Insomnia

Three Questions: On Enlightenment

In a new exhibit, Liliane Weissberg, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences, reflects on the contradictions inherent in the Enlightenment—and that are our legacy still today.

Office Artifacts: Jean-Christophe Cloutier

Discover the stories behind six prized items in the office of Cloutier, Associate Professor of English, including a poster signed by Adam West, a Charlie Chaplin figure, and a Star Trek bottle opener.

Origin Stories: Ayako Kano (Video)

Kano, a professor of Japanese studies, discusses her love of music and theater, her grandfather’s notebook, plus her path to academia and her notions of scholarship “as an art and as a way of life.”

Origin Stories: Daniel Mindiola (Video)

The Brush Family Professor of Chemistry on being raised in a bilingual home, his journey from Venezuela to Michigan to MIT, and the importance of mentors.

Office Artifacts: Eric J. Schelter

Discover the story behind several of the Hirschmann-Makineni Professor of Chemistry’s favorite office items.

Three Questions: On Laughter

Corine Labridy, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies, writes and teaches about laughter, as well as its role in building identity and making sense of tough times.

Summer Reading: Michael Mann

Suggestions for your summer reading list from the Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science.

Three Questions: Working in a Pharmacy During the Pandemic

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shivani Nellore, C’23, W’23, took a job as a pharmacy tech, learning a great deal about medications and humans in the process.

Origin Stories: Heather Love (Video)

The Professor of English on school as a stable place during a mobile childhood, her journey to academia via a furniture store, and her joy in discovering the many ways to study literature and work for justice.

Office Artifacts: Justin McDaniel

Discover the stories behind the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Religious Studies’ office items—in his own words.

Three Questions: Medieval Robots

Elly R. Truitt, Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science, discusses the history of robots and automata in medieval Latin culture, the impulses that drove their creation, and shared characteristics with modern-day robots.

Halloween: Chilling Selections

A sampling of some of our spookiest stories.

Summer Reading Selections: Mia Bay

What the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History is looking forward to reading this summer.

Office Artifacts: Eve Troutt Powell

Discover the stories behind the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of History and Africana Studies’ office items—in her own words.

Origin Stories: Quayshawn Spencer (Video)

The Robert S. Blank Presidential Associate Professor of Philosophy on his early love of biology, his turn into the philosophy of science, and his educational journey from Nashville to Cornell to Stanford.