JUMBO Magazine - Summer 2014

THE TUFTS ADMISSIONS MAGAZINE ADMISSIONS.TUFTS.EDU

REIMAGINING SHAKESPEARE THE BARD LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE

*

FROM SEARCH TO SUBMIT

ADVICE FOR EACH STEP OF THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS

HOW TO GROW A BODY PART

TUFTS BIOLOGY PROFESSOR INVESTIGATES REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

NATIONAL CHAMPS MEET THE ATHLETES WHO TOOK HOME TROPHIES

FROM MAD MEN TO LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE TUFTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

ISSUE 9 / SUMMER 2014

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PHOTO BY KELVIN MA/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

TUFTS’

TOP 10

SUB-TITLE

SOME INTRODUCTORY TEXT GOES HERE SOME INTRODUCTORY TEXT GOES HERE SOME INTRODUCTORY TEXT GOES HERE SOME INTRODUCTORY TEXT GOES HERE

JUMBO 9

SUMMER ’14 INFOGRAPHIC | 3 LIVING | 7 CLASS HIGHLIGHT | 10 ATHLETICS | 20, 37 AROUND TOWN | 29 ARTS | 32 ADMISSIONS ADVICE | 34

FEATURES

12 REIMAGINING SHAKESPEARE TUFTS STUDENTS and faculty take

the Bard to a whole new level

22 FROM THE HILL TO HOLLYWOOD TUFTS ALUMNI and under-

graduates in entertainment

ON THE COVER ON THE COVER IMOGEN BROWDER ’16, from

Calabasas, CA, is changing the way we think about Shakespeare… and she’s not alone.

COVER PHOTOS BY KATHLEEN DOOHER (FRONT), ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS PHOTOGRAPHY (BACK)

GREETINGS

FROM THE DEAN I’M DATING MYSELF, BUT, paraphrasing Barbra

Streisand’s famous lyric, people need people.

(Ask your parents for a cultural reference.) And the people who will populate your undergraduate experience are the ingredient that makes it memorable. Professors and deans, coaches, fellow undergrads, grad students (teaching assistants), librarians, choir directors, dining staff ... some combination of these people will play a central role in your college community.

As you explore your options, ask yourself these important questions: Who will teach you, study

with you, play with you, and feed you? Do you see mentors, friends, kindred spirits in their midst? Do their interests and passions match yours? Will these people stretch your perspectives and personal boundaries or will they reinforce the person you are today? In other words, do you seek personalities who share your comfort zone or is it time to meet people who will push you into less defined places and spaces, literally and figuratively? Neither type is right or wrong; it’s all about yourr priorities and preferences.

So how do you meett this cast of campus characters? Some will appear at admissions open house programs: they will be panelists or presenters or you’ll bump into them while you’re peeking into a lab or backstage. Others will emerge via the social media that’s abundantly available to you. Like any interaction, you’ll get a good sense of their personalities from these encounters. Were they welcoming or aloof?

Did they seem happy with the place or was there an ambivalence about them? Were they

interesting, engaging, funny, provocative, conventional, boring, well-informed … ? What were your impressions of them? What are people talking about and how w are they talking about it? Does it resonate with you? Can you imagine taking a class with her or having a conversation with him? If you love politics do you see a buzz in that regard?

JUMBO offers you another opportunity to take the measure of our community, and we offer up this issue with that in mind. Do you see friends and mentors in their stories? We hope so!

Sincerely,

Lee Coffin Coffi fin Dean of Admissions

MEET THE STUDENT COMMUNICATION GROUP AS YOU FLIP THROUGH JUMBO, KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THESE SEVEN STUDENTS, WHO ALL JUST COMPLETED THEIR FIRST YEAR AS UNDERGRADUATES. CONSIDER THEM YOUR TOUR GUIDES; THEIR ARTICLES WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE TUFTS COMMUNITY, ONE PERSON, TEAM, OR CLASS AT A TIME.

ADAM KAMINSKI

CHANDLER COBLE

NICHOLAS S. DE CHIARA

ADITYA HURRY

LAUREN DAY

ABIGAIL MCFEE

ANNAHSTASIA ENUKE

Hometown Arlington, MA

Hometown Alexandria, VA

Hometown Chicago, IL

Hometown Mumbai, India

Hometown Honolulu, HI

Hometown Chadron, NE

Hometown Los Angeles, CA

Possible major Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology

Possible major Political Science, Economics, English

Trunk, the children’s theater troupe

Favorite Activity Varsity fencing and women’s rugby

THE TUFTS ADMISSIONS MAGAZINE

Possible major Computer Science, minor in EntrepreneurFavorite Class Last Year Favorite Class Last Year ial Leadership Studies Classical Mythology Music Revivals. The Favorite Class Last Year class is all about the The Business of Favorite Activity Sports, taught by Cheap Sox, the improv music of the 1960s and the evolution of the former General comedy troupe music since then.

Manager of the Boston Celtics Favorite Activity Peer Health Exchange

Possible major English or Sociology

Possible major Music, Biotechnology, Favorite Class Last Year Political Science Road Trips and the Favorite Class Last Year American Identity Startups and Technology, an Experimental Favorite Activity College course taught Tufts Mountain Club by two current seniors Favorite Activity Japanese Culture Club

Favorite Activity Spirit of Color, Tufts’ hip hop dance troupe

OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS Tufts University / Bendetson Hall 2 The Green / Medford, MA 02155 617 627.3170 / admissions.tufts.edu / jumboeditor@tufts.edu

Produced by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Design by Hecht/Horton Partners

PHOTOS BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Possible major Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Favorite Class Last Year Psychology Other Worlds, my Favorite Class Last Year English class Simple Robotics/ Introduction to Human Favorite Activity Factors Engineering Traveling Treasure Possible major Cognitive Science, English

JUMBO is one of many ways to get to know the Tufts community. Facebook,

Twitter, and our website, admissions.tufts.edu, are other valuable resources as you familiarize yourself with our campus, student body, and vibe. Here’s a glance at Tufts on the web over the last year.

JUMBO TALK

(MOST POPULAR BLOG POST FROM TUFTS STUDENTS)

INSIDE ADMISSIONS

(MOST POPULAR BLOG POST FROM ADMISSIONS OFFICERS)

My “Why Tufts?”

By Liz Dielentheis ’16

Sup?

By Lee Coffin, Dean of Admissions

The basics: location, size, and intended majors … Tufts is a lot more down-to-earth than a lot of places … All of the people from Tufts whom I’ve met are really interesting, engaging individuals … I was encouraged to be real …

Often your answers to the three questions on the writing supplement to the Common App are my favorite part of the application … They add a jolt of voice to the admissions mix of grades, test scores, and recommendations.

Visit admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/jumbo-talk to check out this post and more!

Visit admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/inside-admissions to check out this post and more!

MOST POPULAR (PAGES)

• Plan Your Visit admissions.tufts.edu/visit/ plan-your-visit/ • Essays That Matter admissions.tufts.edu/apply/ essay-questions/past-essays/ • First Year Students admissions.tufts.edu/apply/ first-year-students/

ADMISSIONS.TUFTS.EDU

INSTAGRAM (MOST LIKED)

FACEBOOK (MOST POPULAR POST)

TWITTER

(MOST POPULAR TWEET)

Overheard at the gym: 2 guys quizzing each other on differential equations side by side on treadmills. Study on boys, study on. #tufts (223 likes) (112 likes)

Tufts Admissions

@TuftsAdmissions

@TuftsAdmissions 3

INS & OUTS GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

K 0 0 $1

SNAPSHOTS FROM THE HILL

FINAL 4

APPLE NACHOS

AFTER A PERFECT NESCAC SEASON and a NESCAC championship win this year, the women’s basketball team made it all the way to the final four of the NCAA National Championship tournament. The girls hosted the first four games of the tournament at our very own Cousens Gymnasium.

As created by Tyler Lueck ’16 in Dewick MacPhie Dining Center

INGREDIENTS

Apples Sunbutter Chocolate sauce Caramel M&Ms Sprinkles

THIS YEAR WAS THE TENTH ANNUAL $100K

New Ventures Competition, an event that allows members of the Tufts community to pitch their business ideas and compete for cash, mentorship, and in-kind services to turn their idea into reality. The celebration came at an excellent time, since the entrepreneurship program is exploding on campus. Tufts Venture Fund, a university-owned venture capital firm run by students and alumni that invests in Tufts entrepreneurs around the globe, was founded last November. The Entrepreneurs Society is responding to the demand and bringing more and more speakers to campus to supplement the many courses offered by the Gordon Institute’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies program.

This year’s $100K New Ventures Competition was overflowing with Jumbos with groundbreaking business ideas.

The winning team was Benevolent Technologies for Health (BeTH), a company co-founded by Tufts alumnus Jeremy Jo ’13. BeTH has developed cheaper and more comfortable prosthetic liners for amputees.

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DIRECTIONS Cut your

apples into cored wedges and spread Sunbutter on each of them.

Arrange wedges in a circular pattern on your plate to make it look nice. From the sundae bar in Dewick, smother the plate of wedges with chocolate sauce, caramel, M&Ms, and sprinkles. This should turn what you made look nice into an absolute gooey mess. Obliterate your creation and enjoy!

EACH SPRING TUFTS CONCERT BOARD HOSTS SPRING FLING, A GIANT CONCERT ON THE PRESIDENT’S LAWN, TO CELEBRATE THE END OF THE SPRING SEMESTER. THE CONCERT IS FREE. THIS YEAR PERFORMERS INCLUDED CHILDISH GAMBINO, FLOSSTRADAMUS, AND THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS.

@MONACOANTHONY TWEETS

MATH CHAMPS

TUFTS PRESIDENT Anthony Monaco is a geneticist with an impactful role in the human genome project, a distinguished neuroscientist, a morning swimmer at Tufts’ Hamilton pool, and our favorite tweeter.

Here’s a recent gem from the ever-punny @MonacoAnthony:

THREE TUFTS SOPHOMORES—Michael Bird from Franklin Lakes NJ, Kathleen Cachel from

On flight to London to see family & alumni & have spotted a Tufts faculty member & 5 Tufts students. A true Jumbo jet!

Bolton, MA, and Charles Colley from Charlotte NC—received the Outstanding Award in this year’s Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) competition. The competition is presented by COMAP, the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications. The team submitted a 17-page paper analyzing the benefifits and performance of a “keep right to pass” rule for highway travel, and they had four days to do it. Of 6,755 international teams of undergraduate students, only 13 teams received the Outstanding Award designation.

SOMERVILLE’S CITY-WIDE CONCERT EACH YEAR IN THE MONTH OF MAY, the city of Somerville hosts PorchFest, a day when local musicians and bands are encouraged to perform out on their porches. Bands of all kinds—like the funk group Hot Sauce or the gypsy-punk band Somerville Symphony Orkestar—turn Somerville into a giant, all-day concert for anyone to attend. Pedestrians can grab a map and roam the streets, though the PorchFest experts strategize their route, because it’s impossible to see everyone. Almost 200 bands turn out for the event. All of this in a city of only about 4 square miles! ... We love our town.

GRAB YOUR PAINT BUCKET THE TUFTS CANNON is a replica of those found on the USS

Constitution, the 1797 warship docked in Boston harbor.

It sits in the middle of campus for all to see ... and for all to paint. Students cover this unconventional canvas with event announcements, club endorsements, happy birthday wishes … even marriage proposals! The cannon could have a different coat of paint as often as every day, but students don’t take the decision to paint it lightly. To partake in this tradition you must guard your masterpiece all night, or else another group could come along and cover it up! Check out more cannon artwork at: admissions.tufts.edu/life-at-tufts/ the-daily-cannon

PHOTOS BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY (CANNON & STUDENTS)

EXCOLLEGE COURSE: COMMUNICATING WITH THE GOVERNMENT EVER WONDER HOW AMERICAN presidents residents

handle the insane amount of press ess coverage they get every day? Nanda nda Chitre ’85 is teaching a class through rough the Experimental College that covers s exactly that. Chitre is a Tufts alumna who ho served as spokesperson for the Clinton and Obama Administrations. She was s Deputy Assistant to the President, Deputy uty Press Secretary to President Clinton, and has worked on the NBC series The West Wing.

The final “exam” for this class is s to create a media strategy for a president visiting a foreign country.

