There is no doubt that the world of science, technology, engineering and math can be intimidating for many students. Tufts' Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), however, is working to break down the barriers that deter so many students from starting to explore these important fields at a young age.
While the taste of a flower bud may not be what you are thinking of while walking around Tufts' campus, there are many more edible options than one would expect, according to Associate Professor of Biology George Ellmore. For the past five years, Ellmore has led students and community members around Tufts for seasonal culinary tours, exposing the bounty of edible plant life hidden in plain sight throughout campus.An expert botanist, Ellmore has been a member of the Tufts Department of Biology since 1980 after receiving his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley that same year. Ellmore noted, though, that his interest in foraging for food was not a popular one among students a decade ago.It used to be, 10 or 15 years ago, that if I brought a tropical fruit or seaweed into class maybe five or 10 students would taste it out of 100. Now 90 will taste it out of 100," he said.Ellmore links this change in attitude to an increased interest in the study of food security among Tufts students, particularly those enrolled in his popular springtime course "Plants and Humanity.""Students are much more adventurous than before," he said. "There is much more interest in food and in the springtime people wanted to go outside, so the idea came forth about five years ago to have campus tours that involved foraging."These campus tours have now expanded into the fall semester and, for the first time this year, in the summer - an event documented by a short video created by Tufts Multimedia Producer Steffan Hacker.In the video, titled "Edible Campus," Ellmore takes viewers along on one of his campus tours. In an approximately 40 square foot area behind the Fletcher School, Ellmore identifies and tastes seven different species of plants. These range from Daucus, commonly known as Queen Anne's Lace, to Stellaria, also known as chickweed. Daucus is the ancient ancestor of the modern day carrot and Stellaria, which was found growing in the shade of a wild apple tree, is described as "a very delicious green, a combination of alfalfa sprouts and baby spinach."By the end of the video Ellmore is eagerly saut?ing a handful of Day Lily buds over a camping stove. As rich as the plant life of the Boston area may be, it should come as no surprise that Ellmore's interest in plants takes him much further afield than Medford."One of the advantages of being a faculty member of Tufts is that while you might stay here, you have tremendous travel opportunities," he said. "So yes, here we are at Tufts, but I do work in Hawaii, the Bahamas, recently Vietnam. Tufts encourages us to do work abroad."Since 1999, Ellmore has taught "Flowers of the Alps" for students studying at Tufts' satellite campus, the European Center in Talloires, France. This class provides Jumbos with the opportunity to go out and experience what they are studying first hand."Every week we would trek into the French Alps and discover new plants, flowers and trees," junior Abbie Cohen said. "We would learn their names in French, English, Latin, alongside the plant's genus and family."According to Cohen, exams were unorthodox, and Ellmore made full use of the opportunity to explore the surrounding environment of Talloires."The class would go out onto a new area of the mountains and Professor Ellmore would grab a flower or point to a plant which we then had to fully identify on a flashcard," she said. "By the end of the course I learned over 100 different species of plants."Ellmore described his excitement for the richness of this summer opportunity."The Talloires campus is blessed with an eruption of wild flower color just when the students are there. Our summer semester in Talloires has flowers everywhere, and even non-botanists are always saying, 'What are these flowers,'" he said. "You can actually see meadows with more color than green, more yellows and oranges and blues than green. What's fun is hearing about the French people asking the Tufts students two or three weeks into the course about the flowers."In addition to teaching a course in Talloires, Ellmore also leads 14 students on a ten day Tropical Field Ecology trip in March at the Hummingbird Cay Field Station in the Bahamas. This trip is composed of both biology and geology students and allows them to work on various research projects.Ellmore was invited to the other side of the globe two years ago to help professors in Hanoi,Vietnam adopt different educational techniques. After this program was deemed a success, he was able to return to Vietnam with something more."A year later, I was able to get some funding through Tufts to bring two students to Vietnam to work on a couple of research projects," he said. "One was a project involving dragon fruits that required a 30 hour train ride into South Vietnam."Ellmore received support from the Tufts International Research Program to create his next project to help southern Vietnamese farmers."We set up certain experiments there to see if we could increase the efficiency of dragon fruit production by having small farmers use less electricity
Studying abroad isn't just for junior year anymore.Karen Adler (LA '13), for example, studied in Nantes, France during her junior year but this year chose to return and teach English to elementary school students.My French advisor was the one who told me about applying abroad to this program," Adler said.Adler was not alone in choosing to live and work abroad post-graduation: Fellow Jumbos are currently on Peace Corps missions in the Dominican Republic, teaching in Spain and teaching in Turkey through the Fulbright Scholar Program.On a pre-graduation exit survey, about 19 percent of the 2013 graduating class planned to work outside of the United States after graduation, Director of the Tufts Career Center Jean Papalia told the Daily in an email."We can point to specific examples of students who indicated destinations such as the following: Japanese Exchange and Teaching Programme, the Peace Corps, Teach For China, Embassy of the United States in Tokyo, a school in Honduras and a language program in Spain," Papalia said. "In terms of graduate school, the London School of Economics was another student's destination."Anne Moore, program specialist in Scholar Development, works with students to help them apply for prestigious fellowships like the Fulbright Scholar Program, the Rhodes Scholarship, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship. She pointed to the global-minded atmosphere at Tufts as a reason for which international lives are appealing to Tufts students."I certainly think Tufts' international focus encourages study abroad programs," Moore said. "I also think we have a pretty significant language requirement as opposed to other schools. I think that's certainly what makes our students competitive for international programs."As was the case for Adler, Papalia said that students' experiences studying abroad as undergraduates at Tufts can also have an influence on their plans for post-graduation life."40 to 45 percent of the Tufts student population elects to study abroad as undergraduates," Papalia said. "This trend, coupled with the Tufts community's global focus, accounts for the many students who seek employment or volunteer service abroad after they graduate. From an anecdotal perspective, career counselors report that they frequently work with seniors who express an interest in working abroad, often returning to a country where they studied."When asked what advice she would give to current undergraduates thinking about living and working abroad, Adler said to begin planning earlier rather than later."Start now," Adler said. "There are so many job opportunities you don't know are out there."Adler noted that living abroad was not always her plan, describing how she got an internship at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and also completed a work-study job at English at Large that provides free English language education to immigrants in the greater Boston area."In the back of my mind I had the idea that I would maybe do a masters in France," Adler said. "I thought it would be much easier to go abroad now, then get a job in publishing and take a sabbatical and expect to have a job once I came back."Adler explained why she looked at returning to Nantes instead of exploring another city in France."I knew the tram system, I knew which part of the city I wanted to live in," she said.While Adler chose to teach abroad, many international opportunities are volunteer- and service-oriented."At Tufts it seems to sway a little bit more toward the service-learning kind of thing," Moore said. "And I think that's a credit to our focus on active citizenship."With so many directions that students can take after leaving Tufts, the Career Center has taken a large role in assisting students through the planning process, according to Papalia."I'm happy to say that most students do take advantage of the Career Center and all the services offered," Papalia said. "Typically about 85 percent of graduating seniors report having used the Career Center during their four years. Last year Career Center staff conducted more than 5,000 individual coaching sessions with students."Outside of the Career Center, Tufts provides resources for students interested in living abroad by offering several on-campus cultural programs that might shape post-graduation goals, Moore said."Something good to start thinking about sophomore year is can you make all the different things that you are doing really work together," she said. "So if you are interested in international diplomacy, does it make the most sense to get involved in some of the programs through the Institute for Global Leadership, or maybe what makes more sense for you is to go live in the German [Language] House, or something else, or both of those things."Moore said, however, that the biggest challenge for students is not necessarily cultivating interest in applying to international programs: it is the writing sections of applications for nationally competitive scholarships."You have to write a personal statement for most competitive scholarships and fellowships," Moore said. "You are encouraged to do that in high school
Much of the recent dialogue surrounding the higher education system has focused on encouraging students to fulfill the demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics workers in the United States; some even claim that college students who study the humanities will face significant barriers when entering the workforce.On Jan. 30, President Obama contributed to this national conversation during a speech he delivered in Wisconsin, in which he discussed the nation's educational climate. I promise you, folks can make a lot more, potentially, with skilled manufacturing or the trades than they might with an art history degree," Obama said.Peter Probst, professor and chair of the Tufts Department of Art and Art History, was attending a conference in Germany when he read the President's remark."My first reaction was astonishment," Probst told the Daily in an email. "I did not expect such a comment from Obama. But I am afraid I was just naive. Dropping smoke grenades [is] part of the political business."According to the Tufts University 2012-13 Fact Book, the humanities are comprised of five majors: classics, comparative religion, English, history and philosophy. The arts include architectural studies, art history, drama and dance and music. 218 students graduated with one of these as their first major in 2011, and, in 2012, the humanities produced 202 graduates.With 80 graduates, English was the most popular major of the humanities in 2012
