unsplash Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19.
Probing the Microbial World Within Us
The most versatile chemists in the world live inside us. Trillions of microbes, of several hundred species, an aggregation containing 150 times as many unique genes as a human, make our bodies their home. More biological activity may take place between and among these helpful hitchhikers than in our own cells. Their astonishing abundance and genetic diversity are matched by a vast repertoire of products and functions—inputs, outputs, and biochemical interactions—that profoundly affect human health.
Under Review: Tony Saich on Chinese Communism at 100
Tony Saich begins his magisterial account of the hundred-year history of the Chinese Communist Party (with publication timed for the centennial, this July) with a conundrum. The CCP today has almost 90 million members. With branches in more than 4.5 million grass-roots organizations, including companies, universities, hospitals, high-tech parks, and neighborhood committees, the party is thoroughly embedded in Chinese society.
Civic Leaders, and Myths about Undergraduate Teaching
Civic-minded Corporation members, and myths about research universities and undergraduate education In his installation address, on October 5, 2018, President Lawrence S.
Off the Shelf: Recent Books with Harvard Connections
Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work, by Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg (Harvard Business Review Press, $30). The director of the Business School’s Gender Initiative and the Chapman professor of business administration explore why women, a majority of the college-educated U.S. work force, are not yet fully represented in leadership positions.
Letters from our readers
Discourse and the Humanities Doris Sommer’s article on the crucial place of the humanities in holding a democracy together had me nodding enthusiastically right up to the last paragraph (“Democracy Requests the Pleasure of Your Company,” May-June, page 42). And there we parted ways. Law degrees have been the introduction to deep thinking in other times and places, such as Latin America and the Middle East, she pointed out. “Today this preparation is the Ph.D.” Well, not necessarily.
Sidney Verba, and a Classy Class Reporter
A Mensch. In the Memorial Minute on the life of the late Sidney Verba, a prominent government scholar, presented to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in March, it was observed that as a youth, “He was unaware of Harvard until his public high school guidance counselor suggested he apply and he looked up ‘Harvard University’” in the nearby branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. That first brush with Harvard apparently took—nor was that Verba’s last important encounter with libraries.
A Surfing Author’s Children’s Book
This past April, Bonnie Tsui ’99 broke two ribs in a surfing injury. She had stayed out too long on a wave at the beach near her house—riding it in, holding on to the motion and the water, trying to live in that moment for as long as she could. “And then the wave starts to break in front of me,” she says, “so I start to hop off the board but it got sucked up the wave face.” The surfboard went one way, her body another, and they collided again with a crack. It was incredibly painful.
Peabody Essex Museum’s “In American Waters”
Your independent source for Harvard news since 1898 | SUBSCRIBE Log-In | Register Search form Search Articles News more News An investigation finds the former anthropology professor “engaged in unwelcome sexual conduct and abused power,” among other violations of institutional policies and values 6.11.21 Some patients experience lingering and debilitating symptoms after COVID-19.
Restoring Justice
“I spent 28 years in prison,” Armand Coleman was saying to the Harvard Law School students and professors gathered over Zoom on an early spring afternoon. For 22 of those years, he lived in a maximum-security prison; for 12, he was in solitary confinement. “But the time I spent in the restorative-justice program was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Coleman said. “It just…” He paused for a moment.
The New Overseers and HAA Elected Directors
Harvard Forward gains a fourth seat on the Board of Overseers. The names of the new members of the Board of Overseers and new elected directors of the Harvard Alumni Association were announced on May 27, during Commencement week. The news capped a competitive campaign season, in which two slates of candidates for Overseers were presented, one by the HAA’s nominating committee, and another, via petition, by Harvard Forward.
Could Regenerative Biology Work in Humans?
Mansi Srivastava’s basic research seeks to uncover the origins of whole-body regeneration in animals. Chop a three-banded panther worm in half, and the head and tail will swirl around as if nothing had happened. Even more astonishing, a few days later, the halves will grow to become two complete and almost indistinguishable worms. Loeb associate professor of the natural sciences Mansi Srivastava has studied this process of healing and regeneration for more than a decade.
Namwali Serpell
Namwali Serpell is professor of English and an award-winning novelist, essayist, and critic. Although born in Zambia, her economist mother’s home country, her earliest memory, at age two, is of seeing horses for the first time on a misty day in her father’s native England.
The Gardens at Elm Bank “Get People Growing”
At its blooming best during the summer, Weezie’s Garden for Children is an enchanting place for all ages. Stroll through the arched entrance of sculpted twigs, and wind along paths through this pollinators’ haven. Climb a tree-house tower, dig in the sandbox, look for nesting boxes, or follow the movement of fish and turtles in the pond below a rushing waterfall. It’s a place to roam and connect with nature at every step.
Should Convicted Felons Serve on Juries?
Should convicted felons be allowed to serve on juries, sitting in judgment on their fellow citizens? On June 2, Premal Dharia, inaugural director of Harvard Law School’s Institute to End Mass Incarceration, moderated a discussion of this question, at an event co-sponsored by the Radcliffe Institute between two invited speakers: Brendon D. Woods, the chief public defender in California’s Alameda County, and James M.
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