The Personal Money Management Program will provide students with a general understanding of consumer credit, credit scoring, personal budgeting and financial goal setting and planning.  Attendees will develop a program that will allow them to apply theoretical concepts for their own personal finances and goals.

Do you still manually copy data into Excel for analysis? Do you still laboriously adjust each graph’s settings to make decent looking figures? You need to learn a scientific computing package – and it’s much easier than you might think! Despite its status as one of the world’s most powerful computing packages, Mathematica has a gentle learning curve suitable for people with little to no programming experience, and you can write programs without memorizing a bunch of incomprehensible syntax. Learn to write programs in sensible text which automatically import, process, and analyze your data, and create beautiful publication-ready 2D and 3D figures of all varieties. After the introductory material, bring your own data to class and we will write the programs you need for your graduate research!

Register here.

This course will offer an introduction to Plato that will cover a manageable amount of material that is accessible to non-specialists. Focusing on some of the “big issues” in Plato’s thought, the class will engage with the texts both as literature and as philosophy.

Register here.

This course will offer an introduction to how markets and the economy work, followed by a discussion of the ways in which capitalism sets us free, yet also creates new constraints and interdependencies. Finally, we will study the relationship between capitalism and democracy, opportunity, and scientific innovation. Given how capitalism is almost always presented as being intuitively good and freedom-enhancing, there are limited opportunities for people to think critically about these beliefs (especially with an actual economist!).

Register here.

This course will examine the sociohistorical legacy of chocolate, with a delicious emphasis on the eating and appreciation of the so called "food of the gods," the focus of course instructor Carla Martin's blog, Bittersweet Notes. Course participants will learn about the history of cacao cultivation and the present day state of the chocolate industry; the science behind cacao and chocolate; the diverse cultural constructions surrounding it; the economic forces that have come to largely control it; and the implications of international politics, the food movement, and alternative trade models for its future. We will ask questions of chocolate related to racial and socioeconomic injustice, responsible development, honesty in production and marketing, hierarchies of quality, and myths of purity. Participants in this mini-course can also expect to learn to better identify chocolate that suits their individual tastes, cravings, cooking ambitions, and ethics. Course participants will be asked to contribute approximately $20 to cover the cost of chocolate for tasting (this dollar amount will depend on enrollment).

Register here.

Harvard University is an exciting, stimulating, busy and often stressful place. Undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and visiting scholars are often told about the mental health services available to them, but not everyone uses them, and not everyone knows about them. More than simply a plug for Harvard’s Mental Health Services, what does ‘mental’ even mean here? What kind of ‘mental’ research goes on at Harvard? What is the history of being mental? This interdisciplinary perspective of the ‘mental’ at Harvard will be accessible to students of all backgrounds: you just need to bring your brain.

Register here.

No previous experience in language necessary! These seminars are
designed for anyone who wants a crash course in Spanish. There is no
sequence implied, so stay for one or more sessions depending on your
availability and interests.

Schedule:

"How to Talk Coherently About Yourself in Spanish"
10:15-10:55 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17 at Dudley House
Description: A conversation we're all naturally fond of... and here's your
chance to do it in Spanish! Wow your friends and acquaintances with
essential words and phrases for describing who you are and what you do.

"Bet You Didn't Know You Could Read in Spanish"
11:00-11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17 at Dudley House
Description: With a few clever strategies, you will quickly learn how to
make sense out of printed material in Spanish.

"How to Survive in a Spanish-Speaking Country"
11:45-12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17 at Dudley House
Description: Key words and phrases that will make dining, shopping, and
getting around during your sojourn all the more pleasant and intelligible.

Register here.

No previous experience in language necessary! These seminars are
designed for anyone who wants a crash course in Spanish. There is no
sequence implied, so stay for one or more sessions depending on your
availability and interests.

Schedule:

"How to Talk Coherently About Yourself in Spanish"
4:00-4:40pm on Thursday, January 19
Description: A conversation we're all naturally fond of... and here's your
chance to do it in Spanish! Wow your friends and acquaintances with
essential words and phrases for describing who you are and what you do.

"Bet You Didn't Know You Could Read in Spanish"
4:45-5:25pm on Thursday, January 19
Description: With a few clever strategies, you will quickly learn how to
make sense out of printed material in Spanish.

"How to Survive in a Spanish-Speaking Country"
5:30-6:15pm on Thursday, January 19
Description: Key words and phrases that will make dining, shopping, and
getting around during your sojourn all the more pleasant and intelligible.

Register here.

At first glance magic and science appear to be complete opposites.  But when one looks closer there are many similarities between the modern magician and the modern scientist and even more similarities between magic illusions and natural phenomena. We will explore these similarities and discuss how the thought process in developing a new illusion is analogous to how scientists try to understand molecular pathways and other natural processes.

Register here.

Everyday, you eat and move. Yet, food and fitness have become two of the most complicated topics today. The U.S. weight loss market has been estimated to be a $60 billion industry, often providing conflicting messages concerning the roles of carbohydrates, fats, protein, and calories. With a health policy landscape of trans-fat bans, calorie-count disclosure, and changing recommendations of physical activity levels, navigating the modern world of food and fitness can be a difficult task. This course will discuss some of the key principles of nutrition and exercise science to help you make informed decisions, understand your own intake/output balance, and serve as a forum for questions and lively discussion. Interactive classes with food scales and brief video clips will be included.

Register here.

Express your inner scientist by learning about the tool which enables us to visualize things that we can't see with our naked eye, the light microscope. We will discuss how a microscope works with ample time to spend taking cool images. If you haven't touched a microscope since high school (or ever), this course is for you. Participants are encouraged to bring interesting samples. The course will culminate in a gallery exhibition of everyone's images on January 20th. Register here.

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of these topics focusing on the physiological and molecular basis of obesity and relevant current, upcoming and past treatment approaches. Students will be introduced to these issues in a way that will equip them to gain a more in-depth understanding of any particular topic they choose subsequently.

Register here.

This Mini-Course will serve as an introduction for non-specialists to a wide range of poetry in English, from Shakespeare to Sherman Pearl, and to some of the most persistent questions in aesthetic theory. Over the course of seven 1.5 hour sessions, participants will develop the vocabulary with which to analyze and appreciate poetry, and the confidence to articulate their responses to others. They will be encouraged to engage with poetry on both a critical and creative level; Sessions II and VI will involve some creative ‘play’! Participants will develop a sensitivity to, and appreciation of, the nuances and intricacies of language – a transferable skill that will stand any lawyer, politician, or journalist in good stead.

Register here.

Have you ever wondered how people create realistic photo montages in which the faces of the people are switched? Or how to create posters or collages in Photoshop? This course is an introduction to Adobe Photoshop. In four sessions, you will learn the necessary drawing skills, skills for enhancing and retouching photos, and the basics of creating photo-montages.

Register here.

What better way to outlast the dark, desolate days of Cambridge in January than with a lively and enlightening J-term course on “The Art of Survival”? This course will explore the relation between survival and art through film screenings and clips (including reality television, cartoons and recordings of theatrical performances) and a selection of readings from short stories, philosophical essays, scholarly articles, graphic novels, outdoor survival guides and children’s literature. Themes will include 1) survival as performance in contemporary culture, 2) survival as a motif in the arts, 3) performance as survival and 4) survival as documentation or, the survival of experience and the survival of art. Screenings will include The Most Dangerous Game (1932), Touching the Void (2003), Children of Men (2007), Sucker Punch (2011) and Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010). Circumstances permitting, this course may also include  “live” video game play and/or an MMORPG demonstration.

Discussions from 2-3:30 p.m., movie screenings from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Register here.

A large empire at the east end of the Eurasian landmass, ancient China was as much an independent cultural area as one of the many players on the grand pan-Eurasian arena. However, “Chinese history” is usually taught as a history by and about the “Chinese”: a Mandarin-speaking, hieroglyph-writing and, mostly, Confucius-loving people. By focusing on the “foreign” elements in Chinese history, this course introduces the Sanskrit-chanting, polo-playing and God-(be It Christian, Islamic, Jewish, Manichean or Zoroastrian) worshiping side of the story. This revisionist approach points to many issues in different areas of Chinese history often not fully covered in introductory courses and reveals that, somewhat contrary to popular imagination, the pre-modern China was a land of great cultural diversity, which, though sometimes obscured by contemporary political narratives, persists to the present day. Instead of following the chronological frame, as is the usual practice, this course is designed treat one by one the different peoples who played significant roles in the world of ancient China.

Register here.

This course seeks to provide students with a broad introduction to the human face. Topics to be covered include the evolutionary importance of the face, facial attractiveness and beauty, facial processing and recognition, facial emotion, and our use of the face when forming social judgments and when making economic and legal decisions. Throughout the length of the course, the salience of the face in human culture will be highlighted as it has been portrayed in various interesting pieces of literature, film, and visual art.

Register here.

This course explores how global health actors fight to save lives that are threatened by armed conflict, natural disasters, poverty, and disease.  We will discuss intersections of health and violence, zones of poverty and abandonment, and war as a health issue, and discuss whether, as Margaret Mead contends, “a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”

Register here.

Catalog Number: 97487

This is an intensive course held during the first two full weeks of January (ten days) covering basic principles of pharmacology and how they are translated into the development of new drugs.  Students participate actively in project groups composed of both graduate students and post-graduate M.D.'s to propose a strategy for drug development from target choice through clinical trials. There are two hours of lectures each of the first eight mornings; in the afternoons, there are case studies discussed by guest faculty from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, a research paper discussion, or time to work on the group project. Evaluation is based on the project and class participation.  Enrollment may be limited.

This January course will provide students with an in-depth introduction to the epidemiology and molecular pathology of cancer.  We will explore multiple types of cancer, including breast, colon, lung, prostate and brain, through a series of lectures and hands-on practice tutorials. These tutorials will include training in molecular pathology techniques, state of the art image analysis of human biomarkers, tissue processing, immunohistochemistry, and tumor histology. In addition, the epidemiology, genetics and relevant signal transduction pathways of cancer will be highlighted.  This course is limited to 10 students.
In the mornings of each session, there will be a series of three lectures discussing the epidemiology, pathology, and molecular pathology of a given cancer (breast, colon, lung, prostate, brain, and blood) followed by an afternoon hands-on tutorial where the students will learn pathology and molecular pathology techniques.

Provides a rapid, interactive survey of major topics and themes in developmental and regenerative biology, in parallel with hands-on exposure to experimental models, approaches, and technologies in the fly, worm, fish, chick, and mouse. Topics explored will include organogenesis, cell death and differentiation, epigenetics, imaging, developmental neurobiology, pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming.

A survey of major themes in genetics combined with exposure to various experimental techniques, technologies, and model systems. Combines lectures and hands-on laboratory activities emphasizing experimental methods, hypothesis generation and testing, and data analysis.
This course will provide a rapid survey of major topics and themes in genetics and genetic analysis in conjunction with exposure to a variety of experimental techniques, technologies, and model systems. Building on fundamental principles learned in Genetics 201, students will gain knowledge and hands-on experience in using genetic approaches to address biologically relevant questions in a variety of experimental systems, such as Drosophila, yeast, zebrafish, and humans.  The course will combine didactic lectures and laboratory activities emphasizing experimental techniques, hypothesis generation and testing, and data analysis.
Note: Limited to 8 students. Priority will be given to G1 graduate students.
Prerequisite: Students must also enroll in, or have taken Genetics 201.

Catalog Number: 95905 Enrollment: Will be limited
HBTM 301QC consists of lectures and small group discussions that focus on papers selected from the basic science and clinical literature, and which culminated in the publication of seminal papers in the New England Journal of Medicine.  These papers serve as a platform for the analysis of research methods in human biology as well as providing examples of recent advances in human biology that have provided new insights into the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of human disease. These same papers serve as a basis for teaching LHB students the fundamentals of experimental design and biostatistics in basic and clinical research.  Professor Jeffrey Drazen, editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, will serve as course director, and is joined by two NEJM associate editors and members of the HMS faculty, Drs. Caren Solomon and Mary Beth Hamel. Each of the three weeks will focus on a different case study.  The first week will explore how basic discoveries in the enzymology of leukotrienes led to the development of new therapeutic agents used to treat asthma.  The second week uses the example of imatinib, in which fundamental studies on tyrosine kinase signal transduction led to the development of a novel chemotherapeutic agent, Gleevec.  The final week of the course explores how an understanding of the physiology of blood pressure control led to the development of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and their validation as effective drugs for the treatment of heart failure.  This course provides an essential component of the educational process for obtaining the statistical power of experimental observations in both basic and clinical investigations, for assessing the outcomes of novel therapies, and for dissecting the complexities of genetic and environmental effects.

Intensive January course covering theoretical foundations in population genetics, genetic drift versus selection, identifying selection in genomes, advances in laboratory evolution experiments, with applications to key questions in systems biology and evolution.

Catalog Number: 33563
Critical evaluation of virology-related papers reporting a seminal contribution, strong methodological approaches or, in some cases, due to errors in methodology or author interpretation. Requirements include written critiques and class participation.

This writing workshop is offered only to GSAS students. Students examine the features that are particular to writing in different fields of specialization and work at enhancing their control of the finer stylistic aspects of contemporary and professional literature. Students practice quick-writing techniques and have opportunities to craft and peer-edit a number of extended formal papers via the process method – procedures that lead them to appreciate the nuances inherent in different registers of English and meet the challenges involved in producing increasingly sophisticated versions of their writing. Classes available from 9:00am-noon (ref. code 23709) or from 6:30-9:30pm (ref. code 23910). Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more.

Although English is a global language and is therefore produced with numerous acceptable rhythms and contours, nonnative speakers naturally wish to be understood in a variety of contexts, and particularly in international and multicultural situations where their interlocutors are also nonnative users of the language. Designed to promote the accurate articulation of ideas by the students enrolled in each class, this course utilizes a variety of media and texts that permit students to recognize and monitor their linguistic shortcomings and produce clear speech. Learn more about placement test dates and other important information.

Join us for a Dudley Arts outing to the Degas and the Nude exhibit at the MFA! The nude figure was critical to the art of Edgar Degas from the beginning of his career in the 1850s until the end of his working life, but the subject has never before been explored in a Museum exhibition. "Degas and the Nude," co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, features paintings, pastels, drawings, prints, and sculpture, and calls attention to the evolution of the treatment of the nude from Degas's early years, through his triumphant offerings from the 1880s and 1890s, to the last decades of his working career. Free for Harvard Students with ID.

Contemporary art in a very interesting space, easily accessible by public transportation (Courthouse Station on the silver line). Best of all, free every Thursday evening! Don't miss out on this while you're in Boston.

The MFA offers many tours which are free with admission. Fortunately, Harvard students' admission to the MFA is always free, and therefore these tours are also! The Intro tour covers the basics of the museum's collection, while the Contemporary tour focuses on more recent works. The 3 Masterpieces in 30min. tour is exactly what it sounds like: just 3 groundbreaking pieces covered in detail. The museum is easily accessible by T (E train, green line, MFA stop) or car.

Dates and times as follows:

Intro Tour: January 11th and 18th, 6:15-7:15pm
Contemporary Tour: January 14th and 15th, 11:45am-12:15pm
3 Masterpieces in 30min. Tour: Every day except January 16, 12:30-1:00pm

The City of Boston has over 7,000 homeless individuals on any given night.  Founded in 1969, the Pine Street Inn serves more than 1,300 homeless individuals daily (10,000 annually) and is the largest resource for homeless individuals in New England.  They have a need for volunteers in many capacities, including serving meals and acting as receptionists.  We're planning to attend at least one of their January orientation events to see how we can become involved next semester.  At the orientation, we'll learn about Pine Street, take a tour, and find out about volunteer policies and opportunities.

Graduate students from all schools, and undergraduates from all concentrations, are encouraged to apply for the 2012 Harvard Forest Winter Break program, “Reading and Conserving New England,” which runs Jan. 15 to 20. This interdisciplinary program, made possible with no cost to students by a grant from the President’s January Innovation Fund for Faculty, combines field-based activities on global change research topics, discussions on applied ecological issues (public health, conservation policy, and more) with workshops in visual art, creative writing, and landscape design. Applications are due Dec. 16, with notification by Dec. 20.

One's presence online is just as important as how you present yourself in person, but how do we navigate today's social media successfully to expand our professional network? We will cover sending professional emails, updating your LinkedIn profile as well as the content and format of individual professional websites.

A panel discussion for GSAS students about how to create professional websites to promote your research, build your network, and get a job

In today’s increasingly online world, search committees, funding agencies, media organizations, professors, and students are using the web to find out about YOU.

Control what they see and present yourself and your work in the best possible light by building a professional website for your CV, bio, and research.

Hear from graduate students with successful sites about how they built them, what to include, and how a professional website can help you disseminate news, foster collaboration, and position yourself for the job market.

You can’t avoid the Google — so embrace it! Coffee and snacks will be provided.

In this four-session series for PhD students, you will consider whether a nonacademic career is right for you and learn the skills needed to begin the transition through in-depth self-assessment, brainstorming, and exploring career options. Space is limited and registration is required for this workshop series. Please make every effort to commit to all four meetings. Eligibility: PhD students and alumni from all GSAS departments

This workshop highlights the critical skills necessary for a career in science education and outreach.  We will explore what these jobs entail and how you can prepare yourself now for this career step.  You will need an understanding of science, a knowledge of the education, communication skills, people and management skills and more.  We will discuss how employers measure these skill qualifications, how to find jobs in these areas, and more job specific information.  These sessions are intended to augment your career informational interviewing with experts in the field. Presented by Lori Conlan, PhD, Director Office for Postdoctoral Services, NIH.