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Nick Nic ck Cuts Cut uts tsump um as a is, in i a wor wo d, d, inv in olv olved. e A psyycho cholog log logy og y majo majo ajorr and d ent entre n re repren en e neur e ia ial al le leade ade dersh rs ip studie stu tudies die es minor, in ino nor, Nic ick c k is t h he e cat c cher che er for o the the va varsi rsity ty bas aseba eballlll tea eba team, m a form m, form ormer err Res eside ide de ent Adv dviso i r iso (RA (RA), RA), a pers pers er ona onall trai rainer ner er att th the e Tuft Tufts ufts g ym, m an nd a memb memb ember er of of the At A hle letic ti Ad tic Advis visory vis ory C Co ommi m tte mmi ttee. e e. “[I “[ [I lo love ve wh whe when] h n]] the h th thing inggs in in my my llife ife fe cconne nnect, ct,” t he e tol told d me. me. I foun ound d outt pre pr tty qu quick i lyy tha ick thatt Cut u sy, as he he’s ’s kn kno nown w to his s ba aseb seball eball a te eam ammate t s, finds nds som some e crea e tivve ways ways to o co conn nnect nne cctt his s pa p ssi s in ion i entrepr eprene epr eneurs urship hip, fitn hi tness ess,, psyc ess s hol sy ho ogy, and service.

As a sophomore, for examplle, Nic Nickk foun fou unded a prog ogram in which RAs conductt weekl e y fitness ttnes es c sse cla ses s in in tthe he e dor dorms, ms, s, he helpi lping lp lpi ng g the their i res eside ide dents nts s stayy acti sta acti ttiive ive eve even n in in tth he mid he midst of mid mi mid-te -te term erms rm .

“I’ve “I’ ve alw l ays a be belie lieved lie ve that ved t t eve everyo y ne e has a rig right htt to a heal healthy thy lilifes festyl tyle,” e,” sa said Nic Nick. k “Itt sh shoul ouldn’ dn’tt be e a priv i ile i ge. ge.”” And Nic Nickk walks s the t wal wa alk—h al k— e k—h

wa pr was presi esiden dentt of of the the h Ballan anc nce Your Your Li LLife fe e clu club b on o n cam ampus pus, and pus nd int intern erned ed d one on su summe m r for mm mme f tthe he Ma adiison n Squ quare Bo Boys ys and a an Giirl G rls s Club, provid vid iding id ingg p in progr ograms am forr thousan hou ousan sands ds of ds of chi ch h ldr d en n in New N w Yo York rk Cit Ci y.

It’s It ’s s not su surpr s rprisi rpr ising, sing ng, th then, en, th hatt a larg a ge e part of the e re reaso aso ason on Nick Nick ck ch chose o Tu ose Tufts fts wa as the the Fri Friedm Fr e an edm School oo ol off Nu Nutri tritio tr tion, n,, the th on o lyy gra aduate t and nd professio pro sio onall schoo school oo of nutr triti i on in iti n the US US..

N Now h ’s con he on nduc ductin tingg rese rese earc a h at at the t Friedm ed dm man School Sch Sc ool,, inve investi st gat sti g ingg th the e effe effe ects c of co ogni gnitiv gnitiv tive e load loa oad on on ener energy gyy out o putt in in ex exerc ercise is . “II have have e peopl peopl op e d a wall do wall sit, sit, rel relax, a th ax, then n do ano anothe the h r wall si st while e cou counti nting ng g backwa bacckwa ards frrom a thou thou ous sand b sa san byy 17,” Nickk ex e pla aine ed. “Th he idea idea e is that thatt yo you o r brai brain n can a on onlly ly foc occus s on so so man many thin thin hings gs att the the sa th same me time— tim e— t’s e—i t s a lim l mite ite te ed capa a cit cityy model. m l. Whe W n your Wh ou brain bra in n is is foc focusi us sing on o the ma math, th, it is isn’t n’t fo focus cu ing on the fa fatig tigue, ue, al allow lo ing low ng yo you u to to exer ercis cis ise e more ore butt or not ge gett as tire tired.” d.” Hi H s re ese searcch has has imp m licati liccati a ons on ns for pe perso rsonal nal tr train ainers e , doct octors ors r , and d phy phy hysic sical sic a al th rap the a ist is s, s and Nick hopes to pub p lis lish h the the worrk whe en he’s do done. ne e When Wh n I aske asked d him m abo about utt one off hi h s fa favorit rite mem emori ories ori es at Tu Tuf ts, Tuf ts h his answ ans nsw swer sw wer e was w immed wa im i med diiat ia at ate e— e— “My M sa My salsa lsa sa dan danci nccing per e for forman mance ce las astt week as we eek ee kend,” he lau aughe ghed, ghe d, “Da “Danci ncing ng in pub public ic wa as one one of of my bigges big gestt fear ges f ars, s, so s it was a big b st bi step ep fo for orr me me—I — nevver e tho th ugh ughtt the h day wo w uld u co c m me. e.” A sa alsa s sa d cin dan ng, nut nutrit rittion ion-re -resea -re se rch sea rc ing va vars rs ty bas rsi b eba b ll player … how ow co ool is th tha ha at? t?

—ADITYA A HURR HURR U Y ’17 UR

NICK CUTSUMPAS PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR FROM WHITE PLAINS, NY

’14

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

“ I love when the things in my life connect,” said Nick Cutsumpas, a psychology major, entrepreneurial leadership studies minor, researcher at the Friedman School of Nutrition, and catcher on the varsity baseball team.

LIVING

AT HOME

ILLUSTRATION BY R. KIKUO JOHNSON

A QUICK CHEAT SHEET ON TUFTS DORM LIVING has 26 dorms. All freshmen and sophomores must live on * Tufts campus, while juniors and seniors may move off campus.

are three on-campus apartment buildings: Latin Way, Hillside * There Apartments, and Sophia Gordon Hall.

are four all-freshmen dorms on campus: Haskell Hall, Tilton * There Hall, Houston Hall, and Hill Hall.

your freshman year, you may choose to live in a special interest * After house on campus. Interested in arts, French language, Russian

There are two suite-style dorms on campus: Haskell Hall and * Wren Hall. Imagine ten of your best friends living around a shared common room.

Both Carmichael Hall and Hodgdon Hall house dining options as well * as students! Carmichael’s all-you-can-eat dining center and Hodgdon Good-to-Go are perfect for college students who want to stroll in to breakfast still in their pajamas.

culture, or LGBT topics? There’s a house for that (and more)!

Gordon Hall, the senior apartment building on campus, * Sophia received Gold certifification from LEED; it is solar powered and achieves a 30% reduction in overall energy and water use. downstairs in Hill Hall and you’ll fifind the Aerobics Center * Venture in which Tufts Student Resources hosts workout classes including Pilates, Zumba, yoga, and boot camp. These are open to all students.

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TUFTS’

TOP 10 INSTAGRAMS HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST @TUFTSADMISSIONS INSTAGRAM POSTS FROM THE PAST YEAR. JUST FOR FUN, WE ASKED SOME OF OUR TOUR GUIDES TO CAPTION THEM FOR US. WE GAVE THEM TOTAL CREATIVE LICENSE. #WHOOPS

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Class outside?

#NEWENGLAND #THATSSOCOLLEGE

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Guarding the Tufts cannon can be in-tents #PUNNY —Joey Cheung ‘16

—Hayden Lizotte ‘15

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Whoops, that was supposed to be a selfie #BOSTONSKYLINE

Our new #EXCOLLEGE class

#LIBRARYROOF

—Tyler Lueck ‘16

#TREECLIMBING101

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Tufts students reverting back to childhood #PARACHUTEFUN —Matt Braly ‘15

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#LEGOMYJUMBO —Joey Cheung ‘16

—Matt Braly ‘15

Recycling at its best

#TUFTSBEATS —Matt Braly ‘15

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How did Jumbo fit through that door? #WETPAINT —Tyler Lueck ‘16

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The ostrich sculpture gets the best seat in the house for spring fling

#TUFTS2018

#TUFTSART

—Aditya Hurry ‘17

—Matt Braly ‘15

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Let the stampede begin!

PHOTOS BY STUDENTS

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I sat down with Professor Swan to talk about the way he’s reimagining the introductory engineering classes at Tufts. These introductory courses are a required piece of the undergraduate curriculum in the School of Engineering, and students take them in the first semester of their freshman year. But Professor Swan is avoiding the characteristics of a typical “intro” course in every way possible; these classes trade tedious lectures on impossibly broad topics for focused discussions and hands-on projects.

After all, explained Professor Swan, hands-on experience is what the School of Engineering is all about. You might as well start early. “[These courses are meant] to excite students,” explained Professor Swan. “They let them know that this is what engineering is about, not just here at Tufts but in terms of a career.” To give this real world perspective, the courses incorporate three important elements: the engineering design process, ethical considerations, and leadership opportunities.

“The hope is that because all of the courses center around projects, the students know about teamwork and get opportunities to … lead project teams.” Engineering is downright cool, and your introductory courses should reflect that.

This semester there are eight introductory courses offered, including Global Product Development, Music and the Art of Engineering, Simple Robotics, and Climate Change Engineering. Each class revolves around a different project or projects. For example, in Global Product Development, students take a currently existing appliance or tool apart, and then rec-

reate it on the computer in SolidWorks. In the Music and Engineering course, students work at the intersection of electronics and music. “Ultimately your project is to create an instrument that will play a song, but it is all done digitally and electronically,” said Professor Swan.

My first semester at Tufts, I took the Simple Robotics course. It was one of the most enjoyable classes I’ve had yet—perfect for getting me excited for the four years ahead of me. Every week we got a different task to accomplish, like “make a robot that moves like an animal” or “make a robot that draws a square,” and we set off in our teams to work together to complete the project. I had never done robotics or computer programming before, so it was a step in a completely different direction for me. “I think the real key for any [engineer] is that they should take the opportunity here to truly explore another interest or to explore an interest that they may have in more depth,” said Professor Swan. “Don’t think, ‘I know I am going to be a chemical engineer so I am going to take the intro class in chemical engineering.’ We want to let you explore.” Exploration is a huge part of engineering at Tufts, and now it starts with the first day of class in your freshman year.

Have fun!

—CHANDLER COBLE ’17

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Professor Swan is rethinking what introductory classes are all about. Hands-on learning and team-based projects are built into Tufts’ curriculum from the very beginning.

CHRIS SWAN

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOR THE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

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CLASS HIGHLIGHT

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ILLUSTRATION BY ANNA + ELENA BALBUSSO

FROM THE BIG BANG TO HUMAN

KIND

IMAGINE A COURSE THAT BEGINS AT THE BEGINNING … LITERALLY. We’re taking a look at the course From the Big Bang to Humankind. Cross listed between three departments, this course explains 13.8 billion years of history from five disciplinary perspectives: astrophysics, geology, chemistry, biology, and anthropology. Each of the units is taught by a different professor, but each subject compliments and expands on the ones surrounding it. The course moves chronologically from the Big Bang and the birth of galaxies, to the formation of earth and organic molecules, to the development of complex organisms and the onset of modern humans.

Professor of Chemistry David Walt says the best part is the opportunity to hear from experts in each discipline. “[The professors of this course] do cutting edge research in these different fields,” he said.

But don’t take his word for it. Read up on the research these professors are doing below. Then imagine taking a class taught by all of them …

DANILO MARCHESINI

CHARLES LANGMUIR

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

VISITING GUEST LECTURER, PROFESSOR OF GEOCHEMISTRY

In this course, Professor Marchesini covers the very beginning: the Big Bang and the formation of galaxies. “My research in extragalactic astrophysics focuses on understanding how galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang and how they evolved,” Professor Marchesini explained. He studies galaxies about 12 billion light years away which, he said, can tell us a lot about the universe when it was very young.

“A couple years ago,” said Professor Marchesini, “I provided the first robust evidence for the existence of very massive galaxies when the universe was only 1.5 billion years old, something that current theoretical models of galaxy formation haven’t been able to predict.” He and his research group use the Hubble Space Telescope for their research.

Professor Langmuir’s section of the course covers the formation of the Earth. He asks questions like: Why did it take geologists so long to figure out the solid Earth was mobile? And how has Earth maintained a consistent climate for billions of years? His book, How to Build a Habitable Planet, is actually the textbook for this very course. Professor Langmuir has discovered hydrothermal sites in three ocean basins and co-led the first investigation of the Arctic Ocean ridge system … talk about expert!

DAVID WALT

ERIK DOPMAN

ROBINSON PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

Professor Walt discusses the evidence for how we think the earliest organic molecules formed and how the earliest life came to be. Meanwhile, in his lab, he’s investigating living organisms in exciting new ways. “My lab develops technologies for making measurements of biological fluids,” he said. “We’ve developed a technology that can count single molecules of proteins and DNA in blood. Our goals are to develop methods for detecting both breast cancer and infectious diseases at the very earliest stages.” The earlier cancer is detected, the better the prognosis, and Professor Walt’s lab is developing simple blood tests that could detect breast cancer, and other cancers, years before imaging techniques like mammography ever could.

Professor Dopman covers biological evolution over millions of years in the Big Bang course. Good thing he’s an expert on the origin of new species. “My lab [investigates] genetic changes that might contribute or be beneficial to the origin of new species,” Professor Dopman explained. He asks questions like: How do genetic mutations increase survival? And why do they promote speciation? “These are major questions in biology that still lack clear explanations,” he said.

