The Tufts Daily - Friday, November 5, 2021

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T HE T UFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXXXI, ISSUE 28

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS.

tuftsdaily.com

Friday, November 5, 2021

Fletcher launches new Master in Global Affairs degree program

New technology sends Tufts veterinary scientists on journey to center of the cell by Alexander Thompson Assistant News Editor

MAIA BARBEE / THE TUFTS DAILY

The Fletcher School this fall launched a new master’s degree program designed in part for students who wish to study part time. by Ella Kamm

Assistant News Editor

The Fletcher School launched a new Master in Global Affairs degree program this fall. The degree is designed for students who want to focus on a single area of study and complete their studies in less time than a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy typically takes. The MGA can be completed in as little as 16 months, while the MALD takes two academic years. Students pursuing an MGA can opt to study part time, too, which allows them to extend their studies for as long as two-and-a-half years. Kelly Sims Gallagher, academic dean and professor of energy and environmental policy at Fletcher, said that the program originated to provide a more practical option for graduate studies. “We recognized that there were some prospective graduate students who were not willing to take two full years out of the workforce, who were exceptionally focused in terms of what they wanted to study, and who wanted a more experiential approach to education,” Gallagher wrote in an email to the Daily. Students enrolled in the MGA program study year-round, which includes the summer. The program also requires students to take more classes in their area of study than do other degree programs. Another difference from the other programs offered by Fletcher is the MGA’s experien-

tial component. As part of the degree, students must complete an internship for credit and a practicum in the final semester. “While many students do internships at Fletcher, this is the first degree that allows the internship for credit, and the first to require a practicum in lieu of a capstone thesis,” Gallagher said. For Robert Jones, an MGA student, the experiential components of the MGA work well with the current stage of his career. Jones earned a financial undergraduate degree, worked as an equity analyst at a hedge fund and as a senior strategy consultant at a commercial strategy firm. He is looking to enter the field of political risk advisory after completing his degree. “I think having had my experience in the workforce, having the opportunity to pivot my career into this new area in a practical way was what really drew me towards it,” Jones said in an interview. Gallagher noted that the program interests students who are looking to pivot in their career or relate their studies to a specific field or position. “We had very strong applications for this new degree program, and the students it seems to attract are those who are early-to mid-career, with a clear idea of exactly what they want to get out of their graduate degree,” she said. “They are less exploratory and more pragmatic. Many are trying to execute career shifts based on their degree here at Fletcher.”

For MGA candidate Melinda Monzione, the degree fits well with her current position as director of the international traveling exhibition program at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She is pursuing an independent study on cultural diplomacy. “Years ago, I had intended to pursue a MALD at Fletcher, and when my professional career took off in my precise field of study … it was really hard to fathom walking away from my professional opportunities despite my dedication to continuing academic pursuits,” Monzione said. Monzione expressed how finding a program that fit all of her needs in her area of study was difficult, so the MGA’s ability to accommodate working professionals was ideal for her. “It’s the precise program that I’ve been searching for over so many years,” she said. “The MGA’s flexible curriculum, accelerated pace and the ability to pursue part-time is tailor made for me at this juncture of my career, so I’m delighted.” Monzione characterized the inaugural class as a supportive and engaging community within the broader Fletcher student body. “It’s this deeply dynamic global community, descended onto Medford,” she said. Gallagher reported that this class of MGA students has made the launching of the degree program very smooth. “We were pleased with the interest in the degree, and our new entering cohort is strong,” she said.

New cutting edge technology recently installed at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University reminds Cheryl London, the associate dean for research and graduate education, of the 1966 sci-fi film “Fantastic Voyage.” In the movie, an intrepid submarine crew shrinks down small enough to float through an injured scientist’s bloodstream to save his life. The new technology, called spatial profiling, allows scientists to see so deep into tissue samples that London, an oncologist, said it feels like you’re actually there on the surface of the cell. “It’s like taking a bird’seye look inside the cell itself,” London said. The Cummings School won a $2 million grant from the

Waltham-based Massachusetts Life Sciences Center for the new equipment this spring, and it was installed over the summer. London and her team submitted their grant proposal to the MLSC, an organization that pools state and private money to invest in science research across the state, through the agency’s Research Infrastructure Program in the fall of 2020. At the end of February of this year, an email informed London that Tufts had won the competitive grant. “When you get the notification that you’ve been funded it’s one of those woo-hoo moments,” London said. “You do a little dance, and you’re pretty excited.” The equipment was installed last June and July in the newly renovated Peabody Pavilion lab space, and by September it was available for use. see TECHNOLOGY, page 2

Mini-Med Connect supports underrepresented high school students in STEM by Kendall Roberts Staff Writer

Mini-Med Connect, an intensive summer mentorship program for high students interested in STEM and health care, was introduced last summer by the Center for Science Education at Tufts University. Mini-Med Connect allows high school students to explore career paths in research and medicine while also teaching important social and academic skills for STEM-related fields. The program ran virtually from June 28 through Aug. 6. According to Berri Jacque, director of the Center for Science Education and creator of MiniMed Connect, there were 15 Boston-area high school students selected for the program. Many students came from backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in science — including low-income families and first-generation college students.

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“One of the biggest goals of our [program] was to give students an experience that makes them feel they belong in science and give them access to mentors and give them support mechanisms to help them maintain a course to whatever their goals are in STEM,” EmilyKate McDonough, a co-director of Tufts Mini-Med Connect, said. Mini-Med Connect was funded by a National Institutes of Health grant. Jacque explained that the mentors were paid and housed for the summer — and that each student received a stipend for their involvement in the program. “If a program is not paying students, it is not an inclusive program, and that’s a huge issue and a huge barrier,” Jacque said. Three undergraduate mentors were selected by the Tufts University Center for STEM Diversity to provide guidance for the program’s students while see MINI-MED, page 2 NEWS

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