The addition of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta on the Hill has brought a flurry of excitement and discussion to the Greek system as it welcomes its new charter members. As Greek leaders view Theta's colonization on campus as a fresh start for the entire Greek community, many hope that this will challenge the student body's perceptions about Greek life.On a national scale, one visible issue in Greek life is diversity. This September, the University of Alabama was rocked by a scandal involving racially segregated sororities, prompting protests at the university. The incident in Alabama opened a discussion here on campus about diversity in Greek life.Though Tufts' Greek community is much smaller than the University of Alabama's, increasing diversity remains an area for potential improvement. In past years, for example, there were members of multicultural Greek letter organizations at Tufts; now, however, there is only one student on the Multicultural Greek Council - less than the three needed to actually make the council active according to Tufts policy.According to Hayley Keene, graduate assistant for the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, the office is supportive of spreading the word about the multicultural council.Across the board I know that IFC [(Interfraternity Council)] and Pan-Hell [(Panhellenic Council)] have been huge supporters in helping the one student that we have in the multicultural council with her organization, as well as helping her in her efforts to spread the word on creating and making the council actually active," Keene said.Elyse Galloway, a member of Chi Omega and president of the Inter-Greek Council pointed out the recent Oct. 8 Multicultural Greek information session, where representatives from multicultural organizations presented the histories of their organizations at Tufts."This past week we had an info session where various chapters of multicultural backgrounds - Latino, African American - came and presented," Galloway, a senior, said. "Each chapter basically gave a summary of their organization, their history and their location within the greater Boston area. What was great discussion-wise was that a lot of the chapters brought up how important the organizations were to them as multicultural students in their own communities."Keene explained that the impetus for the event was students' curiousity about these organizations and their presence on and off campus.Galloway said she thought that Greek life at Tufts has been improving in terms of diversity."I think that [the community] is becoming more diverse," Galloway said. "But there's always room for progress."Multicultural chapters throughout the greater Boston area were present at the information session, including Alpha Phi Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, a historically black fraternity and sorority, Galloway said."A lot of the chapters brought up how important the organizations were to them as multicultural students in their own communities," Galloway said. "Being able to provide that on this campus is essential."Greek leadership is adamant, however, that the Greek community at Tufts is not as homogeneous as it may seem. Jaime Morgen, a member of Alpha Phi and president of the Tufts Panhellenic Council, said that Tufts has a different type of Greek system compared to those of other schools."I think sometimes people come in with a perception of Greek life that it's one very stereotypical type of girl or guy that is involved," she said. "That's what the media portrays, that's what bigger schools often are. People don't realize that it's a very different culture at Tufts. We really do want anyone and everyone."According to Keene, no actual data is available regarding representation of minority groups in the Greek community at Tufts. Despite this, there is some consensus among Greek leadership that Tufts welcomes everyone. Barton Liang, the Theta Chi philanthropy co-chair who is also a New Media editor for the Daily, emphasized that peoples' perceptions of Greek life at Tufts are not based on reality."A lot of people just need to get to know Greek life at Tufts more," Liang, a sophomore, said. "Because [often] people pre-select themselves out of it without even trying to get to know brothers."Morgen agreed that students may have more in common with members of the Greek community than they think."We come from different places, but we're all bonded under something, as well," she said.Of course, diversity is multifaceted, and race is only one factor. The financial aspects of joining Greek life can be a big concern for students, since joining a Greek organization is expensive.Keene said that the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life is not very involved in funding members of organizations on campus."Each organization has its own financial component
Halfway through November, many male students have put their razors to rest to participate in the first No Shave November" contest held by Tufts Relay for Life (Tufts RFL). The contest is a play on the larger movement during the month of November, sometimes called "Movember," that aims ...