Recently, his lab found a single genetic change in a moth that may have been responsible for both adaptation to global climate change and the genesis of two new species. This could prove to be a major discovery in biology.

LAUREN SULLIVAN LECTURER OF ANTHROPOLOGY Professor Sullivan examines life from an anthropological perspective near the end of the semester, tying social sciences and humanities into this natural science course. “My research is in the social mechanisms involved in the development and demise of complex societies,” she explained “[I investigate] the processes involved in the establishment and collapse of social hierarchies and how these are expressed in the archaeological record.” The best part? Professor Sullivan is the ceramicist for an archaeological dig in Belize focusing on the Maya, and she takes undergraduates with her every summer.

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ILLUSTRATION BY LOUISA BERTRAND

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REIMA REIMAGINING

BY ABIGAIL MCFEE ’17

YOU MIGHT EXPECT TO FIND SHAKESPEARE ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS: PRINTED ON THE SYLLABUS FOR AN ENGLISH CLASS OR STASHED ON STUDENTS’ BOOKSHELVES IN WELL-WORN OR NEVER-OPENED ANTHOLOGIES. BUT SHAKESPEARE AT TUFTS TRANSCENDS THOSE EXPECTATIONS. HERE, THE BARD APPEARS IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED PLACES.

The cast of the Tufts University Television (TUTV) webseries Jules and Monty. Back row, from left: Artoun Festekjian ’16 from Englewood NJ; Andy De Leon ’15 from San Rafael CA; Cole von Glahn ’14 from San Rafael CA; Ed Rosini ’16 from Montclair NJ; Marcus Hunter ’15 from Whitefish Bay WI. Front row, from left: Evey Reidy ’16 from Elmhurst IL; Imogen Browder ’16 from Calabasas CA; Becca Cooley ’16 from Amherst MA.

This belief guided Imogen and close friend Ed Rosini ’16 to collaborate in the creation of their own web series, Jules and Monty, a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet set on a college cam am mpus. “I think retellings s are the best way to start,” Imogen said. “I loved d the idea of people log gging onto YouTube and watching Sh hakespeare.” When she and Ed decided to write a web series in the spring of 2013, they tossed d around the idea of adapting Macbeth—too many death hs—and The Tamiing of tth he Sh hre ew— — “very misogynistic”—before landing on Romeo and Juliet. In pla l ce of th t e Capulets and the Montagues, their we w b series centers on th he co confl nfl n flict b tween Kappa Alpha Psi and Mu Tau Gamma be a—two dueling fra ate t rn nities. itt “Passions run very high in this play,” Imoge en said. “You u have figh g tiing; you have dating; you have partying. All of that is so relata table to colle ta lle ege s uden st e ts, in that we are wrapped up in the instantaneous— —what givves s the h most pleasure at the time—and these people are constantl tlly in sea e rch for wh w at’s pleasurable.”

Shak a espeare’s plays have been adapted d fo for centur u ies because of their abillity to o remain meaningful, in spite of changes to setting g and context.

Se enior Lecturer of Drama Sheriden Thomas believes that updating the cont n ext of Shakespeare’s plays is actually one way of maintaining their meaning for a modern audience. As a director, Thomas chooses her plays acco cco ording to the current political situation. “The only reason I can draw e citing ex g, consistent threads through any classic that I do is by picking the e themes that are most alive today,” she said.

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Measure for Measure, performed by Tufts’ Department of Drama Drr an nd Dance in 2013, “was taken from my experience of the electi tiio of Obama tion the second time and the frustration I had with the media,” Thoma mas said.

“So there was a ticker tape at the top of the set that not only told you what was going to happen next, but was a slanderous comment on the Duke. It was the distortion of the media, to some degree.” As a response se se to the Occupy Movement, Thomas set the play in New York City and emphasized the divide between n the Duke of Vienna—the one percent—and the peop op ple e he is intten e de ded to serve. In Thomas’s adaption of Measure for Meas assurre, the Duke k run ns away from the responsibility of his role and goes into disguise as a mo m nk. He e learns to govern by living among the masses and d acting as their equal.

Professor of Pol o itical Sci c en e ce c Vicckie Sullivan also considers Shakesp peare in th t e context of politiccs—the political life of Ancient Rome. In her courrse, Shakespeare’s Rome, Sullivan and her students explore a central question: how does the character of the regime affect the character of the individual?

“Shakespeare may be the greatest literary writer who is considering politics,” Sullivan said. “When you look at Shakespeare’s world, it covers a great deal of history.. The first eve ent n that he wrote about is probably the founding of Athe ens n in A Midsummerr Ni Night’s Dream. Then he takes you through the Troj o an Warr, throug gh Rome—which is the focus of my class—and throug ugh gh th the medi d ev eval history of Engl g and. There are political ramifi fications in his pllay a s. s” Sullivan’s cou our e exxa ours am min ines ne fou o r off Sha akespeare’s works: Julius Caesar, The Rape of Lucr c ecce, Antto on ny an and d Cl Cleopa pa atrra, a and Coriolanus. Her students also studyy Shake S ke es sp pea are e’s s cla ass sical sources, Plutarch h and Livy, from which he gai a ned hiis u un nde ders rstta and ndin ng of o lif iffe in Ancient Rome. e

PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS PFOSI PHOTOGRAPHY

Chances are you’ve never professed your love to a boyfriend or girlfriend with the poe oe etic fervor Romeo demonstrates in the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet, bu b t Imogen Browd wd der e ’16 believes that Shakespeare’s plays can be as meaningful to college students in the twenty-first fi century as they were to theater-goers in the sixteenth century.

[

BY CREATING CHARACTERS WHO DO NOT FIT INTO SIMPLE MOLDS, SHAKESPEARE MADE IT POSSIBLE TO STRETCH THE BOUNDARIES OF THESE CHARACTERS EVEN FURTHER.

“The whole basis of this course is not without controversy,” Sullivan said, “because there are a lot of scholars over centuries who have said that Shakespeare doesn’t know what it means to be a Roman, and he can’t really be evaluating the Roman Republic. What he’s thinking [about] are human beings. I think that’s right, obviously; he’s talking about something that is transcendent.” Sullivan is interested in the subfifield of politics and literature for this reason. “What literature gi g ves you,” she said, “is insight into the lives of individuals in particular political regime es, and n what the formation of the regime means for how people live.”

Sullivan believes that the overarching question off her course—how the e regime affects the individual—is still relevant toda ay. y “Right now, in the twentieth and the twenty-first fi centuries, people are very concerned about the degree to which a societyy that promotes indi d vidual freedom may be undermining our social and polililitical selves,” she said.

“What would it mean to live in a republic where we are r dedicated to the common good, and we’re not off in our own individu ual worlds?”

In their reimaginings of Shakespeare, members of the Tufts communi n ty have found ways of interacting with Shakespeare that are not onl n y po p werful, but also really fun. One of Sullivan’s favorite aspects of her class is the passionate discussions and debates that her students have about issues presented in Plutarch’s Lives—a classical text that she feared they would find boring. Similarly, by placing a four-hundredyear-old text in a modern setting, Imogen Browder discovered that she could give new life and vivac acit ac i y to the canonized character Juliet.

[

By creating characters who h do not fit into simple mold ds, Sha h kesp sp pea eare made it possib ble to stretch the boundariies of thes ese characters eve es ven fu f rther. Co-writer and producer off Jules and Monty, Ed d Rosi s ni, has firsth han nd experience reimagining a Shakesp pea e rian a cha h ra r ct c er. In n the e cla ass s Acting for Directors, a com o plement to Dir irec e tiing II, act c ors ca can an go o in ever ery Frridayy er and bring directors’ scenes to life. e Ed’s friend nd d Alllliis ison o Ben nko ’15 5 direc ecte c ed a scene in which she gende derr bend nded Ro nd R me meo o and d Ju ulilie ett by ma akkiing g bot oh characters men, and d Rosini playe ye ed Ju uliiet et. “IIt wa was s on one of the he e coolestt things I did last year a ,”” Ed admitted. “E Eve ven en tho th ho ou ugh h it wa was so s small, justt for a class. It was ju j stt such a d diiff ffer eren e t ex e pe erien rriien ence, an ence a d I lo ove ved itt.” .

When Shakespeare pen e ne ed hi his p pllay ays by can ndl dlelig i htt in sixt ig x ee e nt nth-ce c nttu ce urry London, he intended them m to be per errfo orm rme rmed ed d in fr front r of six i te een enth th-c th -cen e tury ryy audiences. But Shakespeare’s mas a te erpieces did no not re ema main confined to those stages, in that period off his i toryy. Th hey continue to transform us today.

“When I was young, I believed that theater could change people, because it changed me,” Sheriden Thomas said. “And I’m not sure it changes as many people as I’d hoped. But I said no to a third season at the [Guthrie Th Theatre] h because I was tired of impressing people, and I wanted to transform them.”

Thomas is a fan of Jules and Monty, which premiered in March. “I’m really beguiled by it,” she said. “That is my idea of having fun with Shakespeare. They’re relating to it.”

The process of creating their own web series, along with a talented cast and crew of Tufts students, was incredibly rewarding for Imogen and Ed. They hope that this transformation will carry over to their audiences, too.

“I have always been of the opinion that Juliet has a lot of agency,” Imogen said.

“Romeo wraps her up in this forbidden “I hope that it will lead to something else,” romance, and it’s exciting and new, but Imogen said, “that people will watch this if you notice in the text, she’s s constantly story and go, ‘Oh, I haven’t read Romeo second-gue ess sing it and saying, ‘No, let’s and Juliett since middle school. I want to go slow down n.’ I think there’s a lot of power back and read it.’”

Evey Reidy, who plays Jules’ friend there. She e’s s thirteen and in a male-domNancy Mills in the TUTV webseries “The plays are so beautiful and moving to inated wo orlld or d, so there’s not a lot she Jules and Monty, prepares for shooting. this day,” Ed said. “A good performance of can do in n th his play. I wanted to show any number of the tragedies will get audiin the mod od o dern context how much more contro rol sh he w wo ould o have e over the situation. So our Juliet—our Jules—she ences to cry, even if they don’t necessarily understand the words. It’s just so poetic and beautiful that actors can make people emote the things fights bac ack.” ac they don’t understand.”

In teach hiin ng he her course, Vickie Sullivan has found that women play an mes e pos o sible when Shakespeare is reimagined. His importan nt ro role le in Shakespeare by taking perspectives that often contra- This is what becom le can enter the mind n s off students in i a political science course, as dict the e think kin ing of o theirr tim t mes. “[Shakespeare] deals in a very contem- words ca e curre r nt state of poliliiti tica c l life in America. His words can porary way wit itth th the role of women in this martial republic,” Sullivan said. they discuss the er audiences au au in the Bal a ch Are ena Theater during Sheriden Thom“Coriola anus’s s mother, Volumnia, says some outrageous things. She says echo ove as’s adapt pttat ation no off Measure for Me Measure, causing them to reflect on the she has s no maternal instincts at all. What she wants is for her son to get as c ntempo ora r ry ry ram mifi fications s of ec e onomic ic cclass ss divisions. Shakespeare’s honor,, and if that means he’s killed in battle, that’s fine. Then we have co w rds can ev even v be found on the e lap a top p scree een ns off students sitting in their his wife, Virg rg gilia i , who has a private understanding that maybe there r ’s a wo m , watcching the lattes st ep pis i ode ode od de o off Jule es and Monty, wondering part of Co Coriolan nus that is not completely and utterly owned by the state.” dorm rooms if—in th t is version o —lov o e wi ov w ll be e en nou o gh h.

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HOT ITEMS

YOUR OPPO OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT TUFTS THROUGH RANDOM ITEMS FOUND ALL OVER CAMPUS. ITE

WHAT: BROOKS W B BROTHERS TIE

WHERE: MY CLOSET W

WHAT: TEDDY THE BICYCLE WHERE: WHEREVER I AM As an international student from Beijing, I never learned how to drive; our preferred method of transportation is by bike.

Whether it is struggling up the hill or a casual ride by the Charles River, my bicycle (whom I have affectionately named Teddy) takes me everywhere I go.

A the end of the year, the At Tufts Sustainability CollecT ttive sets up giant boxes in tthe dorms where people can recycle r old things they don’t want anymore. A couple w of my friends were rooting o tthrough the clothes and saved this tie for me. Score!

—Hayden Lizotte ’15

—Joey Cheung ’16

WHAT: ANTHOLOGY OF STORIES BY PROFESSOR OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT MARYANNE WOLF WHERE: MY PARENTS’ HOUSE I was chatting with Professor Wolf, and I mentioned that my mom teaches reading with a program called the Orton-Gillingham method.

She told me that she had developed a program to complement the Orton-Gillingham called Rave-O, and then gave me a book from the series to gift to my mother.