As the physical and digital worlds merge, new products and services will increasingly manifest as software that mines, simulates and controls the physical world. Students will explore venture opportunities in computational science through interaction with regional investors and entrepreneurs who have built successful companies.

• Jan. 17: Dean Kamen, founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation

• Jan. 18: Maria Lopez-Bresnahan, Vice President and Global Head for Medical and Scientific Affairs at Pharmanet/i3

• Jan. 19: Luke Burns, Principal at Ascent Venture Partners

• Jan. 20: Stephen Wolfram, Founder and CEO, Wolfram Research

Learn to write a winning fellowship proposal! Students will receive feed-back on their own proposal writing and also offer the same to their fellow students. We ask in advance that participants bring a draft of their opening paragraph or two of a fellowship proposal(with sufficient copies for all the participants)as the basis for discussion. To deal with group size, we may have a separate session for those in the humanities and social sciences and another shorter session for the students in the natural sciences, so please RSVP with this information.

Join HGWISE to chat with Dr. Margaret Livingstone, the first tenured female professor in the Harvard Neurobiology Department.  Dr. Livingstone has been performing leading research in the field of visual neuroscience, from early brain development to the perception of art.  Please join us!  Coffee and pastries will be served.

Please join Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering for a Coffee Hour with Dr. Mara Prentiss, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics.   Dr. Prentiss has a PhD in Physics from MIT, has worked in industry at Bell Labs, and moved back into academia here at Harvard, where she now does biophysics.  She has collaborated with 4 Nobel Prize winners, works internationally with scientists from France and Israel and has developed a “desktop” dialysis system.  All of this while raising a daughter and maintaining recreational interests in running and gardening! Dr. Prentiss will be talking about her life and doing general Q&A.

Join HGWISE for to learn about the unique experiences of Dr. Sheila Thomas, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Minority Affairs for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Thomas will discuss her dual roles as a scientist and Dean.  Coffee and pastries will be served.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, a surprising number of bright, capable, and often highly successful people dismiss their achievements as due to luck, charm, or other external factors. Individuals suffering from the "imposter syndrome" tend to believe they have managed to fool others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. As a result, people experiencing this syndrome live in fear of being "found out."

In this engaging presentation by Valerie Young, Ed.D. — an internationally known career coach who has spoken about the imposter syndrome to leading universities, corporations, and non-profit associations — you'll find out you're not alone in feelings of inadequacy, and you'll gain valuable strategies for overcoming those feelings.

Have you received an invitation to interview for an academic or nonacademic job?  What question do you dread most?  Do you have an important personal issue that impacts on your decision to accept a job offer, such as the "two-body problem," work visa issues, family considerations, need for a workplace accepting of your sexual orientation, religion, or other concern?  Attend this discussion led by all three of the GSAS career counselors and bring your toughest questions!  Part of the Becoming Faculty series, cosponsored by OCS and GSAS.

New to business? Want to know how your PhD skills fit in?

Business Applications is a student-organized one-day course with the goal of helping Harvard PhD students and post-docs learn how they can apply skills gained in their training to the world of business.  The course will be instructed by Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Alums and business leaders Mia A.M. de Kuijper (MPP ’83, PhD ’83) and Karen J. Hladik (PhD ’84).  Students will learn about topics including how to define a competitive advantage, how to compete in a fast-moving global economy, portfolio analytics, financial risk, and trading an equity-based portfolio.  Students will be introduced to practical business concepts and tools for use in future endeavors.

Visit our website to learn more and register.

Registration is Required
Please visit our Registration page for details on registration, which is due by 11:59PM on Thursday, January 5th. Space is limited.

Schedule
The course will run for one day only on Saturday, January 14, 2012, from 9:45AM-4:15PM.

9:45AM - 10AM: Check-in

10AM - 11:30AM: The modern way to define your competitive advantage; practical ways to build a company; how companies and people can compete in a fast-moving global economy

11:30AM - 11:45AM: Coffee Break

11:45AM - 1:15PM: The economics of our connected world; the success of Facebook, etc.

1:15PM - 2PM: Power Lunch

2PM - 3:30PM: Portfolio analytics: practical approaches to risk, quantitative analysis, and trading an equity-based portfolio

3:30PM - 3:45PM: Break

3:45PM - 4:15PM: Career Q&A

4:15PM on: Closing networking reception

Questions?
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Whether you’re on the academic job market now, or you plan to be in coming years, you will benefit from learning, first-hand, from recent PhDs who have taken the next step in their academic careers. Come and hear the job search stories and advice from recently-hired PhDs who are working in a variety of academic positions. There will be plenty of time for Q&A, so bring your questions!

Refreshments will be served at the beginning of the program. This event is geared toward GSAS in the humanities and social scientists, but all Harvard doctoral students and postdocs are invited.

Panelists:
Julie Orlemanski, Assistant Professor of English at Boston College
Christopher Phillips, Lecturer, History of Science, Harvard University

Are you looking for a nonacademic job or internship, but aren't sure how to go about it? Are you nervous about the realities of a recession economy and wondering how you can navigate it successfully? Come to this workshop and find out how to catch up fast on what you need to know to find a job outside the academy, including developing a resume, researching organizations, writing cover letters, and preparing for interviews. Space is limited.

This session will cover ways to utilize your PhD at the NIH in both bench and non-bench jobs, from staff scientist, tenure track PI, grant management, tech transfer, science policy and more. Additionally, we will discuss postdoc opportunities at the NIH, providing an understanding the emphasis on both science and career planning. Presented by Lori Conlan, PhD, Director Office for Postdoctoral Services, NIH.