Associate Professor of Anthropology Stephen Bailey wrapped up this semester's Taste of Tufts, the Experimental College's weekly lecture series, on Friday. His discussion focused on the physical adaptations of human beings to extreme environments in which they live, which is also the topic of a class he will be teaching next spring called Extreme Environments: Human Adaptability to Novel Habitats. Specifically, his research has focused on human beings' ability to adjust to living in high altitudes.
Issues surrounding immigration and its reform are back in the spotlight, both on the national level and at Tufts. On Friday, President Obama paid a visit to activists who have been fasting on the National Mall for weeks in an effort to move progress on an immigration reform overhaul, which would provide a pathway towards citizenship for undocumented citizens. On the Hill, a new student group called United for Immigrant Justice (UIJ) has sprung into action this semester to reinvigorate the discussion of these issues on campus.UIJ held a rally at the lower patio of the Mayer Campus Center on Nov. 20 to display solidarity with undocumented immigrant students at University of Texas Austin. The rally responded to a game called Catch an Illegal Immigrant," which was hosted by the Young Conservatives of Texas at UT Austin. The game was eventually canceled after the university condemned it as "out of line with [its] values."UIJ also joined around 700 other people in a mass rally calling for immigration reform and justice in Boston last spring, and it joined the Tufts Labor Coalition and Tufts Democrats in hosting the "Raise Up Massachusetts: Rally for a Higher Minimum Wage" rally in Davis Square on Nov. 9.The group, led by sophomores Liz Palma and Rebeca Pessoa, came into being after the two attended a national conference last year organized by the Student Immigration Movement . SIM is an organization that works to mobilize youth on immigration issues in Massachusetts."Before the conference, starting a group was something that was already on our minds, because although there are a lot of political clubs and a lot of social justice clubs [on campus], there really aren't any that encompass immigration," Pessoa said.According to Pessoa, the conference was attended both by undocumented immigrants and allies, such as herself. Hearing the immigrants' stories firsthand empowered her to make the club a reality.Pessoa herself came to the United States from Brazil as a baby. Palma noted that her parents' emigration from Mexico, as well as her upbringing in a predominantly Latino community where undocumented worker immigrant issues were prevalent, made her want to join the group.UIJ, however, includes a wide variety of Tufts students, including junior Zobella Vinik."We're a diverse group of individuals from all years who are excited about bringing an awareness of, and movement toward, immigration justice on our campus," she said.UIJ, while new, is replacing a former Tufts group called Students at Tufts Acting for Immigrant Rights . According to the Africana Center, STAIR sought to focus on labor and foreign policy issues in relation to immigration, such as rights to freedom from discrimination. Palma, however, noted a lack of discussion on immigration issues at Tufts."I think some people are just afraid to bring up these issues, and it's unfortunate that that is the case," Palma said. "Also, once the DREAM Act didn't go through in 2010, a lot of people just gave up."However, UIJ is making strides towards filling that silence. Pessoa spoke highly of the Boston-wide immigration rally the group attended last spring, which was organized by chapters of the Service Employees International Union , Massachusetts Jobs with Justice and MassUniting."As UIJ that was our first event, and it was really awesome to be walking in solidarity with them," she said.The group's "Raise Up Massachusetts" rally showcased the close relationship of labor issues and immigration issues. In addition to a performance by Tufts B.E.A.T.S., the event included speeches by Lecturer of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Douglas Cliggott and Paula Castillo, an immigrant worker on the Tufts staff from El Salvador. Having worked at Tufts for 17 years, Castillo told her story as an immigrant from El Salvador."She was a great example of how workers are really dedicated," Pessoa said. "She has so much respect for Tufts and for Tufts students, and she is very dedicated to her job - and she definitely deserves more than what she is making."At the event, Cliggott spoke about how most people think raising the minimum wage would be detrimental to the economy and that it is not an affordable option, but that in reality, it may be much more beneficial for society."He used the 1930s and the Great Depression as a parallel example," Palma said. "He said that someone earning minimum wage would take 2,000 years to earn what a baseball player earns in a year. Hearing those kinds of stats was really powerful."According to Pessoa and Palma, he also argued that in economics classes at Tufts, professors do not necessarily teach those principles
