Crimson staff writer
Saima S. Iqbal
Associate Editor Saima S. Iqbal can be reached at saima.iqbal@thecrimson.com.
Latest Content
Class Clown: David Kennedy-Yoon
Kennedy-Yoon's humor stems from his involvement with Satire V — where he serves as co-president — as well as from what he sees as the purpose of comedy: connecting with others.
Fifteen Questions: Sheila Jasanoff on STS, Objectivity, and Alternative Facts
The professor of Science and Technology Studies sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss how she came to the field and its unique contributions to today's political landscape. “A way forward is to recognize that disputes of facts are often really disputes over the credibility, the honesty, and the integrity of the body finding the facts,” she says.
Fifteen Questions: Andrew Berry on Fruit Flies, LS1b, and Harvard-Yale
The evolutionary biologist and historian of science sat down with Fifteen Minutes to discuss his scientific inspirations and his approach to pedagogy. “I have one great virtue as a teacher, which is I’m pretty dumb,” he says.
The Meditation Medium
Once Margaux R. E. Winter ’21-’22 graduates this semester, they plan to spend several months in two Buddhist monasteries: rising at the crack of dawn, chanting sutras alongside fellow practitioners, and silently meditating for hours.
Is It Time to Consider Dimming the Sun?
Harvard’s Solar Geoengineering Research Program studies a climate intervention strategy that sounds straight out of a science fiction novel. In the past, scientists and politicians have written off solar geoengineering as too risky to even study. But as the planet approaches dangerous levels of warming, that calculus may be just about to change.
To Love a Stranger
The silence was in no way uncomfortable; most times, it was pleasant, even relaxing. But underneath was a low thrum of pent-up frustration, which I only became aware of every once in a while. There was so much I wanted to tell her — about my high school track meets, the school paper, later my college roommates — and so much I wanted to ask, that I simply could not.
Going Hungry at Harvard
While many view Harvard graduate students as members of the privileged elite, studying in Cambridge often requires students to endure precarious material conditions. A backdrop of high rent, low pay, and expensive groceries becomes acutely visible in their daily struggles to find their next meal.
Louis Agassiz, Under a Microscope
Though some historians argue it is difficult to reconcile these two visions of Louis Agassiz — one gentle and reverential, the other rigid and bigoted —, they may simply be two sides of the same coin. Agassiz prided himself on his ability to distinguish and characterize species. With his theory of polygenism, he created taxonomies not only of turtles and jellyfish but also of human beings.
“A Plan to Repair the Heart”
sujatha baliga’s path to restorative justice, a non-carceral response to crime, began with what she calls a “nervous breakdown.”
Akanksha D. Sah
Serving as president of Harvard Student Agencies amid a pandemic has been "really stressful," Akanksha D. Sah ’21 acknowledges. But it's "restored her faith in humanity."
The Faulty Science of "Herd Immunity"
If the pandemic was handled according to Martin Kulldorff’s plan, most young and healthy people would resume life as it was before March: no quarantining, no masks, no social distancing.
The Fringes of the Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine
In March, a small group of scientists affiliated with Harvard Medical School began self-administering an unapproved SARS-CoV-2 vaccine they had designed alone in a private laboratory. Then, they decided to post their procedure on the internet, claiming it was only ethical that they share their knowledge. The actions of the Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative challenge traditional understandings of the scientific process — and it’s unclear whether its “necessary act of compassion” is safe or legal.
In Transition
When Sarah E. Gyorog first heard about Massachusetts’ stay-at-home order, she immediately thought, “but home isn’t safe for everybody.” As the executive director of Transition House, Cambridge’s sole domestic violence shelter, she knew that the order could pose increased risk for survivors.