—Hayden Lizotte ’15

WHAT: MASSIVE

WHAT: “YOU ARE

WATER BOTTLE

WHAT: 1Q84, BY

BEAUTIFUL” STICKERS

WHERE: SUMMER TOUR

HARUKI MURAKAMI

WHERE: ALL OVER

GUIDES’ OFFICE

WHERE: MY BOOKSHELF

CAMPUS

When you’re a tour guide for Tufts over the summer, you need a pretty big water bottle for all those walks up the hill.

This fantasy book was written by a Japanese author who was awarded an honorary degree from Tufts at commencement this year. There is a class taught on Haruki Murakami in the Japanese program each semester.

These little gems, stuck all over campus, never fail to make me feel good, no matter what kind of day I’m having.

—Matt Braly ’15

—Aditya Hurry ’17 16

—Camille Saidnawey ’17

WHAT: BOWEN GATE WHERE: PACKARD AVE Bowen Gate is named for Tufts alumnus Eugene Bucklin Bowen of the class of 1876. Legend has it, if you kiss someone under Bowen Gate, you’re destined to marry them someday.

—Check admissions.tufts.edu/life-at-tufts/tufts-traditions for more campus traditions

PHOTOS BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY (EXCEPT TIE)

you are beautiful

RENEE’ VALLEJO

’16

CHILD DEVELOPMENT MAJOR FROM AUSTIN, TX

Renee’ Ren ee’ Va V lle llejo jo o wil wi l one one d day da ayy be a p a pre pr re r es sch sc ch chool o teache tea cher. r.. “Th “The e most most s im mpor po or ta an a nt tth hiiin h hin ng in my my life iifffe e [is [is ch ldr chi ldren] ld en],” en] ,”” she sh to told ld d me wh whe he h en we m met ett th e tthi h hiis sp prrriin pri ng ng. gg..

Te chi Tea ch ng is s her he pa assi ssion, on, an nd her er rre rea e ea ason son fo for for majori maj oring ng in chi child ld dev develo elopme elo pme m nt at at TTuf Tu uff tts u ts. s s.. A As s the ol oldes destt of des of seve seve even n chil chil hildre dre dr rre en, n, thi thi h is m a ak ake ke kes es perfec per fe t sens fec en e. “Yo ou kind in nd of o ha ave tto o lik like e kid ids ds d s whe en you’ you’ u’re re the e ol oldes de d e t of seve es seve ven,” n,” Re Renee nee e’ to old ld ld HerCam Her Campus Cam pus.co pus .com .co m in in an inte inte n rvi view ew w in n May May. “I want Ma an nt nt to take take care tak arre of ev e ery ch child I see see.” .”

If ch child ildren ild ren ar a e the the mos st impo mporta rtant ntt thi thing th ng in in Renee’’s life life ife,, LGBT LGBT accti tivism tiv ism is a clo ose e sec second ond. ond “I’ve bee een n an an acti a ti t ve v mem ember b ber of th the e LGBT GBT commun com nityy s since I was since was ab about ou twelv out twelvve, when whe hen I c e out cam outt as a gay gay a wom woman, a ” she an, sh rem rememb embere ed. d Around Aro und this this tim time, e, Re R ee’ Ren e’ wo worke rked d with th her father fat her to form form m tthe he fifirst rst GSA prog roggram at he her high gh h sch chool ool in Wa Waco, co, co o, TX X, obt b ini bta n ngg the e resou resou source rce ce es and nd making mak ing th the e connect onn nect ection tio ions ion ons nece ecessa ess ssa ssa aryy to cu cul ullttiv tiiivvat ate a tte ea safe saf e comm comm ommuni un ty. He uni Herr init ni iat iative iive e, w with ith th the e help l of adviso adv isors rs s and nd the the prin prrin ncip cipal, al,, e evvent entual ually ual l spr ly spread ead to nine nin e othe therr high the high sc schoo hools hoo ls s in tthe th he distr he strict ict,, posi ict ositiv tively tiv ely ly impact imp acting ing mo more re LGB G T yout outh h th han ha an Re Renee n ’ hers nee hers e elf can co c unt unt.

Once On cce e at Tuf Tufts, ts, Re R n nee ee’ felt elltt s sh he ha had ad tth h he e ri rright ght ggh h resour res ourrces es s an a d sup upp u ppo pp orrtt to ort to ma make ke an an evve ven lar larg arrgger ar er iim imp mp pa act ac cctt. “N Now No ow I tra o tra avel ve el ar el arou oun un nd the he city cit y of Bost cit Bos ostto on n sp ak speaki spe sp akiing g at at co colleg eg ges s, hi s, high gh h s sch hool ool ols s, m s, mid mi iid ddl dle dle sch c ool ools, s a and nd n d eleme ement nta tary ta ry sch school oo s, s edu d cat cca attiing a ng n g tth he comm com mu mu un nit ity ity t y on on LG LGB BT iiss BT ssue ss ues u e ,” , Re Ren e ee’ e’ e exxp pllaine pla ine in ed. d She e’s s in inv inv nvolv ollv o lved ed w wit i h Pa Par are are en nttts nts s, Friend rie ends s, a n nd d FFa am a mily ilyy o Les of es sbia bian ia an ns s and d Ga Gayys s ((P PFF LLAG P AG ) and nd wit wiitth the wi the he Hiispan H p ic Bla Black ck G Gay ay Co a Coa allilit ali litti tio iio on (HBG (H HBG BG GC) C) iin nB Bos Bo os o stton to o on n. n.

Thi TTh h hiis is year ear,, she she e at att a tttte end nd n de ed d the th nattio iio onal na n all C a Crrea rea eat e attin a in ngg Cha Ch C h hange ha ange ngge e co conf nfe fere ren ncce e iin n Ho Hou Hou o us stto sto ton on, TTX TX. X. X. IItt’s t’s s a lon ong o ng n g liiist stt of of com com co omm mit mi iittm tm me men e en nts tts, s,, tto be s be s su urre re, e,, e but bu b utt the u u ulti lti lti lt timat ma m ate ggoal oa oal o al of al of pr prov ov i d ovi diin din ng a sa ng afe fe an and a nd n d su s up p up upp por po orr tiv o tiivve co ti om omm mmu mm un n ni nity ity t y for or ev e ery ryyo on one ne n e iis s wo worrth rttth h tth he time tim me e.. “I “I don do on’tt tth on thi hinkk LG h LG T issu LGBT LGB iss ssu sues ne nee n e d to b e a to ttop opic op ic of of d dis di is scus cu s cu siio sio on in my my ever ve e yyda day liife ifffe e,” R Ren Re enee en ee’ e e’’ e sa sai s aiid a d.. “B “B Bu ut I am w wiillli lllilin ngg to t havve tha hat at d diis is sccu scu cuss ss siio on n eve e ev vve ery r y day day ay iff th that’ a s wha hat at it at it tta akkes ke e .”” Rene Re R Ren enee ee’ e’ m ma a akkke es e s su e to brin sur rin ng evver ve err yt yyth tth hiing ng s n sh he le ea ar a ns ns o out ou utt o u on n th t he road roa d back back k to o th th he e TTuft uff ts uft s camp amp am mpus, us u s, w wh he errre ere e s sh he invvite ites s anyo nyone n who ne wh ho ne needs ed tto ed o ha havve have e a warm arrm m a an nd friend fri end ndlyy con co ver versat sattion tto o he h er d o orrm orm rm. “IIff I don on’ on’ n’t have avve av e the h an answe sw rs, r ” she he to told tol d me, e, “we “we “w ew wo orkk to tog tog o ge eth et ther th er to to find them them, em, and nd eve evven ven cons cons onsult ult ltt gr group grou oup ou ups offff cam cam ampus pu p us s.”

The Th e more mor ore we we sp po oke ke e,, the the h morre I sa saw what saw hatt a ha won nd de der er ful f te fu each ach herr Re Ren R en nee ee’ e e’ e wi willl be, will e,, an and alre and re eady ad dy is dy is .

The h re iis s a sttro ro on ng g con co onne onne nec nectio eccttio on betw tw ween R Re ene nee ee’s ’s two pa passi ssions ssi o s.. Ea arl ar rlly educ ducati ducati a ion on n is is a abo ab b ut u cre crre eat ati ati ting ng a safe space fo for peop peo eop op ple le to oe exi ex xxiist st a as s ind i ivi in vidua dua als.

Presch hool oo te teach achers ach es d ers do on’t o n’t n ’t ju us stt te tea each ea ch num umber ber ers s and a nd n d le lette te ers, r bu butt tack t ck kle le the themes me o off o op pe enn nn nes es ess ss s and a nd incl cclu usio ion. n. In bo both h job jo obs bs, Rene ene nee’ e wi e’ willl answ swer sw er the qu uest est stion ion o “w “why” hy mo hy” ore o oftten e ttha th han most most ost ar ae use used sed to, o and sh he will il ha have v to ve o re relyy heav rel eavily ea a avvily o on n her h er pa patie tie ie en nce nc cce e an and resi es lie i nce n . But tha tthatt’s ’s s so som om meme e-thi thi h ng n she he’s ’s s wil wiiilllin w lilin ng to do do eve eve ver err y d day— ayy— — if i ttha ha at’s t’ w wh hat at it tak it akes. e es —AN — A NA AN AHST AH STA S TAS TA SIA IA EN IA ENU UK UKE KE E ’1 ’17 7

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Renee’ teaches inclusion and openness, in preschool classrooms and college campuses alike.

JENNIFER ALLEN Community health is a difficult term to define.

This is perhaps because the scope of the field is so broad; community health courses can delve into anything from environmental policy, local and international healthcare systems, biology, epidemiology, and even behavioral science. It’s a discipline with influence in virtually every facet of the human condition, and yet many incoming college students are largely unfamiliar with it.

Even Professor Allen admits that growing up, she didn’t know what community health was.

A hard-working student with a distinct passion for helping others, Professor Allen gravitated towards many of the more traditional, “pre-med” disciplines. She saw medicine as an opportunity to have a real impact on the lives of others. But she eventually struggled with what she refers to as the point-of-care.

Medicine initiates the point-of-care at the patient level, focusing on individuals. Community health, on the other hand, attempts to widen the lens and understand how a person’s community or environment might contribute to their health problems. In many instances, the real solutions to these problems are not as simple as writing a prescription or treating a cold, because, as Professor Allen explained, “opportunities for health and risks for illnesses are inequitably created by societal structures.”

Her own research is in strategic interventions to reduce health disparities, specifically in cancer prevention and control. She works with faithbased organizations like Catholic parishes to 18

test organizational-level intervention, knowing that many individuals are more likely to accept healthcare information if it’s coming from their local parish. Community health targets whole populations with its interventions and has the ability to shift the health trajectory of entire communities.

Professor Allen raves about Tufts students, and is particularly impressed with their commitment to public service. “[Tufts students] are interested in citizen engagement,” she said.

“They want to get the skills, knowledge, and resources to make changes in the world.” And changing the world doesn’t have to wait until you graduate; every community health class at Tufts has a focus on action and civic engagement.

Jasmine Bland ’15 calls Women in Health her favorite class for this very reason. “We’re focusing on disparities in health access, outcomes, and careers between men and women as well as disparities in [certain] subgroups of women,” she explained. “My favorite part of class is when we all say, ‘we’ve recognized a problem for these groups. Now, what policies are we going to put into place to actually address the issue?’”

Translating their knowledge into action is something community health students are regularly asked to do in their coursework. Professor Allen is excited about the academic and service opportunities she has been able to offer, but most of all, she believes the community health internship program is what makes her department a real treasure.

As part of their experience in community health at Tufts, students are expected to complete an internship during their time on campus (well, off-campus really). The university has cultivated relationships with over 200 local and regional organizations. “If you’re interested in something,” said Professor Allen, “we will help create an opportunity for you.” In recent years, students have spent time doing policy work at the state’s Office of Health and Human Services, conducting research in Boston’s booming biotechnology industry, or organizing community gardening and tackling childhood obesity in the city of Somerville.

These organizations have expressed overwhelming support for Tufts students, and often these internships can lead to job offers.

Professor Allen explained that this is not uncommon, especially because the country faces a growing shortage of public health professionals in the coming years. She is determined to prepare students for what awaits. Class projects and assignments emphasize the numerous social determinants of health, and virtually every course reinforces a common theme of social justice. Professor Allen believes there is something for everyone in the community health program; students just have to know where to look. Her bottom line: “When students want to do something, I want to make that happen.”

—JEFF BOYD

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND COMMUNITY MEDICINE AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY HEALTH

Professor Jennifer Allen, the new director of the Community Health Program, explains why one of the university’s oldest multidisciplinary programs is poised to become one of its most popular undergraduate majors.

