High school students from Boston Latin Academy tackled a hands-on simulated medical emergency in the HMS MEDscience program's simulation lab this week. The program offers high school students realistic, hands-on experiences in the medical field, letting students work alongside medical professionals to learn clinical skills and explore healthcare careers.
Massachusetts Health & Human Services Secretary Dr. Kiame Mahaniah observed the simulation. A practicing physician in the field of addiction and primary care, Secretary Mahaniah spoke with students and offered advice for those considering careers in healthcare and medicine.
Photos: @niles_singer /Harvard University
Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum! Thousands of visitors took tours with Arboretum experts, enjoyed children’s activities and chalk art, and best of all, explored the collection of more than 400 lilacs 💜
Photos by Jon Hetman
Olivia first became interested in dentistry when she was young, undergoing orthodontic treatment. She knew she wanted to work in healthcare, and as she began applying to dental schools, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) rose to the top of her list.
Through her clinical experiences at Harvard she learned not only the technical demands of orthodontics but also the importance of building relationships with patients. The transition from observing patient care to actively participating in it became one of the most defining parts of her training.
“Seeing patients over time and being part of their journey—watching their confidence change along with their smile—that’s what really stayed with me,” said Olivia.
Olivia returned to HSDM for her orthodontic residency, shifting her focus toward research and specialized care. She examined insurance coverage eligibility for orthodontic patients on Medicaid in Massachusetts, with a focus on how approval processes impact access to care. The research experience further strengthened her commitment to patient advocacy, particularly for underserved populations.
After graduation, Olivia will remain at HSDM as a part-time faculty member and serve as director of the DMD Program in Orthodontics. In this role, she hopes to strengthen early exposure to orthodontics for dental students and continue the mentorship tradition that shaped her own journey.
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We are celebrating the extraordinary members of the Class of #Harvard26 🎓
Astrophysicists are using oxygen to learn more about galaxies far, far away.
Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics developed a new method of "chemical archaeology" to reconstruct the formation of distant galaxies over billions of years. In the new technique, light from the galaxy is captured by a telescope and then is split into colors. The optical wavelengths provide indicators of gases at each location.
The team applied this method to NGC 1365, a massive spiral galaxy 56 million light years away, twice the size of the Milky Way. They were able to piece together 12 billion years of history, discovering that the galaxy grew "inside out," starting small and slowly expanding through collisions with smaller galaxies over time.
“It's an entirely new method of tracking the history of galaxies outside our Milky Way,” said Lisa Kewley, lead author of the study.
Photo by Carlos Sanchez/FAS Staff Photographer
Could wool become a material we use for building homes?
For her senior capstone project, Mia investigated creative, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions that could be used in construction of new homes and buildings. Mia used waste wool to create building cladding panels, heating the fibers to extract keratin and then adhering the wool fibers together to create panels.
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We are celebrating the extraordinary members of the Class of #Harvard26 🎓
Welcome to Wadsworth House! This yellow Colonial was built in 1726-1727 as the residence for Harvard President Benjamin Wadsworth, and served as home for several of his successors as well.
When George Washington arrived in Cambridge in July 1775, Harvard President Samuel Langdon offered the house to him, and Wadsworth House became Washington’s first headquarters as commander in chief of the Continental Army. Abigail and John Adams visited Washington here, and it is believed to be the site where Washington convened the first Council of War. Photo 2 shows what the Harvard campus looked like during this time, with Wadsworth House more than likely appearing behind the church.
In 2016, a plaque (photo 3) memorializing four enslaved people–Titus, Venus, Juba, and Bilhah–who lived and worked in the house serving Harvard Presidents Benjamin Wadsworth and Edward Holyoke, was installed by the Wadsworth House entrance. At the dedication ceremony (photo 4) attended by Congressman John Lewis, Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust said, “The plaque is intended to remember and honor them and to remind us that slavery was not an abstraction, but a cruelty inflicted on particular humans. We name the names to remember those stolen lives.”
Today, Wadsworth House is home to the Marshal’s Office, the Commencement Office, and other faculty and administrative offices, and is the second oldest surviving building on campus.
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In honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we're exploring Harvard as it was in 1776.
Congratulations to Harvard Professor Jill Lepore, who received the Pulitzer Prize in History for her book "We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution" 🎉
The Pulitzer Board called her work "a lively and engaging narrative that investigates why the Constitution is so difficult to amend."
Photo: @stephanie_blair_mitchell /Harvard University
