Conversations
Fifteen Questions: Benjamin L. de Bivort on Individuality, Forecasting, and the Politics of Science
The Organismic and Evolutionary Biology professor sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss fruit flies, puzzles, and LS50.
The Electronic Instrument Design Lab Says Goodbye to Jim MacArthur
Jim MacArthur manages Harvard’s Electronic Instrument Design Lab, fulfilling specific instrumentation requests across departments as what he calls a “short-order engineer.” After 25 years, he’s announced his retirement with a year’s notice, but he doesn’t know if a replacement will be hired.
What Matters to Adams House Scholar John Muresianu?
When I first talked with John M. Muresianu ’74 on the phone, he began by asking me questions about myself and where my family is from — Mainland China or Taiwan? Which part of China? — before singing a famous Chinese poem.
Fifteen Questions: David J. Deming on Diversity Office Closures, ChatGPT, and the Biggest Challenges Facing Harvard
The new Dean of Harvard College sat down with Fifteen Minutes to talk about Harvard football, his favorite memories on campus, and his Substack. At the end, he even volleys a question back.
Fifteen Questions: Alfredo Gutierrez Ortiz Mena on Constitutional Backsliding, Counter-Majoritarian Courts, and Tenoch
The former justice of the Mexican Supreme Court sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss his return to Harvard Law School, recent changes in the Mexican judicial system, and his favorite historical court opinions.
Fifteen Questions: Spencer Lee-Lenfield on Translation, Keats’s Odes, and HUDS Dumplings
The Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss the art of translation, returning to Harvard, and HUM 10.
Fifteen Questions: Annabel L. Kim on Subjectivity, Scatology, and Garfield
The Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss how she became interested in French literature, the difference between French and English dystopias, and the best places to find vegan food in Harvard Square.
Fifteen Questions: Curtis T. McMullen on Shared Truths, Unsolved Problems, and How to Illustrate Infinity
The Cabot Professor of Mathematics sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss life lessons from mathematics, the challenges of formulating good questions, and his work visualizing curved space.
Former HLS Prof. Alan Dershowitz, a Staunch Israel Supporter, To Speak at HKS Forum on War in Gaza
Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan M. Dershowitz, a high-profile defense lawyer and a fierce supporter of Israel, will speak at the JFK Jr. forum on Sept. 16 for the first “Middle East Dialogues” event of the fall.
Fifteen Questions: Derek J. Penslar on the Antisemitism Task Force, Facing Backlash, and Jewish Scholarship
The professor of Jewish history sat down with Fifteen Minutes to talk about his favorite jokes, the study of Judaism, and the antisemitism task force.
The Harvard Business School Grads Behind Beli
Inspired by their Google love map, Judith and Eliot Frost — now married — created Beli during their time at Harvard Business School. Beli, a social-media food app, allows users to track, map, and share restaurants they’ve frequented.
Teaching Orbitals and Changing Occupations with Dr. Logan McCarty
Meeting in his office in the Science Center, Logan S. McCarty ’96 welcomes us with a smile. His hair is slicked back and dyed pink, and he wears a graphic t-shirt that reads “show up for trans youth.”
Ed Childs Didn’t Plan to Come to Harvard. After 50 Years, He’s Still Organizing Its Workers.
Over a half-century of organizing, he has seen the union through two strikes, participated in dozens of demonstrations, and traversed the globe in search of other workers’ stories.
Where Chemistry Meets Canvas: Talking Art Conservation with Narayan Khandekar
Narayan Khandekar, director of the art museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, inhabits this floor. A senior art conservationist from Australia, Khandekar thrives on the intersection of art and science.
Ed Childs with Passie A. Harley.
Childs (back row, second from the left) with Passie A. Harley (front row, second from the right).
Fifteen Questions: Kenneth S. Rogoff on Bitcoin, Bobby Fischer, and “The Queen’s Gambit”
The Professor of Economics sat down with FM to talk about how he met his wife, his forthcoming book, and the most memorable game of chess he’s ever played.
From Crimson to Court: Michael Abramowitz’s Fight For Journalism
Abramowitz’s work has shown him “what can happen when we have let freedom slip elsewhere, and heightened his awareness to the risks of when it starts to happen at home.”
Fifteen Questions: Carissa J. Chen on Poetry, Harvard’s History of Slavery, and the Old Jefe’s Location
Carissa J. Chen ’21 talks to Fifteen Minutes about Harvard's legacy of slavery, pursuing a Ph.D., and creative writing workshops.