Dean Jeremy Bloxham
Professor of Computational Science, Mallinckrodt Professor of Geophysics
Academic Year 2009-2010 

Faculty Retreat on Undergraduate Science and Engineering Education

In the spring of 2010, the Division partnered with the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to host a faculty retreat to evaluate the undergraduate science and engineering curricula, with a particular focus on introductory life and physical sciences courses and mathematics service courses. The retreat was attended by over 100 faculty, preceptors, and concentration advisers. A number of important recommendations resulted. Recommendations relating to course scheduling will be implemented in the coming academic year. The retreat also helped form priorities for longer-term planning in advising, uses of the course catalog, and in course content.

Inaugural Neekeyfar Lecture

The Neekeyfar Lecture Series on Science and Math was launched, with support from an anonymous gift, to expose undergraduates to recent research. This spring Brian Greene, professor of mathematics and physics at Columbia University, gave the inaugural lecture, entitled, “In Search of the Unified Theory” to a standing-room-only crowd of undergraduates.

Science Libraries

The Division implemented the major recommendations of the Report on the Science Libraries, including consolidation of several departmental libraries into the College Library system. In addition, focus was given to the issue of escalating journal subscription costs in conjunction with the Provost’s Task Force on University Libraries.

Creation of HEB

The Department of Human Evolutionary Biology (HEB), formerly the Biological Anthropology wing of the Department of Anthropology, was launched in the fall of 2009.

High-Performance Computing in Holyoke

The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC), to be located in Holyoke, MA, is the result of a collaboration between five local universities, (Harvard University, Boston University, The University of Massachusetts, Northeastern University, and MIT). Holyoke’s proximity to the Connecticut River and the river’s associated hydroelectric system provide a sustainable and cost-effective source of power for the facility. The Division of Science has lead Harvard’s involvement in the project which, when completed in late 2012, will provide much-needed computational capacity to our researchers. It will also liberate approximately 6500 square feet of space on the Cambridge campus, reduce our campus carbon footprint by 3-4%, and increase our ability to enable complex computational science.

Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology Concentration

In the fall of 2009, the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology launched the new undergraduate concentration in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology. Concentrators focus on human biology with significant emphasis on hands-on research during all four undergraduate years. The curriculum provides a range of courses that benefit students interested in medicine and biomedical research, as well as other fields in which a comprehensive understanding of human biology is needed.