South Asian Student Association presents MELA 2023

The Brandeis South Asian Student Association (SASA) recently held their annual cultural show MELA, featuring student dance, vocal, instrumental and comedic performances as well as speeches from SASA representatives and faculty members. The event was held during Brandeis’ I Am Global Week, which is a week-long campus celebration of diverse ethnic customs that promotes cross-cultural […]

Brandeis announces 53rd Rosenstiel Award winner

Professor of Biochemistry and Structural Biology Wolfgang Baumeister has been named the 53rd winner of the Rosenstiel Award for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Research. Baumeister is celebrated for his pioneering work developing a technique called cryo-electron tomography. To answer research questions at the intersection of biology and chemistry, it is often crucial to be […]

Brandeis students hold walkout to protest police brutality

On Nov. 13, 2023, members of the Brandeis community left their classes and other commitments to gather on the Great Lawn in response to the arrest of seven members of the protest that occured on Friday, Nov. 10. Close to 100 people silently kneeled and sat on the Great Lawn, carrying blank papers as part […]

Gabbay Award winners Craig Crews and Raymond Deshaies discuss PROTACs

Researchers Craig Crews and Raymond Deshaies were awarded the 25th annual Jacob and Louis Gabbay Award in Biotechnology and Medicine for the development of the proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology in targeted protein degradation. The Gabbay Award recognizes research that has a distinct practical application that is derived from basic science roots. As described on the […]

New developments with Brandeis’ microscope facilities

Microscopes play a pivotal role in uncovering key biological discoveries by allowing scientists to visualize structures that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye. Recently, the Brandeis Light Microscopy Facility and the Electron Microscopy Facility have had a number of updates in staff and inventory. In an interview with The Hoot, staff and faculty […]

Brandeis hosts JustArts faculty and staff art exhibition

Brandeis is currently hosting JustArts, the twice-a-year celebration of Brandeis faculty and staff artwork, from Oct. 2 to 23 at the Dreitzer Gallery. In addition to faculty and staff, postdoctoral researchers and faculty emeriti were encouraged to participate as well. The artwork ranged from a wide variety of artistic mediums, such as paintings, fabric, photographs, […]

Brandeis alum Drew Weissman and Katalin Karikó win Nobel Prize

Drew Weissman ’81, GSAS MA ’81, P’15, H’23 and Senior Vice President at BioNTech RNA Pharmaceuticals Katalin Karikó H’23 jointly won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their pioneering work on messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their collective research on how mRNA interacts with the human immune system […]

Tree for Taking founders develop sustainable guitars

Sam Aronson (Heller Social Impact MBA ’23 and ’20) and Alden Kennedy (Heller Social Impact MBA ’23) recently founded their company Tree for Taking with the vision of reinventing the guitar manufacturing industry to become more sustainable. In an interview with The Hoot, they discuss their journey in founding Tree for Taking as well as […]

Brandeis physics students create Women in Physics group

Brandeis Physics PhD candidate Kanaya Malakar recently led efforts to establish the Women in Physics Group through the aid of a grant from the American Physical Society (APS). The APS awarded 20 grants to support their mission of bridging the gender gap in physics and scientific research. Through this award, as well as support from […]

Brandeis Biology and Neuroscience host diversity, equity and inclusion workshops

The Brandeis Joint Biology/Neuroscience (Bio/Neuro) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee recently organized two workshops titled, “Brandeis DEI Workshop Series for Science Labs: Understanding Implicit Bias, Microaggressions and Cultural Awareness.” The workshops are led by Dr. Charles Chip Mc Neal, Director of DEI Education and Learning Initiatives at Brandeis. The overarching goal of the two […]

Professor Sabine von Mering discusses the impact of the climate crisis on elderly populations

Brandeis professor Sabine von Mering discusses the need for greater support and attention towards the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to elements of the climate crisis, in a CommonWealth journal article titled, “Nobody should be facing the climate crisis alone.” The article cites statistics demonstrating the rising trend of elderly people living alone and lists […]

New campus transportation services

Brandeis University recently announced several updates to transportation services beginning Monday, Aug. 21 in an email from Lois Stanley, Vice President of Campus Planning and Campus Operations. These changes include a new transportation provider, mobile software for transportation tracking and a new public forum for receiving feedback.   DPV Transportation is replacing Brandeis University’s previous […]

SciFest XII celebrates undergraduate scientific research

The Brandeis community recently celebrated SciFest, the largest annual poster symposium for undergraduates conducting scientific research. This year marked the 12th annual SciFest and was held at the Shapiro Science Center on Aug. 10. Altogether, there were 104 presenters from a wide range of scientific backgrounds. Student presenters described their experience conducting research and presenting […]

GSAS 70th anniversary features keynote speaker Dorothee Kern

Brandeis celebrated the 70th anniversary for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) this week, bringing together current graduate students, alumni, faculty and administrators. This year’s speaker was Dorothee Kern, who is a Professor of Biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Beyond her responsibilities leading her research group at Brandeis, Kern also […]

Brandeis students establish Pickleball Club

Brandeis undergraduate students Jack Granahan ’26 and Parker Press ’26 recently established Pickleball Club, making their club the first Boston-based collegiate pickleball team, according to CBS News. The two club leaders discussed what motivated them to create the club and their future goals in an interview with The Hoot.  Pickleball is a racket sport that […]

Critical Conversations: Is belief in God incompatible with science?

Brandeis hosted the 2022-2023 academic year’s third Critical Conversation, titled “Is Belief in God Incompatible with Science?” The panel featured Professor Paul Miller (BIOL) and Professor John F. Wardle (PHYS), who represented two faculty members in science who differ in their religious beliefs. Associate Professor of the Philosophy of Justice, Rights and Social Change Rajesh […]

Annual Latina Poetry Night in celebration of Women’s History Month

The Brandeis Hispanic Studies and Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies programs recently hosted their Annual Latina Poetry Night in recognition of Women’s History Month. The purpose of this event was to uplift Latina voices and celebrate women’s history. Students from the programs had prepared recitations of poetry to share with the audience based on […]

Intercultural Center celebrates its 31st anniversary

The Brandeis Intercultural Center (ICC) is a shared meeting space for the diverse campus culture clubs and is located in Swig Hall. As described on the ICC webpage, “The ICC is dedicated to creating a haven of respect, education and celebration that aims to develop critical consciousness and awareness of the myriad cultures of Brandeis […]

Brandeis participates in Putnam Mathematics Competition

Professor of Mathematics Olivier Bernardi announced Brandeis’ performance at the 83rd annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition based on recently released results. The competition took place on Dec. 3, 2022. The Brandeis team ranked 39th out of the 456 institutions that participated in the competition.  The Putnam Competition is known as the preeminent mathematics competition […]