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Tuesday, april 12, 2011

VOluMe lXi, NuMBer 46

Tufts to implement cluster-hiring

Couric discusses new media in journalism

b y El l E n Ka n

Daily Editorial Board

program next fall

CBS Evening News anchor Katie
Couric at yesterday’s sixth-annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism said that the expansion of social media has greatly increased the reach and impact of her work.
“Things live on in perpetuity on the
Internet … A lot of the interviews I’ve done are online; that’s allowed people to share it and view it, repeatedly in some cases — certainly that added to the impact of the interview had it just run alone on the CBS Evening News,” Couric said, referring to her interviews with then-Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, which were widely believed to have changed the 2008 electoral landscape.
Theforumwasjointlysponsoredbythe
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the Communications and Media Studies (CMS) Program and the Edward R. Murrow Center for the Study of Public Diplomacy.
Couric, who also spent 15 years as coanchor of NBC’s “Today” show, also cautioned the audience at the packed Cabot Auditorium not to let the time pressures of social media compromise reporting standards.

b y Mi n y o u n g So n g

Daily Editorial Board

The School of Arts and Sciences last month decided to begin using a new hiring practice, known as cluster hiring, next semester, with the hopes of enhancing and forging interdisciplinary connections between departments.
Cluster hiring is the practice of simultaneously taking on multiple tenure-stream professors whose areas of expertise are complementary. The university will pilot this initiative in conjunction with the interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program, according to Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney.
“We will hire three tenure-stream professors who will be full, participating members in home departments and have courses cross-listed with Environmental Studies,” BergerSweeney said.
The new hires will begin teaching in fall 2012, according to Dean of Academic Affairs for Arts and Sciences Andrew McClellan. The process will address the need to forge interdisciplinary connections by employing faculty to teach outside of their home departments, McClellan said.
He explained that the three new faculty members would ideally be drawn from distinct distribution areas — the natural sciences, the social sciences and either the humanities or the arts.
The new hires are expected not only
“I think there are dangers. It’s a relatively new instrument, it’s incredible — I marvel at what you can do with this new technology — but I think that sometimes, our values don’t keep pace with this immediacy,” she said. “We have to be respectful of this incredibly powerful tool and learn how best to use it, and in some ways we still have our training

ALExANDRA GOLDMAN/TUfTS DAILY

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric signs books in the campus bookstore before speaking at the Edward R. Murrow forum yesterday afternoon.

see HIRING, page 2

see COURIC, page 2

2011-2012 TCU Senate seats go uncontested; 17 students walk on

Student group donates idle computer time to facilitate global research

Seats for next year’s senior, be the representatives for the junior and sophomore classes class of 2012 on next year’s on the Tufts Community Union Senate.

b y Sa r a h Tr a l i n S

Contributing Writer

to remotely harness energy from tory research to cure cancer.

(TCU)

Senate

The class of 2013 will be

their computers and use it to

“We are using cancer specifi-

were last week represented by Ard Ardalan, finalized in an Wyatt Cadley, Yulia Korovikov,

power computations for research cally to advertise it, but it does a

A group of students has put in a wide variety of fields.

lot of research on different topics,”

uncontestedelec- Shawyoun tion, according Jeremy Zelinger.

to Tufts Election

Joe Donenfeld, Christopher

C o m m i s s i o n Ghadban,

Christie

(ECOM).

Maciejewski, Joe Thibodeau

Shaidani

and

their computers’ idle time to work

While the idle time can benefit Pilchik said.

curing cancer and saving the envi- scientists doing research in any-

The software, Berkley Open

ronment.

thing from possible cures for mus- Infrastructure

for

Network

Students that join the initia- cular dystrophy to finding new Computing (BOINC), supports a tive started last month by fresh- sources of clean energy, Pilchik is worldwide grid that connects any man Brian Pilchik can download aiming his effort, called “Tufts 4 computer running the program to a program that allows scientists the Cure,” specifically at labora- a database of scientific research.
BOINC, developed six years ago

Seven rising and Lia Weintraub will represeniors, five rising juniors and sent the class of 2014.
Empty seats on the TCU fied for spots on the Senate Judiciary and the Committee next year after submitting the on Student Life will be filled five rising sophomores quali-

at the University of California at Berkeley, allows personal computers to receive data associated with a research project indicated by the

required paperwork.
The Senate reserves seven fall, according to McManus.

