Stories

A Harvard-led project aims to help Springfield, Massachusetts—and, eventually, other older cities across the U.S—minimize the “urban heat island” effect. Urban heat islands are city areas with lots of concrete and asphalt that absorb high levels of solar radiation and have few trees to provide shade, resulting in temperatures that can be 10-12 degrees higher than areas with more vegetation.

A study found that participants in the Climate Health Organizing Fellows Program improved their understanding of the historical context of climate change and the health inequities it creates, and also gained confidence in their ability to do something about it.

A multi-institutional research initiative has been awarded $12 million over five years by the U.S. National Science Foundation for its “potential to revolutionize computing and make significant impacts in reducing the carbon footprint of the lifecycle of computers.”

Shira Hoffer '25 founded a nonprofit aimed at promoting open-mindedness and active listening, improving community dynamics, and helping students build skills that will serve them for life.

Harvard researchers have found that an existing drug used to treat Alzheimer's could be repurposed to prevent irreversible organ injury.

With the start of the fall semester, President Alan M. Garber AB ’77, PhD ’82 discusses the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The interdisciplinary consortium of researchers comprising the Harvard Quantum Initiative has settled into a space of its own.

3D reconstruction details web of neural connections in a piece of temporal cortex.

Harvard’s 2024 spring term kicked off with events designed to enhance our ability to engage in respectful and robust debate.

John F. Manning AB ’82, JD ’85, who has served as Harvard's interim provost since March, has been appointed the next provost of the University.

Three rising seniors share their summer plans, all with an eye toward their futures.

Brian Lee, who has served as Harvard's vice president for alumni affairs and development since 2018, will retire at the end of 2024.

A large study led by Harvard Chan School researchers found that people who closely followed the Planetary Health Diet—which emphasizes minimally processed whole grains and vegetables but allows for some meat and dairy—significantly lowered their risk of premature death while also reducing their carbon footprint.

A new gift from Dan Emmett JD ’64 and the Emmett Foundation will expand and enhance Harvard Law School’s work in environmental law and create a first-of-its-kind environmental law moot court.

Can sea level rise be slowed? A new Harvard project called Sea Level Investigation and Management (SLIM), made possible by a generous gift from Cornelius “Neil” Prior Jr. LLB ’62, aims to find out.

By studying ecosystems from the Arctic to the tropics, Arnold Arboretum faculty fellow Benton Taylor aims to find out if plants will absorb enough carbon in the future to offset human activity.

Inspired by how some animals use their skin to regulate body temperature, the lab of Harvard chemistry professor Joanna Aizenberg is developing ways to use a building’s exterior to control indoor climates.

The Climate Change and Planetary Health concentration will help students at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health understand the consequences of the planetary health crisis, including the effects on food, water, air, extreme weather events, heat, migration, and political stability and their subsequent impacts on infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, nutrition, and mental health.

Harvard assistant professor and physician Garaub Basu is collaborating with students, clinicians, and leaders to embed climate change into medical curricula and continuing medical education.

Air pollution from gas and propane stoves has caused about 50,000 current cases of childhood asthma nationwide, and people living in smaller homes are more likely to be affected, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities.