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University

Persian Students Association hosts professor Neda Moridpour as part of lecture series on Iran’s political history

By Layla Kennington | March 30

Tufts Persian Students Association hosted professor Neda Moridpour on March 15 to kick off the club’s new lecture series, entitled “Iran’s Political History: Resistance and Revolution.” The series was organized in light of the murder of Jina ‘Mahsa’ Amini, who was arrested and killed by the Iranian morality police for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards.

University

CEO of Boston Metal talks decarbonizing the steel industry

By Michaela Loughran | March 30

Tadeu Carneiro, chairman and CEO of Boston Metal, gave a lecture in the Hoch Cunningham Environmental Lecture Series on March 16 about a new electrochemical process for decarbonization that his company recently pioneered. The process, known as molten oxide electrolysis, has the potential to make an industry which produces 10% of global carbon emissions greener, Carneiro said.

University

Tufts admits 9.5% to undergraduate Class of 2027

By Aaron Gruen | March 28

Tufts admitted 9.5% of students to the Class of 2027 from roughly 34,000 applicants, it announced on March 22. Acceptances were granted to the most diverse applicant pool the university has ever seen. This year’s class is one of the most selective in the university’s history, following last year’s record-low 9.7% acceptance rate.

University

Tisch College event explores bipartisanship in Mass. politics

By Zoe Kava | March 28

The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life hosted a Civic Life Lunch on March 14 to discuss the possibilities of bipartisanship in Massachusetts and national politics. The virtual event, titled “The Massachusetts Model: Bipartisanship on Beacon Hill,” was co-sponsored by the Political Science Department, Tufts ACTION, Tufts CIVIC, the Tufts Democrats and the Tufts Republicans.

University

Lee Edelman discusses his new book, queer theory, future of education with Jess Keiser

By Aaron Gruen | March 17

Lee Edelman discussed his new book “Bad Education: Why Queer Theory Teaches Us Nothing,” with fellow Tufts English professor Jess Keiser on March 9 at an English department event. Edelman, the Fletcher professor of English literature at Tufts, and Keiser unpacked the book’s key theses and its relevance in today’s context.

University

EPIIC Symposium explores race in global politics with State Dept. Rep Desirée Cormier Smith

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali and Anna Fattaey | March 16

The Institute for Global Leadership at Tisch College hosted the annual Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship Symposium from March 9–11. Titled “Power and Prejudice: Race and International Relations,” the three-day event hosted several panel discussions on the prevalence of racial issues in global politics. Desirée Cormier Smith, special representative for racial equity and justice in the U.S. Department of State, delivered the keynote address for the symposium.

University

TCU Senate calls on Tufts to divest from fossil fuels at March 12 meeting

By Aaron Gruen | March 16

The TCU Senate unanimously called on Tufts to divest from fossil fuels and commit to carbon neutrality by 2030 at its weekly meeting on March 12.

University

Steve Tisch donates $10 million to Schuler Access Initiative

By Tessa Moore | March 15

Steve Tisch (A’71) made a $10 million donation toward the Schuler Access Initiative as part of the Brighter World campaign. The Schuler Access Initiative is a $25 million “challenge gift” from Jack Schuler (A’62) and Tanya Schuler Sharman (E’91), co-founders of the Schuler Education Foundation.

University

Afghan human rights activist Sima Samar speaks at Fletcher Intl. Women’s Day event

By Aaron Gruen | March 15

Dr. Sima Samar, an Afghan activist and human rights advocate, spoke at an International Women’s Day event on March 8 sponsored by The Fletcher School. Samar, a visiting scholar at Fletcher, spoke about the history and current state of women’s rights in Afghanistan.

University

Dr. Mitchell Lunn receives Lyon and Bendheim Citizenship Award for LGBTQ+ advocacy in medicine

By Shannon Murphy | March 14

Mitchell Lunn (LA’04), an associate professor of nephrology, epidemiology and population health at Stanford University School of Medicine, received Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life’s 2023 Lyon and Bendheim Citizenship Award in Barnum Hall on March 7 for his work in representing sexual and gender minority populations in healthcare.