seats for each class. ECOM

Members of the LGBT and

during a special election in the

user’s choice.
The computers, once joined to a global network, process the data, completing calculations that simulate processes like protein folding or chemical reactions. Once

chair Katherine McManus, Latino communities at last a sophomore, said the two night’s candidates meeting empty seats in next year’s submitted uncontested applijunior and sophomore classes cations for positions as comwill next fall be offered to munity representatives to the senior and junior candidates. If Senate.

the calculations are complete, the computer sends the solutions back to the labs from where they

no candidates claim the spots,

Candidates for the Senate

ECOM will arrange a special presidential election will be election to fill them, according nominated at a Senate meet-

originated. The program saves the researchers time and allows them to complete their research faster.

to McManus.

ing later this month, at which

Elections for incoming fresh- point they may begin their men will be held in the fall as campaigns, McManus said.

According to Pilchik, members of the Tufts community using the program have collectively provided the processing time to

well, McManus said.

Students will vote for next

Juniors Jonathan Danzig, year’s TCU president in an
Tomas Garcia, John Peter election on April 26. Kaytrosh, Timothy Lesinski,

DANAI MACRIDI/TUfTS DAILY

freshman Brian Pilchik is leading an initiative encouraging students to download a program that donates their laptops’ idle time to calculations which benefit cancer research.

save researchers across the world

Nunu Luo, Benjamin Richards and Matthew Schuman will

—by Martha Shanahan and
Kathryn Olson

see CURE, page 2

Inside this issue

Today’s sections

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

137

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

11 12 13

Senior theses allow for experiential learning.
“Source Code” soars high but falls flat.

10

Back

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 7

Th e Tu f T s Da i l y News

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

2

Couric recounts ‘frightening’ experience covering Tahrir Square protests in Egypt

COURIC

— she has spoken at about 10 commencement ceremonies, she said. The book compiles 116

continued from page 1

wheels on.”
Jonathan Tisch (A ’76), bene- contributions, including one factor of the namesake Tisch from Michelle Kwan, who was in College and current co-chair- the audience. Proceeds from the man of the Board of the Loews book will go toward Scholarship Corporation, participated in the America.

forum as Couric’s interviewer.

“There’s so much snarkiness

The forum, now in its sixth and cynicism out there, it’s nice year, brings together panelists to to read something that’s just sindiscuss the legacy of renowned cere and honest,” Couric said. broadcast journalist Edward R. “There’s some very consistent Murrow in relation to contem- themes in the lives of successful

porary journalism.

people, like being able to deal

Murrow set the standards with failure … [and] the imporfor pioneering reporting and is tance of making an imprint on credited for his role in expos- the wider world.”

ing the questionable practices

Tisch asked Couric to pro-

of then-Sen. Joseph McCarthy. vide the audience with the best Past speakers at the forum have advice that she had ever been included former NBC Nightly given. News anchor Tom Brokaw and MSNBC’s Hardball host Chris is something I tell people and

Matthews.

something remind myself,”

“‘To thine own self be true’
I
Couric said that social media she responded. “There’s a lot of have enabled her to connect noise out there passing judgwith her audience in a more ment, telling you what to do … I

interactive process.

try to encourage people to listen

“I like being connected to to their inner heart.”

viewers, to the people who are

Tisch noted that Couric’s

watching and who are engaged reporting has brought her to the in the world around them,” she heart of many difficult situations said. “Things like Facebook and and asked how she balances perTwitter have given me space to sonal safety with quality reporthave conversations — find out ing.

Justin MccalluM /tufts Daily

cBs Evening news anchor Katie couric spoke about her career yesterday at the sixth annual Edward R. Murrow

forum on issues in Journalism.

the things people care about, their concerns.”
“I take my responsibility very

seriously and try to be on the

Couric cited reporting in just didn’t know what was going that she will be parting ways

Couric earlier in the day also scene because I think being a Egypt during the February revo- to happen. A lot of reporters with the network, possibly to participated in a book signing at first-hand witness to history lution — especially when then- were being abused, photogra- start her own syndicated talk the bookstore for her new book, is irreplaceable,” she said, cit- President Hosni Mubarak made phers were getting roughed up. show with the “Today” show’s which was officially released ing her decision to report live a public announcement refusing This mob mentality was a very current co-anchor, Matt Lauer. today. “The Best Advice I Ever from the scene during the to step down — as a time when frightening thing to experience;

Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Deepwater Horizon oil spill and she has been most fearful.

we didn’t know what to expect.”