This session will cover ways to utilize your PhD at the NIH in both bench and non-bench jobs, from staff scientist, tenure track PI, grant management, tech transfer, science policy and more.  Additionally, we will discuss postdoc opportunities at the NIH, providing an understanding the emphasis on both science and career planning. Presented by Lori Conlan, PhD, Director Office for Postdoctoral Services, NIH.

The best way to find the perfect job for you is to meet with and gather information from people already working in your field of interest.  This workshop will demystify the process of networking and give you practical tips on how to actually get out there and network your way into a fabulous job!

In this intensive workshop, we will use the Bok Center's Experimental Teaching Lab as a studio--a rehearsal space in which we work to develop our acting (i.e. teaching) skills through improv, vocal/physical training, and on-camera workshops.  And since the drama of the classroom also requires the teacher to play the role of director, we will think about the ways in which we craft the space of the performance (the classroom) and shape the performances of our ensemble of actors (the students).

For the first time in history, online communications have given rise to social networks that extend and perhaps redefine our relationships to one another. The emergence of these networks raises questions about an individual’s experience of creating himself or herself online. What determines the information you present—or not—about yourself? Do particular networks at Harvard pull for particular kinds of presentations? In what ways does life online promote our humanity and connection to others? And in what ways is our experience of self and relationship diminished?

These are some of the questions we hope to engage in a live session with Professor Nicholas Christakis, Co-Master of Pforzheimer House and author of Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives. In addition to welcoming the perspective of Professor Christakis, we are interested in you sharing your experience with others in the community. To kick off the conversation, we will watch some film clips from The Social Network.

Register here.

Learn more about teaching and learning, and meet other teachers! Wednesday sessions focus on the fundamentals of teaching for first time teachers, while Thursday sessions cover topics of relevance for both experienced and new teachers.  Breakfast and Lunch included.

Go to http://bokcenter.harvard.edu to register and see the
conference schedule.

The goal of this course is to introduce students and researchers from across the chemical disciplines to an array of software tools for the rendering and graphical representation of their work. We will provide hands-on experience with modern computer-aided research and its application to real-life tasks in the chemical sciences.

January 13,16-20; 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon; 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Background:
"A picture says more than a thousand words!" Today's modeling and visualization programs offer chemists a useful means to analyzing and assessing data - both from computational as well as experimental studies.

These tools are a valuable asset for conceptualizing results, facilitating understanding, conveying findings, generating appealing graphics for presentations and publications, and last but not least empowering outreach efforts. They can hence play an important role in every-day research. Their great utility applies to molecular systems as well as biological structures and the solid state. It therefore covers almost all branches of chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology, chemical physics, and materials science.
In our experience there is a barrier - in particular for non-computational chemists - to explore the vast and changing software landscape and to fully appreciate the possibilities of computer-aided work. This is not least the case since the use of visualization programs in not commonly part of the regular educational curriculum in the chemical sciences.

Our one-week workshop is comprised of interactive demonstrations and practical exercises with a number of popular software tools. The focus is on free-to-use programs which are available to every participant during and after the course. We will give a general overview as well as concrete software suggestions for particular tasks. Our aim is to provide the workshop participants with a working knowledge of molecular modeling (including some semiempirics and cheminformatics) and visualization techniques, as well as the practical experience of applying these to common issues in their work. Course participants are encouraged to bring specific example problems from their own research. We will explain what can be done with these programs, what they actually show, how this can be used, and how physical and chemical insights can be extracted. We will also highlight the traps and pitfalls, the methodological limitations, and dangers of over interpretation.

Each day of the workshop will cover a 2h interactive demonstration/seminar
(10am-noon) and 2h of supervised exercises (2pm-4pm). Participants will have to bring their own laptops. We will cap enrollment to 20 students. If the course does not fill up we will accept additional participants for individual sections. The course is primarily designed for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students in the chemical sciences, but more senior participants are equally welcome. We also encourage interdisciplinary participation; however, a solid background in fundamental chemical concepts is a prerequisite.

Tentative program:
Day 1 (Friday, 13 Jan):
a short history of computer-aided chemistry; program classes; program comparison; common setup issues; data formats and conversion
Day 2 (Monday, 16 Jan):
molecule builders; from 2D to 3D; geometry optimization via force fields and semiempirics; methodological pitfalls; rendering styles; program comparison
Day 3 (Tuesday, 17 Jan):
visualization of quantum chemistry results; vibrational modes; orbitals; electron densities; isosurfaces; IR/Raman/UV-Vis spectra plots; interpretation of results
Day 4 (Wednesday, 18 Jan):
biomolecule and macromolecule visualization; interpretation of representation conventions; docking; cheminformatics
Day 5 (Thursday, 19 Jan):
molecular dynamics results; trajectory movies and animations; simulation boxes
Day 6 (Friday, 20 Jan):
crystal and solid state visualization; XRD and crystal rendering; inputs sections for quantum chemical calculations

Students interested in exploring computation for modeling, simulation and analysis of large datasets will acquire skill with important tools including Matlab, Parallel Matlab, Mathematica, R and Python. Self-organized BOF sessions will allow users with similar interests to learn from each other. Graduate students should expect to acquire new tools for research, prepare for computation-intensive courses, and benefit from networking with accomplished users.

Instructor: Anita Wadhwa, Graduate School of Education
Faculty leader: Natasha Warikoo, Graduate School of Education

This course will prepare undergraduate and masters students for field research in the United States or abroad, and is designed for students with little or no prior qualitative research training.  Over 5 intensive days we will cover five core areas: (1) research design; (2) interviewing; (3) ethnography and archival research; (4) data analysis; and (5) ethical considerations in fieldwork.  The course will consist of a two-hour morning lecture and a two-hour practicum in the afternoon that focuses on students’ own projects and preparation for field research. There will be daily assignments and readings.  By the end of the course, students will have foundational skills in using qualitative research methods to study their particular areas of interest.

