Daniela Solis, captured by Veasey Conway, Harvard Staff Photographer, finds herself unable to stop painting, despite her aspirations of becoming president. Liz Mineo, a Harvard Staff Writer, reports that Solis, inspired by the pioneering female politicians from Costa Rica, arrived at Harvard dreaming of a political career. “Since childhood, I wanted to be president,” Solis…
Under a microscope, tiny lollipop-shaped structures, smaller than grains of sand, gently float in a liquid-filled petri dish. Suddenly, these structures snap together like a Venus flytrap when a scientist moves a small magnet above the dish. These previously passive forms have been transformed into an active robotic gripper. This gripper demonstration showcases a new…
Blood molecular activity may provide insights into a person’s fitness levels and the biological processes that enhance physical performance. A collaboration between MIT, GE HealthCare, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has led to a computational model connecting numerous molecular signals with fitness indicators. This model could guide future research to enhance fitness…
A study by MIT researchers suggests that using robotically assembled building blocks could offer a more sustainable and efficient method for constructing large structures compared to some current techniques. The team evaluated the feasibility of building with “voxels,” modular 3D units that form complex, strong structures. They developed three new voxel designs, a robotic assembler,…
Illustrations by Liz Zonarich accompany a health guide on gut wellness. Sy Boles from Harvard reports that about 40% of Americans experience bowel movement issues that affect their daily life, as noted by Trisha Pasricha, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Pasricha, a gastroenterologist and contributor to The Washington Post’s “Ask a Doctor” column,…
During a discussion at Harvard’s Mahindra Humanities Center, Catherine Lacey shared how fiction serves as a means to explore personal truths. She explained, “When I try to decide what to reveal or hide, it fails,” emphasizing that personal elements inevitably surface in her writing, or the story won’t come together. Lacey’s debut novel, “Nobody Is…
MIT researchers have uncovered an unexpected phenomenon in optical physics that may lead to a new, faster, and higher-resolution bioimaging method. They found that, under specific conditions, chaotic laser light can spontaneously organize into a focused “pencil beam.” This beam allowed them to capture 3D images of the human blood-brain barrier 25 times faster than…
The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is leading to predictions that data centers could use up to 12% of the United States’ electricity by 2028, as reported by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Scientists are working to enhance the energy efficiency of data centers to make AI more sustainable. MIT researchers, along with the MIT-IBM…
The value of a Humanities education is increasingly under scrutiny. With fewer students majoring in Humanities and more opting for professional fields, the perception of Humanities degrees as lacking in job-ready skills is widespread. While career services can assist students with their post-graduation plans, faculty also have a key role in helping students translate their…
University staff often encounter students who grasp course material but struggle with multiple-choice exams. Students may express confusion, noting that despite extensive studying, their grades remain low. This issue often stems from a lack of strategic test-taking skills rather than content knowledge. Such strategies, while influential, are seldom directly taught, forming a “hidden curriculum” that…
