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Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Virus Variants, Vaccines and Valentine’s

By Cate Ryan , Emilija Sagaityte and Rahma Ibrahim | February 12

On Friday, Feb. 12, the COVID Pod team sits down with Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health, to discuss the variations underlying the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to stop its spread: virus variants, new vaccines in development — and even a COVID-19-conscious approach to socializing on Valentine’s ...

University News

Fashion@Brown announces 'bigger-than-ever' 2021 Brown Fashion Week lineup

By Jack Walker | February 11

Brown Fashion Week ’21 promises “bigger-than-ever” virtual programming this March, including a star-studded lineup of CEOs and style icons, according to an email to The Herald from President of Fashion@Brown Sasha Pinto ’21. Set to run from March 4 to 22, Brown Fashion Week has been extended ...

University News

Ivy League to allow for fifth year of varsity sport eligibility in midst of pandemic

By Corey Gelb-Bicknell | February 11

The Ivy League will allow fourth-year senior student-athletes, who may have lost playing time due to COVID-19-related cancellations in their final year of sports eligibility, to continue playing their varsity sport for the 2021-22 season if they are accepted to and enroll as a graduate student at their ...

University News

Teaching and quarantining under the same roof

By Gaya Gupta | February 11

When the University decided to send students home and make classes virtual back in March, not only did students have to adapt to new learning environments, but professors, particularly those married to each other, had to adjust to teaching classes from their homes. Three couples spoke to The Herald ...

University News

Brown’s first Black female graduate: Ethel Robinson’s legacy on College Hill

By Caelyn Pender | February 11

Life at Brown had been changing rapidly at the turn of the 20th century. A decade before, in 1891, University President Elisha Benjamin Andrews, class of 1870, began his quest to admit women to Brown for the first time. He recruited six women to begin attending classes taught by Brown professors ...

Metro

Creation of new historic district on East Side faces University objections

By Will Kubzansky | February 11

A public hearing for an addition to the College Hill historic district will go on as planned later this month after a failed attempt by the University to slow the process in late January. The new zoning ordinance — and the University’s opposition to it — represents another contentious chapter ...

Science & Research

Brown researchers study airflow, COVID-19 transmission in passenger cars

By Jared Zhang | February 11

By studying vehicle airflow patterns, University researchers showed that opening windows opposite the side where a person is sitting in a car can help passengers reduce COVID-19 transmission. The study, published in early January, aims to fill a current gap in the understanding of the passenger car, ...

Science & Research

Annual Space Horizons conference discusses sustainability in space

By Tyler Jacobson | February 11

Scientists, researchers and space enthusiasts convened at Brown’s annual Space Horizons conference from Feb. 8-12, where they attempted to answer some of the most pressing questions in space exploration and research: How can we ecologically sustain human activity on the moon? How do you maintain a ...

University News

UCS introduces resolution to name Inauguration Day a date of significance, shares updates on CIT renaming

By Shilpa Sajja | February 10

The Undergraduate Council of Students introduced a resolution calling for the University to make Inauguration Day a “no exercise date” and shared updates on their efforts to rename the Thomas J. Watson Sr. Center for Information Technology at its general body meeting Wednesday evening. The Council ...

University News

BUCC members discuss selection of new DPS chief

By Caelyn Pender | February 10

Members of the University’s administration and student body discussed the selection process and criteria for a new chief of Public Safety at the Brown University Community Council meeting Feb. 10. The University is beginning this search in the months after Mark Porter, executive director and chief ...

Metro

Multi-hub bus proposal faces Title VI complaint

By Kaitlyn Torres | February 10

A Title VI complaint has been filed against the Rhode Island Department of Transportation’s and the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s multi-hub bus proposal in order to halt the plan, which some community members interpret as discriminatory. The proposal from RIDOT and RIPTA would add three ...

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Science & Research

Maria Zuber ScM’83, PhD’86, P’11 selected for top science position in Biden administration

By Julia Grossman | February 9

Maria T. Zuber ScM’83, PhD’86, P’11 is no stranger to accomplishing “firsts” in science. She is the first woman to lead a NASA planetary mission and the first woman to lead a science department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now, she will be one of the first women to chair the ...

University News

Departments rearrange course offerings for 2020-21 trimester calendar

By Samantha Molina | February 9

With the 2020-21 academic year at Brown split into three semesters, academic departments have strategized throughout the year how to fairly distribute typical two-semester course offerings across the fall, spring and summer trimesters. The Herald spoke with four different University professors on ...

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Science & Research

Ellen Stofan: leader in space research, exploration since time at Brown

By Kathleen Meininger | February 9

Planetary Geologist Ellen Stofan ScM’85 PhD’89 attended her first rocket launch when she was four years old. Since then, she has spent over 20 years at NASA, served as chief scientist of NASA from 2013 to 2016 and was named leader of President Joe Biden’s NASA agency review team in November. Since ...

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University News

Corporation approves creation of Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, resumption of dorm development

By Caelyn Pender | February 9

The Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — reviewed initiatives and plans for the upcoming year, ranging from the creation of an art initiative to the formalization of an internal Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, during its February meetings, according to a Feb. 8 ...

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University News

Students express frustration over ordering Brown meals through GET Mobile app

By Jack Walker | February 9

As one of the many students assigned to live in the Omni Hotel for the spring semester, Tommy Bellaire ’23 has to plan ahead for the trek across College Hill before engaging with campus dining options. But this process has posed unexpected challenges for him as he now has to navigate the GET Mobile ...

University News

University Survivors Movement criticizes U. handling of sexual violence

By Karlos Bautista | February 8

By the time most students were getting out of bed and wandering around campus Monday morning, posters criticizing the University administration’s approach to addressing sexual violence had been taped to the doors of University Hall, Sayles Hall and other prominent locations on campus. The posters ...

Metro

Providence community urges state to do more about evictions

By Ashley Guo | February 8

As houses stand empty and more tenants face eviction in Rhode Island, there is an increasingly urgent need for state aid during a pandemic that has only worsened existing housing issues, according to Brenda Clement, director of Housingworks RI. A pandemic, requiring a place to quarantine and isolate ...

University News

Undergraduates housed in the Omni Hotel reflect on living experience

By Maisie Newbury | February 8

Undergraduates assigned to live in the Omni Hotel in Downtown Providence have expressed mixed opinions about their living situations. At least 219 students were assigned to live in the Omni, where the University leased rooms for the spring semester to accommodate the return of more students to campus ...

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Science & Research

$25 million donation to fund brain science research at Brown

By Josephine Chen | February 8

A $25 million gift from an anonymous donor will support new, innovative research projects in the field of brain science at the University. The donation will also fund the Innovation Awards Program at the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science. “Research, discovery and innovation ...