Registration opens November 21 and the course will be capped at 45 on a first come, first serve basis. Beyond that students will be put on a waiting list and will be contacted up to the night before the first class if space becomes available. REGISTER HERE.

Qualitative research projects are like gems that need polishing, and the craft of polishing them can be conducted collectively. This three-day, non-credit class is designed to help participants polish their "gems" in the making. The class is primarily designed for master and doctoral students, but is also open to advanced undergraduates. The common denominator for participants is that they be engaged in research projects reliant on qualitative data, particularly interviews, archives, and/or field observations. Each participant must be prepared to share with the class a draft analytical field memo, paper, or chapter. Like in an art studio, the goal is to provide participants with constructive feedback on their works in progress.

Over three intensive days we will read as many works as there are participants enrolled in the class. The class will consist of a two-hour introductions session followed by two four-hour sessions during which we will comment on participants' work. Participants' draft analytical field memos, paper, or chapter, will ideally be circulated a few days prior to the start of class. Pre-registration is therefore highly encouraged. To pre-register, students should send a curriculum-vitae as well as a few sentences outlining their goals for the class to Rebecca Farrell ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). Acceptance or waitlist notification (as well as registration details) will be send out by early January. Priority will be given to students at more advanced data analysis phases. Permission of the instructor is required to register.

Introduction to using EndNote to organize your references, format your papers and save lots of time. Emphasis is on working with library resources in the sciences, but the content is applicable to other disciplines as well.

Since the first powered flight by Wright Brothers back in 1903, the interest in and the importance of flying machines have grown exponentially. Although modern aircraft are a far cry from the Wright Flyer in terms of complexity, performance and sophistication, the physical laws governing their motion through air are the same. A fundamental understanding of these laws is essential for anyone interested in an aeronautics- or aviation-related field. This mini-course will serve as an introduction to aerodynamics and present the basic theory of flight. There will be optional weekend activities at local parks and/or airports to reinforce the lectures with practical exercises.

Papers 2 is a popular and powerful information manager that helps find and organize research papers. Learn how to use papers to find papers of interest to you, harvest and file PDF articles, and to organize your papers library.  We'll also investigate Papers' collaborative toolkit Livfe and the citation tool Magic Manuscripts. Mac only.

Come and learn how to read books as physical objects, more than just the words they contain.  A brief introduction to the principles and practice of analytical bibliography, significance to textual analysis, and importance to the study of the history of the book.

After a brief discussion of the history and technology of printing from moveable type, participants will set type and, using the iron handpress, print a keepsake to take with them.

Participants will learn the differences between the various techniques used historically for printing pictures--woodcut, engraving, etching, wood engraving, lithography, and half-tone--and will learn how to identify prints made by each process.

My goal for the session is to have the participants develop a better understanding of book structure as well as the materials and tools involved in bookmaking.  Each person will walk away with two beautiful pamphlets and the know-how to make as many more as they would like!

Staff will welcome students, faculty and other visitors to see our rooms devoted to Emily Dickinson, John Keats, Amy Lowell and Samuel Johnson.  Materials from the Harvard Theatre Collection will be on display and conservation staff will be available in the Edison Newman Room to talk about mounting our current exhibition: Cabinets of Curiosity and Rooms of Wonder.  Come and learn about the collections!

After a hurricane or other disaster, rapid decisions must be made about deploying resources to save lives. Modeling, simulation, data analysis and optimization algorithms are important tools. Interdisciplinary graduate student teams will compete to solve a real humanitarian problem...and win prizes! Times will be chosen by each team individually to best suit all schedules.

Learn strategies for locating numeric data for papers, dissertations, or other research purposes. Taught by a Data Librarian from the Harvard College Library, this course covers everything from quick look-up sources to micro-level datasets in the social sciences, including those found in the IQSS Dataverse Network. Undertake hands-on practice using Harvard e-resources in Economics, Government and Political Science, Sociology, and Health.

The Island is an open-ended virtual environment where students can conduct a wide variety of experiments on virtual human subjects. We have used this to allow science students in a statistics course to better understand experimental design, ethics and data collection. In this session we will give an overview of the technology behind the environment and then use it to demonstrate some key ideas in statistics, such as survival bias and issues in microarray analysis. We will also discuss current development of the Island including modeling education, employment and related social issues.

Learn to use the free reference manager and academic social networking tool Mendeley. The workshop will cover the basics and discuss the pros and cons of using this tool. Bring your questions and your fully charged laptops.

RefWorks is a citation management tool that simplifies the "busy work" of research. It can import citations directly from HOLLIS and library databases and create your bibliography in the format you choose in minutes!  Insert citations or footnotes in your text as you write.

During the intersession, Harvard librarians will offer two training sessions in the basics of RefWorks.

This workshop is open to both graduate and undergraduate students. It is for students from any concentration, as spatial thinking and analysis could be critical to the sciences, social sciences and humanities alike. No previous GIS training required.

The world around us is being simplified into bits of information. An increasingly important component of this information is spatial. Where something happened, how one observation is related to another nearby, and the implications of knowing our location and the location of many other things is making the world of information more complicated. The technology of Geographic Information Systems provides us with a means of managing the flood of spatial data, so that we can ask questions, critical to modern society, about the significance of location and distance. This workshop is meant to enable students both to use GIS technology and to think spatially, ask spatial questions, and create spatial representations (aka maps).

Students in this workshop will learn to make maps, ask and answer geographic questions, and learn sophisticated methods for using geographic information. They will be lead through practical demonstrations, complete hands-on exercises, and receive lectures on theory and practice in all areas of geographic information.

Learn how to discuss politics and current events in Russian like a pro! If you are in 3rd year Russian or higher and would like to build your proficiency in these areas, this non-credit course is for you. You will read brief selections based on participants' interest and discuss them in class. One hour lunch break included in times listed. Brief organizational meeting to be held in November.

