11 minute read
CLASS HIGHLIGHTS
The Tufts Experimental College, or ExCollege, is a department that offers innovative elective courses to every undergrad student. ExCollege classes can be taught by Tufts undergraduate and graduate students, Boston area professionals, and more. They cover a wide range of topics, connecting nontraditional studies with academic disciplines. As you’re thinking about finding common ground and friendship at Tufts, consider these courses that explore the nuances of relationships and community, all of which are being offered in the fall of 2021.
EXP-0022 Crafting Community Taught by Rebecca Aberle, a PhD Candidate in the Department of English, Crafting Community asks, “What can craft teach us, and how can it help us take care of others and our environment?” Throughout the course, students will explore the origins of food and clothing, learn about systems of knowledge that challenge contemporary Western epistemology, and create a new community of knowledge built on interconnection and responsibility to the planet. The class uses texts primarily written by women to recenter frequently overlooked knowledge and practice, and will be combined with hands-on experience with certain crafts, particularly fiber crafts. The readings, discussions, and activities are all woven together through the interconnection of stories, craft, and community and their importance in taking care of each other and the environment.
Advertisement
EXP-0001-F Snapshots in the Internet Age: From Family Albums to Instagram Sarah Pollman ’07, ’14, a Tufts alum who creates visual art guided by principles drawn from art history, critical theory, and psychology, is teaching this course that aims to examine the relationship between the images saved to our camera roles, current politics, and culture. Looking specifically at vernacular photos online in the age of the internet, where so much of interpersonal relationship is founded and displayed, students will analyze the power of images, their communicative roles in systems of distribution and display, and their historical power. The course uses both critical theory, visual anthropology, and visual arts, to examine the casual photograph’s evolving meaning through shifting time periods and technologies while drawing on ideas from films, field trips to exhibitions, visiting critics, and reading discussions.
EXP-0014-F The Business of Video Games The video game industry is a constantly evolving space that delights billions of people around the world. In fact, the games industry now generates more annual revenue than film and sports combined. How did the video game industry become such a juggernaut? Who are the key players in this space? How does a game go from an idea to being played by millions worldwide? What broader impact does the video game industry have on society as a whole? Students will explore these questions and the industry while learning the fundamentals of business. Double Jumbo Zach Zager ’17, ’18, has played games his entire life and is excited to teach this course. Key topics will include marketing, fundraising, management, innovation, and working in the games industry.
EXPLORE THE EXCOLLEGE
INSIDE OUT A REAL YET RANDOM, PLAYFUL YET SERIOUS SPIN AROUND CAMPUS— AND JUST BEYOND
THE SOMERVILLE FLEA
TUFTS TREES
IN TUFTS’ 169 YEARS of existence, many things have grown and developed––including Tufts trees. As a suburban campus, Tufts has no shortage of trees to read or relax under. Although trees are commonplace, the trees at Tufts hold a special place in our hearts. They provide a much-needed relief in the form of shade on a hot summer day. New England fall brings the trees dropping their leaves in a spectacular display of vibrant reds, bright yellows, and warm oranges. The many pine trees one finds here become festooned with a delicate, fresh layer of white snow in the winter. Then, as the winter comes to a close, buds and blossoms spring from their stems. Nothing is more magical than the light pink hue of petals flowing through the winds of the Tufts campus in the spring. So, grab a hammock and a good book and enjoy the scenic greenery Tufts offers. THE GREENWAY ARTISAN MARKET is an open-air market right in the heart of Somerville! Located just five minutes away from Davis Square, the market boasts gorgeous artwork, local and sustainably made goods, delicious food trucks, and more! The market also brings in local musicians to add to the fun, relaxed atmosphere of the market. This flea market is truly a community event, so go grab some friends and head over to the Greenway Artisan Market!
TUFTS TWEET
@TUFTSENGINEER Congratulations to Myisha Majumder, E21! She has been recognized as a member of the 2021 ASCE (@ASCETweets) New Faces of Civil Engineering - College class. The distinction honors future leaders from universities around the world. Read more: https://bit.ly/3c5aKIi
HOW PLEASANT IT IS
THE PANDEMIC dramatically altered the way that student organizations function on campus. Perhaps no set of student organizations has been hit harder by the pandemic’s restrictions than Tufts’ nine a cappella groups. My group, S-Factor, is an all-men group that sings music of the African Diaspora. Established in 2006, we are one of the youngest vocal groups on campus, but our status as a staple within the Black community at Tufts has been cemented by years of smooth melodies, soulful riffs, and service to our people in the form of musical healing. While we are not meeting three times a week like usual, we still get on Zoom to connect whenever we get the chance. We very much look forward to the opportunity to continue doing what we love as soon as it is safe to do so. But until then, we enjoy each other’s virtual company all the same. As we sing at the end of every S-Factor rehearsal, “behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.” —Harrison Clark ’22
A BLAST TO THE PAST
IN THE WINTER OF 1972, a group of male students gathered in the home of then-Dean of Students Elizabeth Ahn Toupin to learn how to cook. The class, titled Cooking Class for Men, was designed to teach men chores historically designated for women. No stranger to the kitchen, Toupin had published a number of cookbooks, and appeared on televised cooking shows before her time at Tufts. The students loved the class: “Dean Toupin was such a good teacher for us ‘novices’ in the world of food, and she made it interesting for us as we learned about her food culture,” exclaimed Chris Hagger, E73, P09. Toupin enjoyed teaching the class as well. “It was very catchy,” she said. “And very fun.” MARCH
THE OFFICE OF CAMPUS LIFE (OCL) has awarded MARCH with the New Student Organization of the Year Award for the 2020–2021 academic year! Tufts MARCH: Maternal Advocacy and Research for Community Health, founded in Fall 2020, is the fi rst maternal and child health student-led organization at Tufts. MARCH wants people to march with pregnant and birthing people, and to serve as a pathway for undergraduate students to advocate for and incorporate maternal health into their future careers and lives. In partnership with the MOTHER Lab: Maternal Outcomes for Translational Health Equity Research at Tufts University School of Medicine, MARCH works with local and global maternal health NGOs in an effort to both improve maternal health outcomes as well as educate undergraduate students about ongoing initiatives combating health disparities and working towards health equity. For more information about Tufts MARCH, please connect via Instagram (@tuftsmarch), Facebook (Tufts MARCH), and/or LinkedIn (www. linkedin .com/ company /tufts-march).
