Science

Speaking up for science

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

Former National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration administrator Jane Lubchenco described her four years in Washington, D.C., as difficult and frustrating, but said it’s imperative that other scientists follow suit to give science a voice in national policies.

Tags: BP oil spill, D.C., Government & Politics, Harvard University Center for the Environment, James McCarthy, Jane Lubchenco, National & World Affairs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Politics, Science, Washington

Posted in BP oil spill, D.C., Government & Politics, Harvard University Center for the Environment, James McCarthy, Jane Lubchenco, National & World Affairs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Politics, Science, Washington | Comments Off

Understanding student weaknesses

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

As part of an unusual study that surveyed 181 middle school physical science teachers and nearly 10,000 students, researchers found that the most successful teachers were those who knew what students would get wrong on standardized tests.

Tags: Assessment, Culture & Society, Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Harvard, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, HarvardScience, Learning, Middle school, National Science Foundation, Peter Reuell, Philip Sadler, Physical science, Science, Science teachers, Standardized tests, Student Testing, Teachers, Teaching, Testing, Tests

Posted in Assessment, Culture & Society, Department of Astronomy, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Harvard, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, HarvardScience, Learning, Middle school, National Science Foundation, Peter Reuell, Philip Sadler, Physical science, Science, Science teachers, Standardized tests, Student Testing, Teachers, Teaching, Testing, Tests | Comments Off

$50M gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

The Blavatnik Family Foundation, headed by Len Blavatnik, M.B.A. ’89, has donated $50 million to Harvard University. The gift will launch a major initiative to expedite the development of basic science discoveries into new breakthrough therapies for patients and cures for disease. The gift underpins Harvard’s growing commitment to creating an entrepreneurial culture in the life sciences.

Tags: Biomedical Accelerator Fund, Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship Program, Campus & Community, Early-stage Research, Entrepreneurial culture, Harvard Business School, HBS’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Isaac T. Kohlberg, Len Blavatnik, Life Sciences, On Campus, Science

Posted in Biomedical Accelerator Fund, Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator, Blavatnik Family Foundation, Blavatnik Fellowship in Life Science Entrepreneurship Program, Campus & Community, Early-stage Research, Entrepreneurial culture, Harvard Business School, HBS’s Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Isaac T. Kohlberg, Len Blavatnik, Life Sciences, On Campus, Science | Comments Off

One gene, many mutations

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

In a new paper, Harvard researchers show that changes in coat color in mice are the result not of a single mutation, but of many mutations, all in a single gene. The results start to answer one of the fundamental questions about evolution: Does it proceed by huge leaps — single mutations that result in dramatic changes in an organism — or is it the result of many smaller changes over time?

Tags: Agouti, Camouflage, Catherine Linnen, Deer Mice, DNA, Evolution, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Gene, Harvard, HarvardScience, Hopi Hoekstra, Life Sciences, Mice, molecular and cellular biology, Mutation, natural selection, Nebraska Sandhills, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Peter Reuell, Pigmentation, Sandhills, Science

Posted in Agouti, Camouflage, Catherine Linnen, Deer Mice, DNA, Evolution, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Gene, Harvard, HarvardScience, Hopi Hoekstra, Life Sciences, Mice, molecular and cellular biology, Mutation, natural selection, Nebraska Sandhills, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Peter Reuell, Pigmentation, Sandhills, Science | Comments Off

Cantor: Fund medical research

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

U.S. Rep. Eric I. Cantor, the House majority leader, embraced immigration reform, education changes, and medical research funding during a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Tags: Affordable Care Act, Cancer, Eric Cantor, Eric I. Cantor, Government & Politics, Harvard College Global Health, Harvard Kennedy School, Immigration reform, Institute of Politics, Medical research funding, National & World Affairs, Paul Ryan, School choice, Science, Trey Grayson

Posted in Affordable Care Act, Cancer, Eric Cantor, Eric I. Cantor, Government & Politics, Harvard College Global Health, Harvard Kennedy School, Immigration reform, Institute of Politics, Medical research funding, National & World Affairs, Paul Ryan, School choice, Science, Trey Grayson | Comments Off

New ways to fund science

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

As research funding dwindles, scientists need to rethink their methods for supporting the most promising projects, and how they communicate their work to the public, Nobel Prize–winning geneticist Paul Nurse told an audience of Harvard scientists.

Tags: Broad Institute, Charles Rosenberg, Culture & Society, Eric Lander, HarvardScience, Katie Koch, Lisa Randall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Paul Nurse, Research, Royal Society of London, Science, Sheila Jasanoff

Posted in Broad Institute, Charles Rosenberg, Culture & Society, Eric Lander, HarvardScience, Katie Koch, Lisa Randall, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Paul Nurse, Research, Royal Society of London, Science, Sheila Jasanoff | Comments Off

On the nature of difference

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

Harvard College Dean Evelynn M. Hammonds discussed her book “The Nature of Difference: Sciences of Race in the United States from Jefferson to Genomics” before 50 students as part of Wintersession activities.

Tags: Campus & Community, Colin Manning, Evelynn M. Hammonds, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Harvard, Harvard College, History, Manning, Medicine, On Campus, Race, Science, Thomas Jefferson, Wintersession, Wintersession 2013

Posted in Campus & Community, Colin Manning, Evelynn M. Hammonds, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, FAS, Harvard, Harvard College, History, Manning, Medicine, On Campus, Race, Science, Thomas Jefferson, Wintersession, Wintersession 2013 | Comments Off

Erwin Hiebert, 93, dies

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Harvard Gazette

Erwin Hiebert, professor of the history of science emeritus, died on Nov. 28, at the age of 93.

Tags: Acoustics, Campus & Community, Department of the History of Science, Erwin Hiebert, Faculty, History of Science, Obituaries, Obituary, Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Posted in Acoustics, Campus & Community, Department of the History of Science, Erwin Hiebert, Faculty, History of Science, Obituaries, Obituary, Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Comments Off

Remember research, Faust urges

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Harvard Gazette

During Washington visit, Harvard President Drew Faust tells business, policy, and diplomatic leaders that they should maintain a strong research partnership between the federal government and higher educational institutions.

Tags: CAP, Center for American Progress, David M. Rubenstein, Economic Club of Washington, Economics, Economy, Education, edX, Engineering, Engineering & Technology, Fiscal Cliff, Georgetown University, Humanities, John DeGioia, Massive Open Online Course, MOOC, National & World Affairs, Neera Tanden, President Drew Faust, Science, STEM