Focusing on a natural intersect between biochemical and biomedical engineering, this not-for-credit course will allow students to explore the use of sustainable materials as biomedical materials. The interdisciplinary program, which combines lectures and laboratory activities, will operate at the intersection of biochemical science, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, and sustainable processing.

This introductory course will be a great opportunity for graduate students who are not experts in bioengineering but would like to learn more, and to be role models for the undergraduates in the class.

This course will introduce students to the practical aspects of using focused ion beam (FIB) milling in research. FIB can be thought of as a nano-drill press where the bit is a stream of ions. In very simple terms, this stream of ions can drill nanoscale holes into material. The applications are material analysis, direct patterning and many more. This will be a hands-on experience.

X-ray imaging and computed tomography (CT) techniques are employed in many disciplines to non-destructively image and measure the internal structures of objects. This workshop will provide an introduction to the basic theory and practice of X-ray imaging and CT at micrometer length scales. It will take the students from the basics of X-ray generation to the methods of using X-rays to image internal features of samples and creating 3D images. No prior knowledge of X-ray imaging is required.

A workshop offering the basics of the Zotero personal database management software. Zotero is a free FireFox plug-in that helps you collect and organize your research materials, then cite those materials in your written communications. Learn to use Zotero with HOLLIS, HOLLIS Classic, database vendors, and download PDF files for indexing in the database. Also learn how to create groups within the Zotero community. Please bring your fully charged laptop with the latest version of FireFox loaded.

During this weeklong introductory workshop in the art of bronze casting, participants will create a small relief sculptures from original model to finished bronze. Studio sessions will be complemented by lectures, discussions, and object-viewing sessions that consider bronze objects and casting from multiple perspectives. Times are not yet finalized, and will include transportation and a lunch break. Please visit the Harvard Art Museums website for more information.

Get out into the powder and catch some vertical motion with Dudley this January! Enjoy ski lessons, luxury condos, hot tub, group dinners & more. See dudley.harvard.edu/outings for more information. Sign-ups begin Tuesday, November 8th, at 9am on the 3rd floor of Dudley House. Dudley members can bring one guest.

Visit the famed Glass Flowers exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History! The tour will be lead by exhibit expert, Carol Carlson. These 847 models were created by father and son Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, nineteenth century glass artisans who perfected their family craft. Their lineage of jewelers and glassmakers trace as far back as the fifteenth century.

Start your spring semester with this playful, irreverent updating of the Jane Austen classic, Pride and Prejudice. Colin Firth reprises his turn as Mr. Darcy, Hugh Grant acts roguish, and Renée Zellweger musters a British accent. Treats and beverages will be served.

CfA's "Observatory Nights" series welcomes the public to attend, free of charge, a nontechnical lecture on astronomy. Viewing through telescopes follows the lecture (weather permitting).

The Spanish Film Series continues with 80 Egunean (For 80 days), a Basque-language film with English subtitles. This 2010 story follows the lives of two girls who fall in love in secondary school, but whose oppressive era never allows their friendship to become anything more. 50 years later, they meet again, and feelings they had repressed come bubbling to the surface.

Film Synopsis: Offering a rare glimpse into one side of the Middle East conflict, Frontiers of Dreams and Fears explores the lives of a group of Palestinian children growing up in refugee camps. The film focuses on two teenage girls, Mona and Manar. Although living in refugee camps miles apart, the girls manage to communicate and become friends with each other despite the overwhelming barriers separating them. The film reveals their lives and dreams and their growing relationship, at first through email, then culminating in their dramatic meeting at the fence that separates them at the Lebanese/Israeli border. Film Website: http://archive.itvs.org/frontiers/story.html

Discussion Facilitator: Sa'ed Atshan, Joint PhD Candidate, Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies & Graduate Student Associate, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

Middle Eastern appetizers and beverages provided by the Weatherhead Center.

Shurik, a naive student of the rites and traditions of the Caucas region of the Soviet Union, falls in love with Nina, "a Komsomol member, an athlete, an activist, and just a beauty," who is "kidnapped Caucasian style" with a bit of his help to be forced to marry a senior local official. But as soon as Shurik finds out what is actually going on, he bravely rushes to the rescue in this madcap comedy. (notes from Amazon.com)

Light refreshments served. Comments by Oleh Kotsyuba, GSAS student in Slavic Languages and Literatures.

The Real Colegio Complutense continues its regular Spanish film series through January. The first January film, La Comunidad, could be called anything from a black comedy to a horror flick. In this award-winning film by Alex de la Iglesia, a real estate agent finds 300 million pesetas hidden in a dead man's apartment, but quickly faces the wrath of his greedy, creepy neighbors.

With sixteen women to each man, the odds are against Andula in her desperate search for love-that is, until a rakish piano player visits her small factory town and temporarily eases her longings. A tender and humorous look at Andula's journey, from the first pangs of romance to its inevitable disappointments, Loves of a Blonde (Lásky jedné plavovlásky) immediately became a classic of the Czech New Wave and earned Milos Forman the first of his Academy Award® nominations. (notes from Amazon.com)

Light refreshments served.

The final installment of the January Spanish Film Series is Maria y yo (Maria and I), a Spanish-language film with English subtitles. The plot follows a father and his autistic daughter as they vacation together in the Canary Islands. This is the story of one of their journeys, but above all it's an original tale, full of humor, irony and sincerity, about how to live with a disability.

A beautiful adaptation of one of the great musical theatre creations.  Professor Higgins transforms a flower girl into a duchess through the power of language.  Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison and a wonderful supporting cast bring this delightful story to life.  Gorgeous sets and costumes, wonderful tunes.  Fun for everyone. (170 min.)

This eccentric comedy includes three sketches united by the main character, cranky Shurik, who often finds himself in the most incredible situations. He attempts to rehabilitate a bully over a grueling 15-day sentence, prepares to take a daunting exam, and tries to save a warehouse from certain burglary. (notes from Amazon.com).