University

University Chaplaincy’s Russell Lecture hosts honorary degree recipient Ofelia Zepeda

By Akisha Tokwe | March 14

The Tufts University Chaplaincy held its annual Russell Lecture on Spiritual Life on March 7, with a lecture by Ofelia Zepeda, a 2021 Tufts honorary degree recipient. Zepeda, a poet and scholar, lectured on the intersection of language and spirituality, and the role of poetry in reviving indigenous languages.

Local

Somerville allocates $1.6 million toward housing supportive services

By Estelle Anderson | March 13

Somerville’s Housing Division plans to allocate $1.6 million in federal funds towards services including rental assistance and housing stabilization by 2030. The funds were awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership American Rescue Plan Program, an initiative that provides funding to reduce homelessness and increase housing stability across the country.

University

Lawrence Uricchio honored with the Youniss Family Professorship of Innovation

By Kaashvi Ahuja | March 13

University President Anthony Monaco hosted an event in Ballou Hall on Wednesday to present the inaugural Youniss Family Professorship of Innovation to Professor Lawrence Uricchio.

University

TCU Senate calls for SWANA space, asks professors to list course costs on SIS

By Matthew Sage | March 10

The TCU Senate approved a resolution at their weekly meeting on March 5 calling on Tufts to create a center for Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) students and a resolution calling on Tufts professors to heighten transparency of course costs on all SIS course pages. At the same meeting, senators introduced a full-text resolution calling on the university to commit to institutional climate justice, created a new subcommittee focused on sexual assault prevention and approved eight supplementary funding requests.

Science

Tufts professors receive $8 million investment for biotech startup

By Taylor Escudero | March 9

Morphoceuticals, a biotech company co-founded by Tufts professors Michael Levin and David Kaplan, recently received $8 million in seed funding from Prime Movers Lab and Juvenescence. The company is taking a new approach to the challenge of regenerative medicine by exploring the bioelectric controls of the human body to induce the regeneration of tissue, limbs and organs. Levin hopes their work can revolutionize regenerative applications and help millions of people with various injuries and health conditions.

University

Headlines from the Hill

By Aaron Gruen | March 9

Tufts aims to purchase former Zeta Psi building at 80 Professors Row

University

Fletcher panel on Russia-Ukraine war discusses lessons from the conflict, future of international politics

By Ishaan Rajiv Rajabali | March 8

The Fletcher School hosted a panel titled “How Has the Russia-Ukraine War Changed the International Security Environment?” on Feb. 27. Chaired by Monica Toft, the director of Fletcher’s Center for Strategic Studies, the discussion included Professors Daniel Drezner and Kelly Greenhill, and visiting scholars Pavel Luzin and Volodymyr Dubovyk, who is affiliated with Odesa I. Mechnikov National University in Ukraine.

University

Climate strike takes on fossil fuel finance, Ukraine war

By Daniel Vos | March 7

Students gathered outside of the Mayer Campus Center on March 3, before the Global Climate Strike in Boston, to protest Tufts’ fossil fuel investments and rising global carbon emissions. Rachel Kyte, dean of The Fletcher School, spoke at the rally, offering support to protesters calling for divestment.

University

Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies announces changes to major requirements

By Layla Kennington | March 7

The Tufts Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies recently announced changes to its major requirements, including increasing flexibility in terms of electives and a decrease in certain required classes. Students matriculating in fall 2023 will be the first class required to adhere to the new curriculum for TDPS.

University

Murrow Forum will return to Tufts with CNN’s Abby Phillip on April 3

By Aaron Gruen | March 6

The Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism will return to Tufts for the first time since 2018 at noon on April 3 with CNN’s Abby Phillip slated as this year’s speaker. Sponsored by Tisch College’s Solomont Speaker Series, Phillip will discuss her work at CNN with Tufts alumnus and trustee Neil Shapiro (A’80).