Science
Harvard Quantum Initiative Construction Set to be Completed in the Spring
Construction on 60 Oxford Street — the new home of the Harvard Quantum Initiative in Science and Engineering (HQI) — is set to be completed this Spring, in accordance with its expected timeline.
‘More Important Than School’: Harvard Affiliates Skip Class and Town To View Solar Eclipse
Harvard students seemed to be everywhere but the classroom on Monday, as undergraduates admired the total solar eclipse. Some gathered on campus to view the rare celestial event, but others traveled further — to Vermont, Arkansas, and Texas — to enjoy the eclipse from the path of totality.
Harvard Science Dean Stubbs Says He Does Not Know Timeline for Search for Successor
Harvard Dean of Science Christopher W. Stubbs said he does not know the status of the search for his successor, even as he is set to depart to his role at the end of the semester.
Harvard C-CHANGE Names 17 Social Media Influencers to 2024 Climate Creators to Watch List
The Harvard Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard School of Public Health named 17 social media influencers to their third annual Climate Creators to Watch list in early March.
HMS Study Casts Doubt on AI’s Role in Diagnostic Radiology
Harvard Medical School researchers and affiliates have discovered that the use of artificial intelligence in radiology is not universally beneficial, contrary to existing research.
Harvard Neurologists Find Skin Biopsies Can Detect Parkinson’s Disease in Recent Study
A team of neurologists from Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that skin biopsies can help predict early signs of four progressive neurodegenerative diseases — including Parkinson’s disease — in a study published March 20.
Harvard Horizons Scholar Looks to ‘Sound the Alarm’ on ‘Forever Chemicals’
Heidi M. Pickard, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Engineering and Applied Sciences at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, used her 2024 Harvard Horizons project to investigate environmental contamination and human exposure to highly-prevalent “forever chemicals.”
Harvard Physicists Create New Phase of Matter, Advance Field of Quantum Computing
A team of Harvard researchers working with the quantum computing company Quantinuum announced the creation of a new phase of matter in a research paper last month.
‘Closure of a Circle’: Harvard Professor Haim Sompolinsky Wins Brain Prize for Neuroscience Research
Harvard professor Haim Sompolinsky was named a 2024 recipient of the Brain Prize — the world’s most prestigious honor for neuroscience research — by the Lundbeck Foundation on March 5.
Mass General Researchers Report Major Breakthrough in Deadly Brain Cancer Treatment
Researchers at the Mass General Cancer Center reported a breakthrough in treatment for glioblastoma in a March 13 paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Controversial Harvard Geoengineering Project Abandoned After Advisory Committee Report
A controversial environmental geoengineering experiment led by Harvard Chemistry professor Frank N. Keutsch is officially no longer being pursued, according to a Monday statement from the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability.
‘Sort of Surreal’: Harvard Medical School Students and Families Celebrate Match Day
Fourth-year Harvard Medical School students crowded anxiously Friday morning with friends and family to open their Match Day letters and learn where they will complete their clinical training.
Should Harvard’s Next President Come From the Sciences? HMS Professors Weigh In.
As Harvard is set to embark on its 31st presidential search, some University affiliates are calling on the Harvard Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — to select someone who was trained in the sciences.
‘Science on Display’: Renovations to Teaching Labs Continue in Science Center
Harvard began renovations to the Science Center teaching laboratories in December 2023, closing off much of the first and second floors of the building. The ongoing construction is part of a longer renovation of the Science Center expected to end in the summer of 2025.
Harvard, BU Physicists Create New Tool to Probe High-Pressure Superconductors
Harvard and Boston University professors developed a tool that enables researchers everywhere to make measurements of different phenomena in high-pressure environments such as earthquakes, phase transitions, and superconductors.
Luxury Brands Will Fund Harvard Lab’s Medicinal Plant Research in 3-Year Agreement
Luxury giants LVMH and Christian Dior will fund the Harvard Davis Lab’s research on the genetic barcoding of nearly 2,000 edible and medicinal plants.
Harvard Team Celebrates Launch of Methane-Detecting Satellite at SEC Event
Dozens of Harvard affiliates gathered at a Friday reception at the Science and Engineering Complex to celebrate the launch of MethaneSAT, one of the world’s most advanced methane-detecting satellites.
Nobel Prize Winners Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman Talk Vaccines at Pre-Health Event
Nobel Prize winners Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman discussed their medical research and approach to anti-science sentiments at an event hosted by the IvyLeague+ Pre-Health Society on Tuesday night.
Caroline Jean Fernald Named Director of Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Caroline Jean Fernald was selected as the new executive director of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra announced last month. She began her tenure Wednesday.
HMS Study Finds Abortion Restrictions May Increase Number of Children in Foster Case
A study conducted by affiliates from Harvard Medical School found a significant relationship between abortion restrictions and the number of children in the foster care system.
Physics Professor Jennifer Hoffman ’99 Shatters Women’s Transcontinental Running Record
Harvard Physics professor Jennifer E. Hoffman ’99 broke the world record for the fastest trans-America run by a woman last Friday, running more than 3,000 miles in under 48 days.
Harvard Medical School Professor Gregory Petsko Awarded National Medal of Science
Renowned biochemist Gregory A. Petsko, Harvard Medical School professor of neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, received a 2022 National Medal of Science on Oct. 24.
Harvard Northwest Labs Director Alain Viel Appointed UNESCO Chair on Life Sciences and Innovation
Alain Viel, director of the Northwest Undergraduate Laboratories and a Harvard senior lecturer in Molecular and Cellular Biology, has assumed the role of chair on life sciences and social innovation for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
HKS Postdoc Christine Gschwendtner Talks Electrical Vehicle Charging Research at Harvard-China Project Presentation
Christine Gschwendtner, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, spoke about strategies to handle strain on electrical grids from increased electric vehicle use in a presentation at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Wednesday afternoon.
Hundreds of Students ‘Hack to the Future’ at Eighth Iteration of HackHarvard
More than 600 students representing universities around the country and the world gathered in the Science and Engineering Complex last weekend to participate in HackHarvard, a student-run hackathon.