Lives” is a compilation of insight the February protests in Egypt.

“Tahrir Square just turned on

from prominent figures she has “At the same time, because I am a dime into a very frightening about what Couric will do when said. “Matt and I are very good

interviewed.

a single parent, I try to be careful scene; check points were set up,” her contract with CBS ends in friends … The speculation is

“I honestly don’t know; I’m figuring out what I’m doing,
In light of recent speculation looking at my options,” Couric

The idea for the book was about the decisions that I make Couric said. “That drive from the June, Tisch asked Couric about interesting … but he’s got a job, born out of Couric’s experience … I don’t want my daughters to hotel to the airport was one of her future career plans. Several and I’m going to figure out what

speaking to university students be orphans.”

the scariest drives of my life. You media outlets have speculated I’m going to do.”

Students’ computers linked to global research network
New hires expected to diversify Environmental Studies

HIRING

of debuting the cluster hiring practice ward for hiring practices at Tufts. in the Environmental Studies program. “I think hiring new faculty is among
“The Environmental Studies pro- the most important things that we

to enhance the current environmental studies curriculum, but also to gener- gram is at its critical juncture right do,” he said. “It’s the way we create ate new programming and pedagogical now,” he said. “I think this is one more new energy and excitement at the uniideas, Dean of Academic Affairs for positive sign for the program and a versity, so I think this is a very excit-

CURe

Arts and Sciences James Glaser said.
Glaser emphasized the value of and exciting ways.”

good time to see the program in new ing initiative with promises to bring a

nearly eight years of work. Roughly 60

students are currently running the program on their computers, he said.
Pilchik added that he was involved in encouraging his peers to use the program before coming to Tufts. new level of interdisciplinary energy to studying the environment from diverse perspectives, noting that scholars from new initiative represents a big step fordifferent disciplines employ different research methodologies.
McClellan likewise believes that the Tufts’ campus.”
“Based on different departments, we will create a synergy that will be very beneficial to the school, the students, and the creation of knowledge with regards to research,” he said.
Berger-Sweeney said that the
Environmental Studies program is the appropriate forum to pilot this initiative because of its broad nature, enabling virtually all departments to participate. The program also enjoys popularity at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, she added.
“We wanted to choose something within Environmental Studies and Arts and Sciences in which we could leverage the strengths in other parts of the universities,” she said.
The university’s launch of a cluster-hiring program reflects a national trend, according to McClellan.
“As knowledge moves into [this] century, it is increasingly happening at the connective points at different fields of knowledge, so what we want to do is build into the structure of the university, people, projects and initiatives that happen at departments and programs … ”McClellan said.
Faculty members will be able to provide input on the selection of future candidates for cluster hiring, according to a letter sent by Berger-Sweeney to School of Arts and Sciences faculty. She also noted that the university will conduct an external review of all interdisciplinary programs within the School of Arts and Sciences next year.
“I started using it myself back in high school,” he said. “I thought it was a pretty cool thing, and I tried to get my friends to use it.”
Any computer that has downloaded
BOINC software automatically runs the program once it is idle, according to Pilchik.
Pilchik said Tufts was an ideal setting to promote the use of the technology to effect change.
“When I came here [to Tufts], I thought it would be cool to spread it,” he said. “I guess I figured that since we have a community of young people here who are interested in technology that could help make a difference in the world, a college campus would be the perfect place to promote interest. We’re all about community action and social change, and we can make a difference using this program.”
Freshman Melissa MacEwen, who has been using the program since last month, said she was inspired by the impact her computer could have when connected to the network.
“I think it’s really great and it’s a creative way to address relevant and pressing scientific needs,” she said.
Freshmen Sydney Post and MayaBea
Schechner have both been donating their laptops’ idle time to the network after Pilchick told them about the program.
“I think that it’s a really cool idea that you can use your computer to help process bits of research,” Post said.
Schechner agreed, adding that she checks her statistics and totals on the website from time to time.
Professor
Environmental Director Colin Orians supports the idea

of

Biology

Studies Program

and

“I’m always impressed by how much run-

time I’ve accumulated, or how many different projects I’ve been a part of,” she said.

