A sugar tax on the companies, not the consumers
Obesity rates for children and adults are on the rise across not only the United States but also most Westernized countries in the world. A heavy fat and sugar diet is to blame. As more artificial sugars and substitutes are created in labs and find their way into the market, serious re-evaluation of the food […]
Brandeis Innovation: the intersection of entrepreneurship and research
UPDATED 4/18 at 2:11 p.m. “Brandeis Innovation is one of Brandeis’ best-kept secrets,” said Rebecca Menapace, the assistant provost for innovation as well as the executive director of the Office of Technology and Licensing and the Hassenfeld Family Innovation Center. Housed in the Bernstein-Marcus Administrative building, Brandeis Innovation, which encompasses the Office of Technology Licensing […]
Betsy DeVos does not have America’s best interests in mind
If the American education system has any chance of improving its international standing, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has got to go. All students deserve an equal opportunity at a great education, and Betsy DeVos’ vision is not in the best interest of the general population. DeVos maintains an extreme bias toward exclusive, privatized education. […]
The community oriented future for Goldfarb and Farber
As a central hub for innovation and studying, Goldfarb Library and Farber Study Hall are at the center of campus, allowing students to study late into the night and collaborate with classmates. Matthew Sheehy, the University Librarian for Brandeis, finds the term of library evolving in his eyes. “The library has always been a place […]
Our justice system should focus on rehabilitation
A prisoners’ standard of living varies greatly from those of us on the other side of the bars. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, since the beginning of 2018, there have been 2.3 million people housed in American correctional facilities, whether it be state prisons or juvenile detention centers. As the country with the highest […]
International Center for Ethics celebrates its 20th anniversary
The International Center for Ethics celebrated its 20th anniversary on Monday, March 12, with the event “A Powerful Fire: Performances to Energize Our Next 20 Years,” which contained a variety of performers, panelists and a symposium. Seventeen Brandeis students, faculty, administrators and guests gathered for the symposium: “Democracies in Peril: The Role of the University.” […]
Time’s up: the power in the money
: Male reign over society is slowly but surely coming to an end. It appears that after being viewed as the dominant sex for thousands of years, the power has gone to their head. Men, however, are in for a rude awakening because their time’s up. Our society is not static. Old systems of power […]
Professor receives grant to combat terrorism
Brandeis professor Jytte Klausen (POL) received $731,000 in funding to create a database predicting the patterns of radicalization and terrorism. Klausen and Anura Jayasumana, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Colorado State University, received the grant from The National Institute of Justice, the research portion of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). They […]
The fashion industry needs to catch up to changing beauty standards
There’s no doubt beauty standards have evolved over time. During the Renaissance, women were expected to have full figures that today might be considered overweight. This difference in beauty standards has to do with status. During the Renaissance, Europe had stricter class systems than it does now. With these class systems, and little possibility of […]
Professor Coiner and his enigmatic economics
Economics professor Michael Coiner is not a monotone lecturer. While explaining supply and demand graphs or discussing President Trump’s trade policy, students recall Coiner’s excitement building to a peak. With chalk flying across the board, his voice rises, his arms wave, his face reddens and he eventually begins to pace up and down the aisles […]
Students create app to simplify travel arrangements
Right before and after breaks, all the respective MyDeis Facebook pages fill up with students desperately looking for people to commute with them to or from the airport to save a bit of cash. With the influx of these posts, everything gets lost in the shuffle and no one is able to find rides. The […]
Waltham listed as top city to live in Massachusetts
Money magazine ranked Waltham #13 out of 100 on their list of the “Best Places to Live,” an annually released list of the best cities to live in around the United States. Waltham was the top ranked city in Massachusetts. Members of the Waltham, Brandeis and Bentley communities celebrated this achievement on Feb. 15 through […]
On Bill and Melinda Gates’ annual letter
It is remarkable that Microsoft has been around for 43 years already, and that one of the founders, Bill Gates, has been the richest person in the United States, according to Forbes, for 24 years straight. With a net worth of 91.1 billion dollars, it makes me happy to know Bill and Melinda are doing […]
A major reform is needed to prevent mass shootings
Too often in recent years have we become accustomed to hearing about mass shootings in the news. A mass shooting, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), is the use of any gun that produces four or more injured or dead victims. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), defines it as an event in which […]
The truth behind human embryonic stem cell research
As someone extremely passionate about science, it frustrates me to see scientific research halted by people who are not completely informed about a topic. Before going straight to judgment, learn the history and all the facts and make an informed decision, not an uninformed decision. Stem cell research has been around since the late 20th […]
The merging of citizen science and social justice
Students and faculty convened in the International Lounge on Tuesday, Feb. 6, where Dr. Mark Chandler, the International Director of Research at the Earthwatch Institute, discussed the power of citizen science (cit sci) and its overarching benefits. Hannah Stewart ’18 organized the event. She “wanted to learn more about citizen science and what ways it […]
Nine of ten Student Union positions filled
This past week, the Brandeis Student Union held their winter elections to fill 10 open positions on the Senate, Allocation Board, Judiciary and Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. Seventeen candidates ran and nine positions were filled. In the Senate, spots were open for Mid-Year Senator as well as Ziv Quad Senator. Shangyuan (Gloria) Xu ’21 ran uncontested […]
Step it up America: A conversation about mental illness
When rapper Logic first released his song titled “1-800-273-8255,” the number to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, traffic to the hotline’s website and social media accounts spiked immediately. It was “the most important song I’ve ever wrote,” Logic tweeted, adding statistics stating the Lifeline’s website traffic increased by 17 percent in May 2017 and over […]
Students explore the broad scope of comparative literature and humanities
How does one study the human experience? At Brandeis, the Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature and Culture allows students to explore culture and texts to find new ways of thinking about the world. Prof. Matthew Fraleigh is the undergraduate advising head for the Comparative Literature and Culture program, as well as the chair of […]
Faculty Spotlight: Jonathan Touboul
At the beginning of the semester, Dr. Jonathan Touboul joined the mathematics department as an associate professor and one of the three faculty members at the Volen National Center for Complex Systems. Prior to his arrival at Brandeis, Touboul received his Ph.D. in mathematics at the École Polytechnique. Before coming to Brandeis, Touboul was the […]