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ATHLETICS

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD WHETHER YOU’RE RACING UP THE CAMPUS’ HILLS for cross country practice or joining the

largest collegiate marathon program in the US; preparing for the NCAA national championship or going for a casual jog through the beautiful Middlesex Fells Reservation, it’s good to be a runner at Tufts.

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PHOTOS BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY; TOP PHOTO PG 20 BY PETER RUFO

The outdoor track & field season capped off an excellent year for Jumbo varsity runners. The men’s team, defending last year’s title, won the 2014 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship. The women placed second at their NESCAC meet, and senior Jana Hieber went on to become the NCAA national champion in the 400 meter hurdles (for more info on Jana and to meet other national champions from Tufts, see page 37). This marked Jana’s 12th All-American title. Three men also earned All-American honors at the NCAA National Championship.

Go Jumbos!

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE NESCAC SUPERSTARS. BELOW ARE ALL OF TUFTS’ FIRST-PLACE FINISHERS. MITCHELL BLACK ’16 800 Meter Run, 1:50.84 JAMIE NORTON ’14 1500 Meter Run, 3:54.33 BRIAN WILLIAMSON ’15 Shot Put, 16.16m ATTICUS SWETT ’14 Javelin Throw, 53.62m AUDREY GOULD ’16 5000 Meter Run, 17:30.26 JANA HIEBER ’14 100 Meter Hurdles, 14.74 JANA HIEBER ’14 400 Meter Hurdles, 1:02.70 CHRISTINA HARVEY ’15, ANYA KAUFMANN ’14, BIANCA RESCALVO ’17, AND ALEXIS HARRISON ’16 4x100 Meter Relay, 48.06 (a new NESCAC meet record)

ALL-AMERICAN HONORS ARE AWARDED TO THOSE WITH FINISHES IN THE TOP EIGHT AT THE NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MEET. HERE ARE THE JUMBO ALL-AMERICANS FROM THIS OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD SEASON. JANA HIEBER ’14 First Place, 400 Meter Hurdles, 58.63 MITCHELL BLACK ’16 Second Place, 800 Meter Run, 1:51.30 JAMIE NORTON ’14 Fifth Place, 1500 Meter Run, 3:49.53 BEN WALLIS ’14 Seventh place, 3000 Meter Steeplechase, 9:06.07

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ILLUSTRATION BY CHI BIRMINGHAM

FROM THE HILL TO HOLLYWOOD: TUFTS IN ENTERTAINMENT

BY ADAM KAMINSKI ’17

he art director of Mad Men; the producer of Little Miss Sunshine; the voice of Moe Szyslak on The Simpsons; the co-executive producer of The Good Wife; the Vice President of the production company behind Breaking Ba ad. Each June, members of the Tufts community get toge g ther to honor leaders in entertainment like these ge who have one important thing in common: their alma mater. The P.T. Barnum Awards for Excellence in Enma tertta aiinment celebrate Tufts’ jumbo presence in the enterttainment industry. Past winners include actors Hank Aza za aria ’87 and Peter Gallagher ’77, journalist and talk sho how host Meredith Vieira ’75, the producer ho of The Late Sho h w with David Letterman Rob Burnett ’84, and creatto orr of the Xbox Seamus Blackley ’90, among many, many ny others. This year, the award went ny to David Costabile ’89 8 , an actor best known for his role in Lincoln; Sir Miich chael Dobbs ’72, the writer of House of Cards, an nd playw wright Robert O’Hara ’92. wr Tufts’ presence in enterta tain ta i ment goes back a long way … our mascot was origina na allly a circus elephant,

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after all. Today, much of the entertainment buzz on campus centers around the drama major and the minors in dance, communications and media studies (CMS), film studies, and multimedia arts. These minors will likely be joined by a major involving communication, media, and film in the near future. About 85 students graduate with a CMS minor each year. In honor of these popular and expanding programs, it’s high time we celebrated Jumbos in the entertainment industry—both students on campus and alumni in the field—and their careers from the Hill to Hollywood.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with several Jumbos in the entertainment industry, each owning a distinct career path and a unique Tufts experience. The most salient common denominator, after their hectically busy schedules, may have been their fervent love of and appreciation for their alma mater.

“You can really create your own path at Tufts,” said Albert Berger ’79, a creative producer with titles such as Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Nebraska (2013) to his name. “If you want to write fifilm reviews 23

Top: Andrea Meigs ’90 Talent Agent Bottom: Albert Berger ’79 Film Producer Bona Fide Productions

for [the student newsmagazine] The Observer, you can. If you want to start a film society, you can. There’s room for that—for anything.” While at Tufts, Berger found his niche, complete with his own film series and Experimental College film classes. This ultimately turned him on to the art and process of filmmaking.

Collaboration and creativity are staples of the Tufts environment, when Berger was an undergraduate and also today. Just ask Cooper McKim, a sophomore from New Jersey double majoring in environmental studies and American studies and minoring in music.

Like Berger, Cooper has created his own project, the Tufts Podcast Network, feeding his obsession with music, sound, and connection to others. The podcast, according to Cooper, “gives students a platform to hone their passion into an interesting and accessible sound project,” whatever that may entail. From humor news to human rights podcasts, it’s a powerful alternative to visual storytelling, and an excellent example of the opportunity Berger was referring to. “There’s always room at Tufts for anyone to get involved with the stuff they really care about,” Berger said.

comes from the work itself. “The films and how you feel about them,” he said, “are the only things that matter at the end of the day.” It is this attitude that makes him the thorough, passionate, and awardwinning fifilm producer he is.

Berger explained that the process “starts with a feeling that something would be a valuable story to tell.” Then chaos ensues, or at least what sounded a lot like chaos to me; “On some projects I’m developing or working with the screenwriter, on other projects I’m casting, in post-production, or in the editing room ... and these things may be happening all at the same time.”

If anyone knows how to juggle tasks and assignments, it very well may be the typical college student. Maya Navon, a junior majoring in International Literary and Visual Studies (ILVS) and minoring in CMS, knows this feeling exactly. When she’s not in classes like Media Literacy, Intermediate Journalism, and Producing Films for Social Change, she can probably be found producing the news for Tufts University Television (TUTV), or interning for the

THE WEB OF ALUMNI CONNECTIONS IS A TOOL ANY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

Top: Lisa Lax ’86 Television and Film Producer, Lookalike Productions Bottom: Nancy Stern ’86 Television and Film Producer, Lookalike Productions

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Andrea Meigs ’90, a talent agent known for working alongside Beyoncé Knowles, Christina Applegate, and Halle Berry, among others, cites her Tufts experience as both a solid liberal arts foundation and a personal guide. While telling me about her undergraduate decision between two distinct professional fields—law and entertainment—she recalled one especially pivotal moment: “One day my English professor asked me to stay after class. She said, ‘Andrea, I don’t see you going to law school. I’m looking at your writing … and it’s so imaginative. I see you as a much more creative person.’ She inspired me to explore that side of myself. It’s what crystallized entertainment for me.”

Since her days as an undergraduate student, Meigs has made a name for herself representing major talent in the music, television and film industries, and has received many honors for her outstanding work. But there is one recognition she holds particularly dear: the P. T. Barnum Award for Excellence in Entertainment. “To bring [the experience] full circle,” she said, “and to be recognized by people I admire and represent, was simply awesome.”

Albert Berger has been presented with the P PT. Barnum award as well, along with Spirit Awards and an Academy Award nomination for best picture (Nebraska). But when I asked Berger about these achievements, he was very clear that the real reward

series Frontline through PBS in Boston. There, supervised by a Tufts alumnus, she worked in media research and communications.

The web of alumni connections is a tool any undergraduate student, like Maya, can take advantage of. Both Albert Berger and Andrea Meigs provide “winternships,” week long internships in January that students apply for through the CMS program. Current Tufts students, through Berger’s winternship and mentorship, have been provided with the opportunities to witness the creative process in action. Winterns read scripts, give synopses, write comments, make lists of who they think what would be good writers or directors, and learn about Berger’s current projects.

“If we’re editing something or in production of something they’ll experience that, too,” he continued. Many winterns come back to work in the summer and, when their undergraduate years are over, end up moving to L.A. Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern ’86, twin sisters and Tufts alumnae, also offer a winternship at their production company, Lookalike Productions. They have worked with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Muhammad Ali, and, most recently, George H. W. Bush on a documentary to come out this June. They have 16 Emmy Awards to their names.

Lax and Stern explained to me that storytelling became an integral part of what they learned at

Tufts. While working on the documentary Emmanuel’s Gift, their first project as Lookalike Productions, they utilized these skills to make a powerful impact in Ghanaian politics. Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, and anyone else born with a disability in Ghana, were typically left to die or hidden away, until this film influenced the passing of the disability bill in parliament. “We’ve helped change a law that helps over two million people in another country,” Lax said. “The power of telling a story well can really create change.”

Storytelling may be the most important thing Lax and Stern teach their winterns, but it’s certainly not the only thing. “We try to show [our winterns] all facets of how a film gets made,” said Stern. “And we’re still in touch with many of them today … Once a Jumbo, always a Jumbo!”

The broad range of available internships through the CMS program aren’t exclusive to people interested in moving to L.A. Cooper’s winternship experience was at a National Public Radio member-station in Connecticut. There, he was supervised by Senior News Reporter and Tufts graduate school alumnus Craig LeMoult, who works on features for Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Amy Strauss, a senior who plans to do a City Year next year, recently interned at Walden Media, a children’s film publishing company best known for producing the series The

Chronicles of Narnia. There, Amy was given scripts and asked to comment on and rate them, keeping in mind not only plot, dialogue, and character development, but also the educational value of each fifilm.

Amy completed the internship over the course of her fall semester and received course credit. She explained to me that Walden Media is a place where Tufts connections are strong. This may be because the founders, Cary Granat and Michael Flaherty ’90, were roommates during their junior year on the Hill, and their Jumbo pride remains strong to this day. “I loved [that] at Tufts, you learn to become a critical thinker and find out what really excites and engages you,” Flaherty told Patrice Taddonio ’06 in a Tufts. edu article. “It had that Thoreau vibe of marching to the beat of a different drummer.” This is most likely why Walden Media (named lovingly after this Thoreau vibe found on the Tufts campus) takes hosts of Tufts interns every year.

Turns out, places with strong Tufts connections are not hard to come by. “There are people from all fields of entertainment … that went to Tufts,” Albert Berger said toward the close of our conversation. So it’s a good time to be a Tufts student interested in media. For potential film producers, talk show hosts, and podcast gurus alike, the first steps of your jumbo careers are right here.

P.T. BARNUM AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT This year marked the 10th anniversary of the PT. P Barnum Awards for Excellence in Entertainment. Take a look at some of the past winners of this award, which celebrates impactful Tufts alumni in the field of entertainment.

Meredith Vieira ’75 journalist and talk show host Hank Azaria ’87 actor, director, comedian Christopher Brown ’91 Art Director for Mad Men Courtenay Valenti ’85 Executive VP Warner Brothers Pictures Rob Burnett ’84 Executive Producer of The Late Show with David Letterman Seamus Blackley ’90 creator of the Xbox and talent agent Peter Gallagher ’77 actor David Costabile ’89 actor Sharon Hall ’86 executive VP of Sony Entertainment Sir Michael Dobbs Writer of House of Cards Robert O’Hara ’92 playwright

ILLUSTRATION BY CHI BIRMINGHAM

Todd Kessler ’80 co-executive producer of The Good Wife

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VOXJUMBO EVAN MOULSON ’14 ALBUQUERQUE, NM

Evan offers his responses to the Tufts supplemental essay questions.

The goal of every college essay is to convey an applicant’s voice.

And that’s exactly what Evan did.

Next time on VOX Jumbo, meet the political science major and sorority sister from the class of 2009 who now runs a non-profit in Ghana while acting as Principal at a school in Baton Rouge.

INTRODUCING THE TUFTS COMMUNITY THROUGH THE TUFTS SUPPLEMENT …

ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

Which aspects of Tufts’ curriculum or undergraduate experience prompt your application? In short: “Why Tufts?” (50–100 words) Particle physics. Economics. International Relations. Psychology. When I applied to Tufts, I had absolutely no idea what my major would be. Four years later, I still wonder what it would be like to be a physicist, or a diplomat, or a psychologist. However, I know that one part of my experience would never change in all of these alternate universes: the feeling of community that Tufts binds into all of its majors. Particle physicist?

How can I create new technologies that make things cheaper and more efficient?

Economist? How can I design better public transportation policy? Diplomat? How can I improve the lives of people both at home and abroad? Psychologist? How can I work with individuals to make their lives better? Tufts is focused on its community, and that’s why I chose to be a Jumbo.

There is a Quaker saying: “Let your life speak.” Describe the environment in which you were raised—your family, home, neighborhood or community—and how it influenced the person you are today.

