Conversations
Fifteen Questions: Finale Doshi-Velez on AI Decision Making, Novel Writing and Unicorns
Computer Science Professor Finale Doshi-Velez sat down with Fifteen Minutes to talk about artificial intelligence in healthcare decision making, the dangers of “boring AI,” and writing what may be her first novel.
Fifteen Questions: Spencer Weinreich on Solitary Confinement, Religious Violence, and Quizbowl Grooming
Junior Fellow Spencer Weinreich sat down with FM to discuss the history of solitary confinement, the meaning of his tattoos, and being a “textual omnivore.”
Fifteen Questions: Bruce H. Mann on Legal History, Studying Debt, and Owning Golden Retrievers
Legal Historian Bruce Mann sat down with FM to discuss socratic teaching, the pervasiveness of debt, and supporting his wife, Senator Elizabeth Warren, on the campaign trail.
Zoë Hitzig is Generative and Intelligent. Is She Artificial?
Much like a large language model, the Zoë Hitzig available by Google search is so prolifically published that she seems capable of writing something about anything — from poetry to economics to philosophy — almost instantaneously.
Vera Mironova: A Scholar at the Frontlines of War
Mironova’s work takes her to the center of war. A scholar of armed conflict, she has embedded with military units around the world, including in Iraq and Ukraine.
Vera Mironova Photo
“The goal of my scholarship would be to better understand war through individual behavior in conflict,” Mironova says.
Fifteen Questions during the Solar Eclipse: Maya Jasanoff on the British Empire, Joseph Conrad, and Judging The Booker Prize
The history professor talked with Fifteen Minutes during the solar eclipse about being in a family of academics, postcolonial literature, and reading.
Maya Jasanoff Eclipse 15Q Picture
The trees began to sway and the bushes gently rustled as a breeze came over the courtyard. The shadows lost their strength.
Exploring Neurospirituality with Michael Ferguson
To Michael Ferguson, contemplating spirituality in both the chapel and the laboratory makes his experience of religion more rich.
Fifteen Questions: Annette Gordon-Reed on Book Banning, Originalism, and ‘Hamilton’
The Harvard Law School professor Annette Gordon-Reed sat down with FM to talk about history and the law, book banning, and musicals.
Jazz Jennings Portrait
Jennings grew up in the spotlight. Starting at age six, when Barbara Walters interviewed her and her family on “20/20,” Jennings has been publicly sharing her experience growing up transgender. Now, Jazz is just a normal Harvard student, who also happens to make mermaid tails.
For Linguistics Influencer Adam V. Aleksic ’23, Language is Political
One of the Internet’s first and only “linguistics influencers,” Aleksic, who works under the handle @etymologynerd, spends his time post-graduation traveling the world and creating videos about etymology for an audience of over 1.3 million across TikTok and Instagram.
Adam Aleksic photo
Aleksic’s videos range from silly, like a deep dive into whether the past-tense of “yeet” is “yeeted” or “yote” (spoiler: it’s “yate”), to informative, like an explanation of “Why Gender is a Linguistic Construct.” Aleksic not only embraces Internet slang but gives it thoughtful, thorough linguistic analysis.
Eva Shang on Startups and Storytelling
Shang’s skill at shaping the narrative has served her well in the startup world. When asked about a strength that’s helped her succeed in the industry, Shang pauses for a second, and then replies, “I think I’m a good storyteller.”
Jazz Jennings is in Her Self-Care Era
Jazz Jennings’s reality TV show “I Am Jazz” aimed to increase trans visibility by showing she “was just a normal girl going through life, who just happened to be trans.” Now, Jazz is just a normal Harvard student, who also happens to make mermaid tails.
Maia Ramsden on Pro-Running, Pacific Poetry, and Y2K fashion
When Ramsden leaves Harvard for the real world, she’s planning to be a professional runner. I ask her what she’ll miss most. “I think I’ll miss being super busy, even though it’s hard to imagine right now,” she says. “That’s what everyone’s telling me anyway.”
Fifteen Questions: Elena Glassman on Human-Computer Interaction, Freestyle Wrestling, and MIT Dorms
The human-computer interaction expert sat down with FM to discuss software design, the importance of bicycling infrastructure, and her time competing in women’s freestyle wrestling.