MEREDith KlEin/tufts Daily

Dean carol Berger-sweeney is spearheading the implementation of a cluster-hiring pilot program.

3

Features

tuftsdaily.com

Romy oltuski | the Dilettante

Not your run-of-the-mill senior thesis

Living above your means

Tufts seniors undertake unique endeavors for research projects

studies in which the student identi- Shanghai World Expo, a world fair fies a topic of interest, forms a plan in which nations put forth exhibits of action with his or her adviser and about their countries for the general

b y Me g a n Ko n o

Contributing Writer

Senior Lumay Wang sat across from individually carries out the research public to view. She looked specifically
Murat Salim Esenli, the Turkish ambas- and explication of the chosen subject. at the visual images shown by each sador to China, on August 11, 2010, as This year, many of the theses sub- country for the general consumption she explained the message behind jects have exemplified the diversity of the Chinese populace. ou know that song by Vampire Weekend about getting out of Cape Cod? I never got what they were talking about until spring break.

Y

the display that Turkey had chosen of interests on campus as well as the

“When you think about national

I grew up the daughter of German

immigrants in New York and attended Yeshiva grades K-12. Obviously, I had never vacationed on the Cape. And yet those words, “the Cape,” always managed to evoke a kind of American enchantment I had encountered only in books and movies. The sound of those words alone seemed to carry in them the implication of beautiful people, more specifically, of Nate Archibald from “Gossip Girl.” And so I was fully expecting to meet Nate Archibald from “Gossip Girl” or at least someone with equally beautiful green eyes and cashmere sweaters when four friends and I vacationed there over spring break.
A note: Nate Archibald from “Gossip
Girl” does not spend spring break on “the Cape.” Neither does anyone else. Spring break on Cape Cod is cold — which shouldn’t have necessarily come as a shock in seaside Massachusetts at the end of a relentless winter — and people don’t like to be there. I can probably count, with fingers, the people other than us five with whom we interacted, and it doesn’t amount to many: the construction workers who built an entire hotel next door in one week and, I think, said ‘Hi’ to us once; the cute lesbian couple that gave us directions in P-town; our various waiters and bartenders; one college-aged couple that seemed equally as confused by their surroundings as we were. Yep, I think that’s it. There was also an old man sitting by the pool while we were there. He didn’t actually talk to us, but when human proximity is rare, it counts. No one, other than the above-mentioned people, goes to Cape Cod in the spring. Including Nate Archibald from “Gossip Girl.” to exhibit at the 2010 Shanghai World ingenuity of those undertaking the identity, it’s a very complex idea, but Expo. She was at the Expo research- projects. This is a small sampling of a at the Expo it’s very simplified,” Wang ing how nations brand themselves few such theses. to the Chinese public through visual representation, and her research led Lumay Wang her to an interview with the ambassador himself, as well as the Turkish politics of visual culture said. “It has to be, because they are creating nation brand to attract more Chinese consumers. Because of a
“Generally, I am interested in the China’s growing economy, and the rest

how of the world’s financial crisis, these

—

Consulate General and the pavilion things are represented, how we view countries are trying to attract busidirector in charge of the entire Turkish the world, nations especially,” Wang ness at the Expo.”

exhibit. Wang’s thesis, not unlike said of her thesis topic for both her

From her specific experience at the

many chosen by Tufts students from art history and international relations Shanghai World Expo, Wang gained the class of 2011, is not your run-of- majors. “I am specifically looking at knowledge not only of the specific the-mill research project.
Tufts seniors have the option of they represent themselves. It’s called visual culture as a whole.

writing a year-long senior thesis in nation branding.”

“Anyone can manipulate visual cul-

With the help of the Tufts Summer ture,” Wang said. “The Expo is just the representation of nations, how countries she researched, but also of order to fulfill class requirements for graduation. Unlike other classes at Scholars Program, Wang traveled one example. It’s significant because, Tufts, theses are often independent to Shanghai in August for the 2010 for instance, most of the visitors to the Expo were Chinese. For the most part they have little knowledge of the countries [there], so what they see presented by different countries influences their perception of the world.”
Wang is currently making final adjustments to her thesis and preparing for her thesis defense in front of members of the Department of Art History and International Relations Program. She will also be speaking tomorrow at the Tufts Idea Exchange about the larger ideas of her thesis.