(200–250 words) When I was about 5 years old, my mom and my baby brother decided to take a nap. We were the only ones in the house, so instead of a babysitter, my mom sat me in front of the TV to watch NOVA. Two fascinating hours later, I crept up to my mom’s bedside and began explaining the importance of Lucy and Olduvai Gorge. This was pretty normal in my house. From a very early age, I could hum the All Things Considered theme song from memory. I drank down the news like other kids drank down chocolate milk (although I had my fair share of that, too). My parents encouraged curiosity wherever it showed its ugly mug and while it’s occasionally gotten me into trouble, not being a cat I can confidently say that it is not fatal. In fact, the curiosity that my family cultivated within me from a young age has allowed me to learn and be fascinated by everything the world has to offer. I think it’s time for a change in idioms: down with “curiosity killed the cat” and up with “curiosity: because there’s always more to learn.”

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Of six options, Evan chose to answer the following question for the final piece of his Tufts supplemental application: D) Celebrate your nerdy side You shouldn’t watch The Princess Bride with me. Or Star Wars. Or Firefly. Or In Bruges.

I know almost every line in each of them and I’m not afraid to mutter along as we watch. I can expound on the differences between a Victory-class Star Destroyer and an Imperial-class Star Destroyer (Imperial = more power to kill you with), tell you why Han Solo said he could make the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs (he flew dangerously close to a cluster of black holes and bent spacetime) or speak to you in an Irish accent about the relative benefits of Bruges as a hiding spot for hitmen.

“Nerdy” stories are my thing, my raison d’être, my jam and my peanut butter. Being a “nerd” is just who I am—it’s nothing special. It’s ingrained in my conscious, my subconscious, and my supraconscious, and that’s just the way I like it.

Now, I think we need to have a talk about this word “nerd.” You keep using that word.

I do not think it means what you think it means. *Want to see the other options for the third question of our supplemental application?

Visit admissions.tufts.edu/apply/essay-questions 27

A DAY (OR TWO) IN THE LIFE OF A JUMBO ARMY CADET *You can find James’ full weekly schedule on our website, admissions.tufts.edu

JAMES KIEFNER, from Concord, NH, may look like a typical Tufts senior. But it’s not uncommon for James to spend a Saturday in the woods practicing long-range navigation, or choreographing platoon attacks with paintball guns. James is one of about twenty Tufts students in the ROTC program, and this is a typical weekend Field Training Exercise for his battalion. James joins students from seven local colleges and universities who train through the Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC programs run through MIT. As an Army ROTC Cadet, parts of James’ schedule may look foreign to other Tufts undergraduates. But he also manages to make time for fencing practice, fraternity chapter meetings, and yes, drawn out dinners with friends. To prove it to us, James gave us a peek at his typical weekly schedule.

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TUESDAY 0530: Wake up, put on ACUs (Army Combat Uniform) 0630: Battalion staff meeting at MIT. 0800: Military History Class. A survey of the American military and all the tactical, strategic, political, and social effects it has had in every major world conflict since 1760.

1030: Back to Tufts. Work out, breakfast, shower, change.

1200: Lunch 1300: Chinese class.

1500: Campus Community Emergency Response Training. We train in first aid, search and rescue, disaster psychology, and firefighting to serve as a community first response team in case of a natural or manmade disaster in Medford/Somerville.

1630: ROTC Leadership Lab. A practical application of Soldier skills, leadership, or skills we learn in Military Science class (Wednesdays 1300).

Topics include Combat First Aid, Intro to Squad Attacks, Weapons Assembly/ Maintenance, and Water Survival.

1900: Fencing team dinner 2030: Fencing practice, Jackson Gym. Footwork, blade drills, bouting.

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

MONDAY 0530: Wake up, put on PTs (Army Physical Training uniform) 0625: First formation at Tufts’ Cousens Gym 0630: Physical Training. Run hills, lift, row, CrossFit, etc.

0730: Eat breakfast, shower, and change into civilian clothes.

1030: History Class: Antebellum and Civil War America. An exploration of every facet of American society from 1814-1877.

We address how the 19th century shaped America socially, politically, militarily, and spiritually.

1200: Lunch 1330: Psychology Class: Conflict Resolution & Negotiation. How to negotiate, manage conflicts, and understand human interaction. The class uses practical exercises to get inside each other’s heads and approaches topics through the lens of business, history, personal relationships, and more.

1630: Chinese Class: Composition and Conversation. Advanced-Intermediate Chinese language, covering topics in Chinese society and culture as well.

1730: Dinner 1900: Theta Chi fraternity chapter meeting

AROUND TOWN

SUMMER FUN Tufts sits five miles outside of the city of Boston. A ten minute walk away from the T (Boston’s subway), the campus location is the perfect middle ground: far enough from the city for that beautiful New England campus feel, but close enough for students to take advantage of all that one of America’s oldest cities has to offer. With that in mind, here’s a look at some events over the last couple months in our wonderful city. Bostonians celebrate warm weather in style …

JUNE 3–5

JUNE 26

JUNE 26–JULY 20

JUNE 30

Scooperbowl at City Hall Plaza. Ice cream. Lots of it. Enough said.

Billy Joel at Fenway Park.

The Phantom of the Opera at the Boston Opera House.

Lady Gaga at the TD Garden.

JULY 1

JULY 2

JULY 2–7

JULY 4

Jay-Z and Beyonce at Gillette Stadium.

Bruno Mars and Aloe Blacc at the TD Garden.

Boston HarborFest with the Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships.

Fourth of July celebration at the Hatch Shell. Fireworks and the Boston Pops … the best of combos.

JULY 18

JULY 18–20

JULY 19

JUNE 23–AUG 10

ArtBeat in Davis Square. ArtBeat, one of the area’s largest arts festivals, is hosted just a ten minute walk from the Tufts campus in Davis Square.

Sand Sculpting Festival at Revere Beach. Each master sculptor for this annual contest gets 12 tons of sand to work with to create masterpieces for about 500,000 spectators.

Justin Timberlake at TD Garden.

Free Shakespeare on the Common, the outdoor Shakespeare performance in the middle of downtown. Shakespeare on the Common has been a Boston tradition since 1996. This year’s performance is Twelfth Night.

JULY 26–27

JULY 27

JULY 31–AUG 3

AUG 1–3

Summer Arts Weekend in Copley Square. Free concerts, theater performances, and art exhibits.

Boston Seafood Festival at Boston’s Fish Pier. This is the Seafood Festival’s 100th anniversary.

100th anniversary of the St. Agrippina di Mineo Feast and Procession in the North End, one of many summer festivals in Boston’s Italian neighborhood.

Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees at Fenway Park.

FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH

EVERY MON–THUR EVENING

EVERY SUNDAY

EVERY FRIDAY EVENING

The Institute of Contemporary Art hosts events on the first Friday of each month. In June, the evening included artist-designed mini golf.

Count us in.

Free fitness classes at the Hatch Shell. These fitness classes, ranging from Zumba to Tai Chi to yoga, are hosted by the Esplanade Association.

SoWa Market and Food Truck Court in the South End.

Free flicks at the Hatch Shell.

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MIDI AND THE ART OF ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECTS

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Ask a performing musician and they’ll tell you—delay between the instruments in a band during a set can totally break a performance.

Now scale that up a bit—imagine Elton John playing “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” completely out of time with the band behind him.

Seniors Shayne Hubbard, Brian McLaughlin, and Josh Rapp, working on their engineering senior design project, have decided to make sure that never happens.

“We’re trying to develop a way to make the sensing and transmission of the notes from a piano as efficient and accurate as possible,” Shayne explained. “Using MIDI, which is a musical protocol that allows musical instruments to communicate with computers, we’re trying to design a piece of equipment which we can install in a piano, that doesn’t change the way it’s played, and that records what keys the pianist is hitting, how they’re hitting it, and transmitting that as accurately and efficiently as possible to the processors that sync it with the other instruments.”

Shayne’s group’s project, which is being sponsored by Steinway, is a great example of

how engineering students at Tufts use their theoretical knowledge to make tangible products through the Senior Design Project that all engineers do in their final year.

“We’re a team of electrical engineers that all play instruments,” said Shayne. “It seemed like a logical project to take up. But because we’re not MIDI experts, we also collaborate with [Lecturer of Music] Paul Lehrman.” Lehrman, who directs the Tufts Electronic Music Ensemble and teaches courses like Computer Tools for Musicians, recorded the first ever all-MIDI album and was the principal author of the book MIDI For the Professional. “He’s basically known as the godfather of MIDI,” said Shayne.

Other senior design projects that Tufts students have done in the past include drones that can detect structural cracks in bridge structures, carbon fiber ukuleles, and a robotic Hungry Hippo that can detect and remove foreign object debris on airport runways.

As these seniors reshape the future of music, I look forward to all the concerts their technology could influence.

—ADITYA HURRY ’17

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Meet senior electrical engineering majors Shayne Hubbard from Honolulu, HI, Brian McLaughlin from Barrington, RI, and Joshua Rapp from Sharon, MA. They share a love of music and electrical circuits. And so their senior design project was born …

Brian McLaughlin ’14 from Barrington, RI

Joshua Rapp ’14 from Sharon, MA

Shayne Hubbard ’14 from Honolulu, HI

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ARTS HIGHLIGHT

RENT COMES TO TUFTS PROFESSOR OF DRAMA BARBARA GROSSMAN teaches courses in American popular entertainment, musical theatre, the Holocaust on stage and screen, and voice. She also directs departmental productions. This year she directed the drama department’s production of Rent, a spectacular and moving performance held in Balch Arena Theater, the theater in the round on campus. The undergraduate cast included three freshmen and six sophomores, proving there are performance opportunities for students as soon as they begin their Tufts journey.

A motley crew of sorts, the actors in Rent included a drama major from Paris and a biopsychology major from California; an international relations major from Nevada and a computer science major from Maine. The group completed seven phenomenal, completely sold-out performances of which Professor Grossman was extremely proud. In an essay she wrote for the show’s program, Professor Grossman describes the inspiration behind the original production of Rent, the life and trials of the show’s writer and composer, Jonathan Larson, and one Tufts alumnus’s important role in the show’s original success. Enjoy an abridged version of Barbara Grossman’s essay, One Show Glory, below.

ONE SHOW GLORY: THE STORY OF RENT as told by Barbara Wallace Grossman

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here is much that is autobiographical in Rent, much that reflects composer and writer Jonathan Larson’s struggle to achieve his dream. Passionate about theatre since childhood, Larson won an acting scholarship to Adelphi University, where he discovered his talents as a composer and lyricist. After graduating in 1982, he moved to a gritty area of lower Manhattan and began working as a waiter at the Moondance Diner, earning barely enough to live on as he resolved to change the course of American musical theatre.

At that time, mammoth “megamusicals” dominated Broadway and left little room for idiosyncratic voices and new visions. Larson intended to create a “Hair for the nineties,” a different 32

kind of musical for a generation raised on rock ‘n’ roll and MTV. He wanted to reclaim Broadway from stagnation, yet also hoped to be part of a musical theatre tradition he both respected and sought to reinvent.

Larson’s early efforts, however, went nowhere.

The George Orwell estate blocked his musical adaptation of 1984. His next project, Superbia, which satirized a media-controlled, conformist culture, fizzled in spite of the five years Larson dedicated to it. His confidence shaken, he must have considered abandoning his dream and taking a more lucrative job than waiting tables, much like Mark in Rent.

Larson began working on Rent in 1989 when playwright Billy Aronson asked him to

collaborate on a modern re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème. It would be set in the East Village and would deal with the plight of today’s starving artists. Rodolfo, the poet, became Roger, a recovering heroin addict and the former lead singer of a rock band. Marcello, the painter, became Mark, a documentary filmmaker, with Mimi the seamstress now Mimi Marquez, a heroin-addicted S&M dancer. The heterosexual relationships of the opera broadened to include gay and lesbian couples; the 19th-century scourge, tuberculosis, morphed into its frightening contemporary analog, AIDS. Aronson withdrew from the project but Larson persevered, determined to use his bold new musical to explore such pressing social issues

PHOTO BY STRATTON MCCRADY

as the challenge of living with AIDS. With a number of his friends ill and dying, he wrote with a sense of urgency about the impact of the epidemic. He wanted to show that people with the disease could make the most of the time they had left, living more fully than jaded members of the “mainstream.”

In 1995, Larson finally quit his job at the diner, elated that a small Off-Broadway theatre, under the aegis of Artistic Director and Tufts alumnus, Jim Nicola ’72, had agreed to produce his new rock opera. Throughout the rehearsal process, Larson, Nicola, and director Michael Greif intently shaped what Larson sensed would be his breakthrough work.

Indeed it was, but Larson would not live to see its success. After the final dress rehearsal on January 24, 1996, he went home to his Greenwich Village apartment, collapsed, and died of an aortic aneurysm (not AIDS as many assumed). He was just 35.