SPRING STAYCATION AT TUFTS
TUFTS TWEET
@TUFTSENGINEER Akshita Rao, E21, recently joined the @museumofscience’s Pulsar: A Science Podcast to discuss her biomedical engineering research on the human heart. Listen: apple.co/2We3fr7 WHILE STUDENTS have traditionally enjoyed Spring Fling at Tufts, this past school year we creatively adapted to COVID-19 restrictions to offer Spring 2021 Staycation—a long weekend fi lled with over 100 online and hybrid events. Students enjoyed everything from making tie-dye shirts to drinking lemonade and laying in hammocks to adopting succulents and cacti. Thanks to the incredible team of students and staff members through the Tufts University Social Collective (TUSC), this series was a huge success and offered energizing and rejuvenating breaks for students to enjoy.
SUNSETS ON TISCH ROOF
ENJOYING THE small yet beautiful moments in the semester is more important now than ever before. There is no better way to end the day than to watch the sunset on Tisch roof. Usually, you’ll see a small socially distanced group that is spread across Tisch roof enjoying the view. The Boston skyline grazed by the sunset is truly stunning and offers a daily moment of relaxation and refl ection.
UNIVERSITY TUFTS F STU T U IV
N NI Y E TI SIRS
EVE ABRAHA ’21
BIOLOGY MAJOR AND EDUCATION MINOR FROM MEMPHIS, TN
Eve Abraha ’21 exudes kindness. She is one of those remarkable Tufts students who learns how to be a better human being through every experience. Whether in class, or in her work with many community-based organizations and nonprofits, Eve makes a positive impact on the world around her with warmth and humility. Through her professional and academic endeavors, Eve works to make meaningful changes at Tufts—and beyond.
And when she finds free time, Eve enjoys getting food from Habesha Restaurant in nearby Malden, playing with her dog Lulu, and watching reruns of Masterchef and Hell’s Kitchen.
As a Memphis native and self-acclaimed “lifelong learner,” Eve came to Tufts ready to learn in a way that she never had before. It was in her first-year biology lab where Eve realized she did not have the same academic experiences other students had growing up. Despite the shock of academic rigor, Eve found comfort when her professors at Tufts cared deeply enough to help her personally. It was thanks to Dr. Fuhrman of the Tufts Department of Biology that she learned to persevere when she felt that her K–12 education had not adequately prepared her for Tufts’ coursework. Additionally, Professor Deborah Donahue-Keegan (or, as Eve calls her, “the queen of equity and kindness”) instilled Eve with a sense of energetic duty regarding education, igniting her passion of advocating for equitable learning. Most recently, Eve credits Professor Peter Levine with teaching her about the importance of critical thinking in equity and public policy. The lessons learned in Professor Levine’s class allowed her to think critically about complex problems, and she now feels prepared to create her own answers and solutions to these problems. Because she had the mentorship of professors like these, Eve was able to grow and explore the passions to which she felt drawn.
“I feel like my experiences being...the kid who is getting the short end of the stick, also seeing how that’s impacted my life trajectory, I really feel like I want to make education better, especially for underrepresented students.”
Due to her own personal reflections on inequity in her K–12 education, Eve shifted the focus from her pre-med track to a different outlet that is unique to Tufts: civic studies. As the nation’s first (and only) college-wide program dedicated to civic engagement, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s goal serves to implement meaningful change in our world through active youth participation in democracy. Every student at Tufts gains a conscious understanding of our all-too-fragile democracy, but Eve takes this understanding even further through her work as a prestigious Tisch Scholar. This accolade allows her to grow and learn in tandem with the Tisch College faculty and other Tisch Scholars. Through this collaboration, not only are students taught how to be changemakers in our society, but they put this practice to good use in the real world.
In Eve’s case, she is not a stranger to communityoriented work. She stresses the importance of knowing that working with communities is far different than working in communities. This practice turned into action this past summer. As Eve walked along the streets of Medford, she noticed how hunger was a problem for certain members of the community that resided along Massachusetts Avenue. So, Eve made meals for this population by taking money out of her own paycheck. Her goal was to distribute good, quality meals to those who needed them most—and, of course, they were complete with environmentally-conscious biodegradable containers. This project later grew and received more funding, and Eve’s dream manifested itself with the name “Igniting Change Through Compassion.” Undeniably, her humility and kindness will continue to impact future communities. Eve lives by the quote, “life is most beautiful when everything is done with love and complete humility.” These sentiments are clearly reflected in her work as she is one of the most hospitable and humble hearts on the Hill. Thus, it is by no surprise that Tufts has honored Eve with The Presidential Award for Civic Life—the most prestigious award on campus given to students for outstanding achievement in community service and community leadership. —BLAKE ANDERSON ’24