Light refreshments served. Comments by Harvard College Fellow Svetlana Rukhelman.

One of the most beloved Russian comedies, this eccentric farce from celebrated director Leonid Gaidai (based on a newspaper article) concerns a criminal operation which smuggles gold and diamonds inside a plaster arm cast. Modest economist Semyon Gorbunkov and a swindler named The Count embark on a wild series of smuggling adventures, peppered with comic dialogue which spawned several popular catchphrases. (notes from Amazon.com)

Light refreshments served.

A milestone of the Czech New Wave, Milos Forman's first color film The Firemen's Ball (Horí, má panenko) is both a dazzling comedy and a provocative political satire. A hilarious saga of good intentions confounded, the story chronicles a firemen's ball where nothing goes right-from a beauty pageant whose reluctant participants embarrass the organizers to a lottery from which nearly all the prizes are pilfered. Presumed to be a commentary on the floundering Czech leadership, the film was "banned forever" in Czechoslovakia following the Russian invasion and prompted Forman's move to America. (notes from Amazon.com)

Light refreshments served.

An unforgettable New Year's Eve provides the backdrop as four friends embark on their annual get-together at a local bathing house, where too much steam and plentiful vodka result in hilarious and charming consequences. Two men pass out, another winds up in the wrong city, and the women in their lives are left scratching their heads as midnight rapidly approaches in this wintry, scenic delight! (notes from Amazon.com)

Light refreshments served. Comments by Maria Khotimsky, GSAS student in Slavic Languages and Literatures.

Inconceivable! As You Wish! My name is Inigo Montoya…yes, all the classic lines, a visit to the fire swamp, screaming eels, dastardly villains, and (sigh) Dread Pirate Roberts and Buttercup…what a great movie! (98 min.)

Winner of the Silver Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, The Road to Guantanamo, directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, uses interviews, news footage, and reenactments to tell the story of the Tipton Three, young British men of Pakistani descent who were detained for over two years without charges at Guantanamo Bay by the American military.

Shafiq (played by Riz Ahmed in the reenactments), Ruhel (Farhad Harun), Asif (Arfan Usman), and Monir (Waqar Siddiqui) traveled to Pakistan to take part in Asif's wedding to a Pakistani girl. Once in Pakistan, they hooked up with Zahid (Shahid Iqbal), Shafiq's cousin, and they all met in Karachi. There, they attended a mosque, where the imam urged worshipers to help those in need in Afghanistan, and where an inexpensive bus trip over the border was organized. Out of a sense of charity, or perhaps a naïve lust for adventure, the young men decided to travel to Afghanistan.

The American bombing campaign begins shortly after they arrive. While trying to get back over the border, they find themselves in the Taliban stronghold of Konduz, where they are captured by the Northern Alliance during the Taliban surrender. At this point, Monir is separated from the group, and they never see him again. Shafiq, Ruhel, and Asif are brought to Sheberghan prison, where they are detained under miserable conditions, until the Americans discover that they are British. At that point, their journey to Guantanamo begins. Asif Iqbal, Ruhel Ahmed, and Shafiq Rasul describe their ordeal at the hands of American and British intelligence, who were determined to get them to confess their nonexistent links to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, while the brutal scenes are reenacted onscreen. The Road to Guantanamo was shown at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

A former aristocrat Ippolit Vorobyaninov leads a miserable life in Soviet Russia. His mother-in-law reveals a secret to him - she hid family diamonds in one of the twelve chairs they once had. Vorobyaninov in cooperation with a young con artist Ostap Bender start a long search for the diamonds. (notes from IMDb.com)

Light refreshments served.

A soldier of the Red Army named Sukhov has been fighting in the Russian Civil War in Russian Asia for many years. Just as he is about to return home to his wife, Sukhov is chosen to guard and protect the harem of a guerilla leader (Abdulla). Abdulla is wanted by the Red Army and left his harem behind because the women hindered him. Sukhov's task proves to be more difficult than he imagined... (notes from IMDb.com)

Light refreshments served. Comments by Davis Center Postdoctoral Fellow Maria Belodubrovskaya, whose doctoral work was in film studies with a focus on the Soviet film industry.

Bring the whole family to Dudley House for an afternoon of magical winter fun with the House transformed into a wonderland. We will have games, food, music, storytelling, and arts & crafts among many other activities and forms of entertainment. This event is open to the entire Harvard community and is specially designed for families with children two to twelve years old.

The Dudley House Orchestra presents its January Chamber Music Concert, featuring many composers, including Mendelssohn, Strauss, and Martinu  Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Feeling stressed as you prepare for spring term? Hoping to find a way to relax after the busy holiday season? Attend this lecture by Dr. Herbert Benson, a pioneer in mind/body medicine, and one of the first Western physicians to bring spirituality and healing into medicine. In his 35+ year career, he has defined the relaxation response and continues to lead teaching and research into its efficacy in counteracting the harmful effects of stress. In this session, Dr. Benson will discuss explain how stress can be counteracted by eliciting the Relaxation Response, and lead the group through the Relaxation Response. Dr. Benson is the Director Emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute (BHI), and Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; his books have sold more than five million copies. Don't miss this opportunity to help yourself start the new year off right!

Have you always wanted to learn how to give a decent backrub? Come to this workshop and learn some basics, including how to work deeply or at length without tiring or injuring your hands. We will be working on the back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely, trim and file your nails, and refrain from wearing fragrance.

"From Dissertation to Book" will explore the possibility that the dissertation can be written in such a way as to integrate (to some extent) the discrete processes of completing the dissertation and then converting it into a book. The focus will be on familiarizing oneself with the expectations of academic publishers prior to the process of writing the dissertation. An editor from Harvard University Press will speak. This workshop will benefit all students who would like to improve their chances of getting their work published.