Rent opened in February to standing ovations and ecstatic reviews. Following a sold-out run at the New York Theatre Workshop, it moved to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre where it became a cultural phenomenon. Larson and Rent garnered many honors including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical. When the production closed on September 7, 2008, Rent was the ninth-longestrunning show in Broadway history.

Back Row, from left: Marcus Hunter ’15 from Whitefish Bay, WI; Becca Cooley ’16 from Amherst, MA; Bradley Balandis ’14 from Fairport, NY; Lukas Papenfusscline ’15 from Paris, France; Dan Pickar ’15 from Cranston, RI; Sheena Brevig ’14 from San Anselmo, CA; Yangming Kou ’16 from Beijing, China; Cyrus Veyssi ’17 from Brookline, MA; Tyler Beardsley ’16 from Surry, ME Front Row, from left: Nora Gair ’17 from Lancaster, NH; Max Greenhouse ’16 from Marietta, GA; Lucy Kania ’17 from Lincoln, MA; Claire Eaton ’16 from Fairport, NY; Grace Whittom ’16 from Lafayette, CA; Makeba Rutahindurwa ’14 from Las Vegas, NV

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ADVICE

ADMISSIONS 101 APPLYING TO COLLEGE CAN FEEL LIKE A LONG, COMPLICATED PROCESS. TO UNCOMPLICATE IT A BIT, THE TUFTS ADMISSIONS TEAM BROKE IT DOWN INTO A SERIES OF MANAGEABLE STEPS. READ ON TO HEAR OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVICE FOR EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.

FOCUS ON SCHOOL one of the most important parts of your application, and that includes the fall of your senior year.

In choosing your class schedules, you should aim to have five rigorous courses, every year, from the five core academic areas: English, Social Studies, Science, Math, Foreign Language.

COMPLETE YOUR LIST

DO YOUR RESEARCH

TALK TO FAMILY

Visit campus if you can. Sign up for an information session and tour, but also go a little rogue: talk to students, eat in the dining hall and eavesdrop, go to a game or performance.

This will give you the most authentic look into a school.

The way you feel about certain colleges—your idea of “fit”—is a personal decision. Speak up and make sure you are happy in this process. But things like family finances, fi distance from home, etc. may require a family discussion, so have that conversation early.

Also get to know schools from their websites.

Read Tufts blogs at admissions.tufts.edu/ blogs or take a virtual tour at admissions. tufts.edu/virtual-tour

Listen to everyone’s opinions, and be honest about yours—this is a time in your life when it’s important to speak up about what you need and want.

INTERVIEW

PREPARE FINANCIAL AID MATERIALS

EDIT AND ASK FOR FEEDBACK

Part of the Tufts application is an optional (yes, optional) alumni interview. Applicants will be able to request an alumni interview beginning in the fall. Visit admissions.tufts.edu/ apply/alumni-interview for more information.

Along with your family, familiarize yourself with the forms required and the policies of each of the schools to which you’re applying.

Tufts will meet 100% of demonstrated need for all of our students, for all four years.

Does each essay you’re submitting reveal a different part of you? Have you accurately conveyed your passions, your curiosities, your inflfluences? Is everything spelled correctly and written for the right school?!

An interview is just one person talking to another; relax and don’t over prepare or psych yourself out. No need to sugarcoat or treat it like an audition.

Visit admissions.tufts.edu/tuition-and-aid to find a link to our financial aid calculator. Every school has one!

Go easy on feedback. Remember, this is your application. Your voice (not your parents’ or your teachers’) should come through in your writing.

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Love your list; be willing and excited to go to every school on it. That way, come spring, every option you have will be one you are happy to choose.

Show your list to a guidance counselor or teacher. Does it look balanced?

TAKE YOUR STANDARDIZED TESTS or the ACT with writing. See admissions. tufts.edu for subject test requirements.

Tufts superscores testing, meaning if you took the SAT or the ACT more than once, we will take the highest score in each section of that test even if they occurred on different test dates.

TALK TO YOUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR

REACH OUT TO TEACHERS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Many schools, including Tufts, require a guidance counselor recommendation. Meeting with them will help them write a better letter.

You may also use this meeting to brainstorm your list and go over the application process.

Tufts requires one teacher recommendation.

The teacher should be someone who taught you in 11th or 12th grade in a core academic subject.

This early in the process, keep an open mind about what you’re looking for in a school. You may fall in love with a college that is completely unexpected!

MAKE THE “EARLY” DECISION

PREPARE YOUR COMMON APPLICATION

Have you fallen in love with one college? Does that school give you butterflies? Can you not stop thinking about it? That sounds like an early decision school.

When representing your extracurricular involvement, make sure you include all the ways you spend your time: family responsibilities, paid work, clubs, teams, etc.

Tufts has two Early Decision deadlines: November 1 and January 1. Both are binding options for students who have decided that Tufts is their first choice and that they will enroll if accepted.

Ask yourself these questions as you choose essay topics: What inspires, excites, angers, or fascinates me? What are my strongly held opinions and where do those opinions come from?

Choose wisely and ask early. Your teachers have their job to prioritize and will need time to write your recommendation!

PREPARE YOUR SUPPLEMENTS Use this opportunity to showcase something we don’t see anywhere else in your application. You only have a few chances to introduce yourself, so it would be a waste to repeat things!

Make sure your essays are written in a tone that sounds like you. The Tufts supplement is intended to showcase an authentic look at your voice. If you’re not a formal person, why would you write a formal supplement? Be you!

CLICK SUBMIT & THANK EVERYONE WHO HELPED YOU

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/ TUFTS UNIVERSITY

While admissions officers won’t know if you submit at the last minute, save your sanity and give yourself extra time. The Regular Decision deadline for Tufts is January 1.

Parents who kept you focused, teachers who wrote you recommendations, counselors who guided you … thank them all.

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In n spe sp peaki aking n ng wit w itth Asso ith ss socia so ciate cia e Pro rofes ro fes es e sso sor o of Ph los Ph Phi lo osop oph phy Nanc p a cyy B Baue aue aue uer, err,, I quic uickl kly lyy re reali a ize zed e why w hy wh so s o man ma m any of of my frie ends nd ds ar d are re s scra crambl crambl cra mbling mbling mb ngg to n o ta take e her err cl class as ass ss s. Prof Prrof of ofess fess es s o orr B Bau Ba au uer er tea eache e c s clas as sses ses lik ikke Femi eminis em m nis st Phil hii os oso soph s phy hy, Ph hy hilili o hi oso sophy ph an ph and d F ilm m, and n Ph nd heno enomen nomen menolo l gy gy a and n nd d Ex E xist istent stent enttial ial a ism al m, amon mongg mo oth tth hers rs s. When he en I a ask skked sked ed ab ab abo bout ut h her er mo ostt rec recent recent en nt aca cadem dem dem micc ve ven entur nttur u es, ur e she es sh s h e im mm mme media diatel tely tel e y told lld d me she he wo he works rkks to rrks to b bring ng ph n p ilo os sop o hy h b bac acck into t th the he ggen en e nera e al disc disc scuss sc us ion uss us io on o on, n, wher her he e e iitt beg ega gan. We We all a l kn k o ow w tthe h Greek he Greek Gr eek ggrreat ee eats ats in ph hiiloso hil osophy os phyy liikke e Soc ocrat rat a es, es s Dem emocr ocritu ocr itu tu us, s, Pla P ato, Pl to to, o an and A Aris ristottle ris ristot le. e Th e.

These ese e se we w re all me all al en o off the he p peo eo e op ople ple le le ; tthei hei he e r id dea as b u as ud udd dded ed from cconv fro onv n e nv ers rs rsati at o at ati on n wit with student tu ttud udent en nts, wh whiich the w he en ins instig nstig iigate ted d conv onvers on ers e rsa atttion ati on o n w witth othe her sttud u ent ents. ts s..

When Whe n u univ niv ivers vers e iti it e it es s be beg b egan egan n as s ins nstit n tituti uti tions on ns, all n gra r dua ra ates we w re e ref re effer err r ed ed to to as as phi p lo los osoph hers rs s.

Proffes Pro Pr sso sor orr Ba B u uer e ex explaine p aine pla ned tthat n hat ha att “p phi hiloso hil sophy sophy hy is a way wayy off thi t nk th nki n king. ng g.” It is the th he e bus usine ine ess s of of rai ra aisin ai singg que q u sti stt ons o s, and and nd in n mod modern o od dern rn in insti nsti s tut t tion io ion on ons ns of lear ea arnin arnin niin ng

th s “wayy of thi of th hink nking nk ing ng g” has s b bee ee een acad cadem emical emi c ly ca ly g ntri gen trifie fied. d. Pr Pro Pro ofes es ssor s Bauer Ba ue po point oint nts out nt ut h how ho ow the th he h e id deas as in n ph hilo loso lo losop sop ophy hy jjou ou urrna na n als h hav ave bec av eco come co me “cu cu cut ut offf ff” ff” fr f ro om m realit rea eallit ea itt yy.. “As “A As ph As p iilo llo oso sop s ophy hy ge gget et ets ts ins ns stit tittuti tuti u ona ut o aliz on ized iz ed in the ed h un unive unive ivve ersi rs tyy sys rs yys stem stem te em e m over ovve o err a peri peri er od d of of centur centtur cen tu u urries, ies es s, iitt loo ook ook o s more more orre o e a an nd mo ore re re lik iikke any any o oth ttherr kin ther k d of acad cad ca ademi em mic disc diisc sccipl ip ine ine e, iin n wh ch whi h the th rre e are ar ve ery r y obt obtuse ob bttus use u se e, es e, sot oter er c ques eri qu ue ues es sttio stio iio ons ns who hose se e co con on o nn nec e eccttio ion to the he rea ea e al worl wor or d b e orl eccomes eco com mes me e es s l ss and les and d le les less ess clea ea e arr.”” Thus Th hus u iitt be beccome o s tthat om hat on hat o lyy oth o ot t er th er pe people peo ople plle a att th the he sam ame me pr m profe ofess ofe ssi s on ona onal na al lleve eve evel vel ca an n cut ut th throu hrou ough ough g the the heavy heavy he vyy vo v cab ca abula ulary laryy a an and nd ge get to to the the he mes m ssa sag ge that ha th hese es se pr profe p ofe o ffe ess sso sso sors rrs s a and nd es esote ote te eric ricc th thi hin nk nke kers ke ers r are e po posit sitting sit in ngg.. But ng Bu utt Pro Prrofes es essor ss sor so orr Ba o Bauer B auer ue u er m makes ke itt clear cle ea arr th t at Tuft tha u s is brrin uf rii ging giin gin ng this his s co conve conve nverrsa nv sati tion tio io on ba bac b ack to whe her h ere e e it star ta a te ted ed : with ed: th h st stud ude u d de ents n t s. nt “P h “P “Phil hiiloso hil osoph os ph phy hyy is fo for rremo em emo movvin viing peop ople op e fro rom om their the ir s ir set ett tle e t d view ew e ws, som omet omet etime eti mes mes es in in wa ways ys tha ys t t are e liliber liber be ati be ting ing n and n so somet met met me e ime m s in w a me ayys ays y tth hat at are are e ve y d ver disq isq sq quie ui ting,” tin ing,” g, Pr g, Profe ofesso f sso ss s r Baue so Baue uer expl ue xp ai xp ain a ined. ned. ed S in Sh She nco cor orpor po p o ate ates te es thi his h is s id idea ea int nto he n err cou co ourse rs rse rses se es a and nd d challe cha lenge enge ges ge s sttud ud dent dent e ts s to to unra nravel rave vel el th e the pre rev eviou eviou io io ou uslyy se set s et vi v ews sh he referen efe eren en nces e . Her e m mo mos o t p os popu opu opular pu ular arr ccou ourse s , Femi em nis n t Ph hililo hi oso ophy phy, expl pllores p ore or ore es the th he e ro rol ole of o fem femini em mini n sm— s essent ess e ial ent ally a p a poli olilitic olitic tical ical mov ovem oveme eme me ent nt— t— — in n tthe he e st study udy ud d of of p ph hilo ilosop so hy. hyy Tr Tradi ad adi d tio t nal na a ly ly femini feminism fem in ini nism ni m and an nd ph philo l sop lo phy h hav a e been ee en at a od dds, ds bu b t Prof Profess rof rof oe ess s orr ss Ba Bau a err won wonder de der ers if if the ttwo wo o ha ave som o eth t ing ing g to of o fer er o e an on one anoth oth th her. err Th The e diffi i cu c lt que estiions ns s th his cou co ourse rse rse e exx lor exp e orre es s rev e ol olvve arou o arou round n thi nd hiis iidea dea.. IIs dea s ttrad r diti rad itttiiona o n al ona ph p phi h los hi l oph lo ophyy to oo o ste steepe eped epe d in masc sculi sculi ulinit nit nity it y tto o be abl a b e to offe ferr anyt any nyt y hin h g to to the the h fem mini nist ide n id de eolo olo olo ogy? g y?

Is s the th re e any nythi tthi h ng ng phi p lo los osoph ophica ically ic ica lly ly sp speci ecc al eci a abo bout bo utt oppres opp ressio res s n base sio base a d on gend as gend ender? er?

Profe P Pr ofe fesso ss sso s r Baue u r has an an apt ptitu it de for or co compl m ex mpl an mu and multi ltidim lti d ens dim en n ion ional al que u sti stions on ons ns, a sk skill illl sh she e hopes hop es s to o ins instil t l in her til her er stu s den de e ts on o her qu q est es st t dev to develo de elo l p the the “en “enter terpri te ter pri p rs se e o off lea learni rni n ng, ng,”” whic icch s she so ap aptly tlyy co coine ined ine d as a pe p rso sonal nal a de d fin finiti niti ition it on n off p ph phi h los losoph osoph o y. y She e pr provi ov d ovi des es a spa pa ace tha thatt en enc e n our ourages ou age ges the the cre creati ation at ati on n o off har ha d ques estio ttio ions, s an and n se s eks s to cl c ose e tth he e gap gap p bett wee e n acqu cquiri iring iri n ng know kn kno wle edge an edge nd appl p yin y g that yi that h t kn knowl o edg owl edge e as a to tool o ol t ign to ignite ig iite it te d diiscu scussi s on ssi o amo amongs ngstt thos ngs thos hose e who who o matt ter ter. r.

Sh She S h ’s s bri b ngi ngg ng phi philos losoph los ophyy back oph back to th the e peop e le e… whe w he ere e itt beg b an. n —AN — —A AN A NNAH NAH NA A S ST STA TASIA A EN ENUKE UK UKE KE ’1 17

NANCY BAUER

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND DEAN OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS FOR ARTS AND SCIENCES

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Philosophy is for removing people from their settled views, sometimes in ways that are liberating and sometimes in ways that are very disquieting.

ATHLETICS

FEAR THE JUMBOS

WITHIN DIVISION III COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS, Tufts has become a real force

PHOTO BY ALONSO NICHOLS/TUFTS UNIVERSITY

to be reckoned with, and we have the hardware to prove it. The Jumbos took home four D3 National Championship trophies this year: lacrosse, softball, track and field, and diving.

Men’s lacrosse celebrated its second win in five years. This was their third time in the NCAA Final in the last five years. The 2014 season also marked the Jumbo’s fifth NESCAC title in a row. The girls of Jumbo softball took home their second straight national championship trophy this spring. Pitcher Allyson Fournier ’15, a chemical engineering major, pitched 24 straight shutout innings in the series. Last year she was named NCAA DIII Athlete of the Year by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards. Fournier is a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association

first-team All-American and was named the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year three straight seasons. Needless to say she was nominated for the NCAA DIII Athlete of the Year again this year. The other two championship titles were won by individuals: Jana Hieber for the 400 meter hurdles in outdoor track and field, and Johann Schmidt for the one-meter diving competition. This was Schmidt’s second national championship win, and his fourth time qualifying for the championship. The diver now holds seven All-American awards. Hieber qualifified for every NCAA meet (both indoor and outdoor) of her career, was named All-American six times, and won six conference titles.

It was a good year for Jumbo athletes, to say the least. And next year could be even better … so look out, the Jumbos are coming.

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PROGRAMS With nearly 150 majors and minors, 30 interdisciplinary programs, and the courses of the ExCollege, Tufts’ offerings require more than a brief skimming, so you can fi find an expansion of this quick list on our website. But in the meantime, skim away.

Just note that Tufts undergraduate programs are offered in two schools: Arts & Sciences and Engineering. You can choose majors and minors in either or both schools, and many students do. You may even transfer from one school to the other.

SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES MAJORS

History

Civil Engineering

Geology

Interdisciplinary Studies

Computer Engineering

Geoscience

*available only as a double major

International Literary and Visual Studies

Electrical Engineering

German

Environmental Engineering

Greek

International Relations

Mechanical Engineering

Greek Archaeology

Africana Studies American Studies Anthropology Applied Mathematics Applied Physics Arabic Archaeology Architectural Studies Art History Astrophysics Biochemistry Biology Biomedical Engineering Sciences* Biopsychology Biotechnology* Chemical Physics Chemistry Child Study and Human Development Chinese Classical Studies Cognitive and Brain Sciences Community Health* Computer Science

Italian Studies Japanese

Engineering Psychology/ Human Factors English Environmental Studies* French Geological Sciences/Earth and Ocean Sciences Geology/Earth and Ocean Sciences German Language and Literature

Hebrew

Engineering Physics

History

Engineering Psychology/ Human Factors

Italian

Latin American Studies Mathematics

Engineering Science

Judaic Studies

Middle Eastern Studies

Environmental Health

Latin

Latin

Music Peace and Justice Studies Physics Political Science Psychology Psychology/Clinical Concentration Quantitative Economics Religion Russian and Eastern European Studies

Latin American Studies Latino Studies

Africana Studies

Leadership Studies

Arabic

Linguistics

Architectural Engineering

Mass Communications and Media Studies

Architectural Studies Art History Asian American Studies Astrophysics Biotechnology Engineering

Russian Language and Literature

Chemical Engineering

Sociology

Child Study and Human Development

Spanish Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Japanese

MINORS

Philosophy

Chinese

Mathematics Medieval Studies Multimedia Arts Music Music Engineering Philosophy Physics Political Science

Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Religion

Computer Science

Roman Archaeology Roman Civilization

FIVE YEAR COMBINED DEGREE PROGRAMS

Dance Drama

Russian

Economics

Sociology

Tufts/New England Conservatory: BA or BS and Bachelor of Music Tufts/SMFA (School of the Museum of Fine Arts): BA or BS and Bachelor of Fine Arts

Engineering Education

Studio Art

Engineering Management

Urban Studies

Engineering Science Studies

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING MAJORS

German Studies

PROFESSIONAL DEGREES

Greek

Biomedical Engineering

Greek and Latin

Chemical Engineering

38

Greek Civilization

Architectural Studies

Judaic Studies

Drama Economics

ADDITIONAL DEGREE OPTIONS

Education

English Entrepreneurial Leadership Film Studies French Geoengineering

Spanish

CLASS HIGHLIGHTS

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS This fall, there are almost 200 courses offered, spread out among almost 30 different disciplines, that count toward a major in international relations. Here are just a few: Feminist Philosophy Peace Implementation in Bosnia Comparative Revolutions World Wars and the Nation State Medieval Architecture Japanese Film Director Hayao Miyazaki Mitigating Electoral Violence in Africa Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera: Art & Life International Finance Childhood Across Cultures Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Global Health Origins of Human Rights and Democracy Rebels, Saints, and Reformers: Religion in Colonial India

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING Here are just some of the many classes taught through the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering this coming semester: Chemical Process Principles Transport Phenomena Chemical and Biological Separations Principles of Polymerization Optimization

PHOTO BY TIA CHAPMAN FOR TUFTS UNIVERSITY

Air Pollution Control Hazardous Waste Treatment Technologies Surface and Colloid Chemistry Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Metabolic & Cellular Engineering Electronic Devices for Energy Applications Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering Advanced Thermodynamics

39

MIKE LEVIN PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY

40

’92

The technology eventually caught up, and Professor Levin is currently doing research on living cells and tissues, and how they process information and work together to build complex structures. “Cells talk to each other in many different ways,” Professor Levin explained. “They exchange chemical signals, they push and pull on each other, but among other things it turns out that all body cells, not just nerves, actually communicate electrically.” His lab is working on a range of projects in embryonic development, regeneration, and also cancer. “We have the opportunity to interact with collaborators in other fields,” he explained. “So we have people that we work with in computer science, engineering, physics, math, cognitive science, and so on. It’s very collaborative.”

Professor Levin recently completed an experiment with frogs. He grew eyes on different parts of the frogs’ bodies, and was able to show that, when the eye was connected to the spinal cord, the frog could see perfectly well, no matter where the eye was on the body. “It is kind of an amazing thing that the brain can recognize this extra patch of tissue as being able to provide visual data,” he said. This research is helping lead to a better understanding of brain plasticity and how the brain recognizes and uses the sensory and motor functions of the organs. “In medicine we have all these situations where people who are paralyzed or have various injuries will need implants. So it’s very important to understand how the brain can make use of those implants and to try to understand how we can facilitate the integration of new devices and structures within a living body.”

Professor Levin is continuing the idea of implants in a living body in the regeneration part of his lab, where he is working on limb regeneration. They have actually regrown a functional limb for a frog that was missing one.

“Our next goal is to do that in rats and eventually someday humans.”

As I left, I felt completely awestruck … and suddenly very aware of my arms …

—CHANDLER COBLE ’17

PHOTO BY KATHLEEN DOOHER

Professor Levin’s research on regenerative medicine may one day allow scientists to regrow a functional human limb.

I met Professor Mike Levin in the conference room of the Levin laboratory. The ceiling was brimming with plants, filling the whole room with blooming hibiscuses. There was no doubt I was in a biology lab; everywhere I turned reminded me of living things. Even the swivel chair I was sitting in was covered in small drawings of cells.

Professor Levin began as an undergraduate computer scientist at Tufts. So how did he end up in biology, I wondered? “I was interested in artificial intelligence and making robots that repair themselves,” he said. “It became pretty clear that engineering was nowhere close to achieving that, so [I needed to] learn from the biological world.” He and his academic advisor began examining the way external magnetic fields affected sea urchin development. “I was curious how electromagnetic forces may play a role in development,” he said. “We didn’t, at the time, have any technology for investigating natural electromagnetic signals within embryos, but we had an easy technology to apply external fields.”

JUMBO SIGHTINGS TUFTS STUDENTS CAN’T LOOK AT ELEPHANTS WITHOUT SEEING JUMBO. IF YOU’VE SPOTTED ONE LATELY, SEND AN EMAIL WITH YOUR PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS TO JUMBOEDITOR@TUFTS.EDU

SIDNEY BEECY ’18

ANDREW CARP ’15

LEE COFFIN

YULIA KOROVIKOV ’13

AVERY SPRATT ’18

from Los Altos, CA “Jumbo on top of Elephant Hill in Taipei.”

Dean of Admissions “Found this spot on my bike ride in Sonoma!”

Admissions Counselor “Lego Jumbos!”

from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL “Reppin’ my Jumbo pride on graduation day!”

MATT BRALY ’15

DANIELLE MULLIGAN ’17

from Indianapolis, IN “Found these Jumbo seats on the back patio of the admissions office.”

from Winnetka, IL “Made a friend on my gap year in northern Thailand at Elephant Nature Park.”

KATHERINE STIEGEMEYER ’18

HAZEL BALDWIN-KRESS ’18

from Overland Park, KS “I found this guy hanging out in my Easter basket!”

from Warren, RI “Thrilled to be able to show off my Jumbo pride at graduation! Tufts, here I come!”

from Auburn ME “A happy baby Jumbo in Maine!”

MEGHAN MCHALE Assistant Director of Admissions “Found these elephants outside the African craft market in Rosebank, Johannesburg.”

PHOTOS BY STUDENTS & ADMINISTRATION

Equal Opportunity Applicants for admission and employment, students, employees, sources of referral of applicants for admission and employment, and all unions or professional organizations holding collective bargaining or professional agreements with Tufts University are hereby notified that this institution does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, veteran status, or national origin in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities. Any person having inquiries or complaints concerning Tufts University’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, or Section 504 is directed to contact the Office of Equal Opportunity on the Medford/Somerville campus, 617-627-3298 or 800-611-5060 (TDD 617-627-3370). This office has been designated by Tufts University to coordinate the institution’s efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Section 504. Any person may also contact the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202, or the Director, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, Region One, Boston, Massachusetts 02109, regarding the institution’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, 34 C.F.R. Part 100; Title IX, 34 C.F.R. Part 106; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, 45 C.F.R. 90; or, Section 504, 34 C.F.R. Part 104.

In addition, Tufts has formulated an administrative policy that educational and employment decisions are based on the principle of equal opportunity. The consideration of factors such as sex, race, color, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, veteran status, or disability unrelated to a person’s ability, qualifications, and performance is inconsistent with this policy.

In accordance with both federal and state law, the university maintains information concerning current security policies and procedures and prepares an annual crime report concerning crimes committed within the geographical limits of the university. Upon request to the Office of Public Safety, 617-627-3912, the university will provide such information to any applicant for admission. The report is also available online at http://publicsafety.tufts.edu/wp-content/uploads/Safety-Report-2013-2014.pdf.

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OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS Tufts University Bendetson Hall 2 The Green Medford, MA 02155 -7057 617-627-3170 admissions.tufts.edu