Although students are back on campus, one familiar icon has not returned. This summer, the bronze sculpture of an acorn head that was located in a planter just downhill of Tisch Library, also known as Colossal AcornHead" by Vermont artist Leslie Fry, has disappeared. In its place is a new piece: "Autruche II," which translates to "Ostrich II," by French artist Quentin Garel. A native of Paris, France, Garel has won five awards for sculpting and drawing between 2001 and 2005, including one from the Acad?mie des Beaux-Arts, Paris, and the Salon de Mai, Paris.
Acclaimed for its study abroad programs, Tufts lacks diversity in its enrollment, according to a December 2013 report from the Council on Diversity. During their four years at Tufts, just 30 percent of African American students, compared to 53 percent of white students, will study abroad. While these rates of participation exceed those at peer schools, the university must ensure that all barriers to participation are understood and addressed," the Council wrote in the report.The report recommends Tufts improves its opportunities for inclusion in these international study opportunities. The Council expressed concerns that African American students may feel that they do not have equal opportunities to study abroad. "We have such a high rate of students who study abroad, we want to really open it to all students," Director of the International Center Jane Etish-Andrews said. Financial aid concerns are one of the largest barriers, according to students and administrators interviewed in the report. Thirty-two percent of African American students forego studying abroad because of financial reasons, according to the report. Though the university currently has efforts to ease these limitations, some are more fiscally feasible than others. "Students who go on [official Tufts study abroad] programs remain enrolled at Tufts," Associate Dean of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne said. "The credits are Tufts credits and the grades are Tufts grades, and whatever the financial aid package is, it goes with the student 100 percent on Tufts programs." But for students who study abroad outside of the 10 Tufts programs, there is an added cost."There's a $400 study elsewhere fee that goes to administrative costs of transfer of credit," she said. "Otherwise students can go shopping and comparison shop, and decide what program is best for them taking into account all of the different considerations." While Tufts programs are usually the best option for students with financial aid, there are resources for students to get financial help on a non-Tufts program, according to Foreign Study Advisor Brian Libby."The total cost of some non-Tufts programs is lower than Tufts tuition," Libby told the Daily in an e-mail. "Additionally, students have a variety of locations to choose from among the approved non-Tufts programs, some in places where the in-country cost of living is very affordable. This can be an important factor when considering potential out-of-pocket costs." Personal educational loans and federal financial aid such as a Stafford Loan or Pell Grant can provide financial aid for non-Tufts programs, Libby explained. There are also scholarships designed specifically for study abroad. Aside from the price tag, scheduling can present another major barrier to students who wish to study abroad. These concerns are particularly relevant for students in the School of Engineering, where there are several graduation requirements not relevant to those in the School of Arts and Sciences."Not many engineers went abroad," senior Oluseye Bankole, a chemical engineering major, said. "In fact, by and large I think it was discouraged, just because of the hard requirements that we have to fill for our majors."Andy Berman, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and quantitative economics, shared similar sentiments."I initially was planning to go abroad for a semester but in order to do that, you need to really pack each semester," he said. While it is complicated to fulfill these requirements while studying abroad, it is not impossible. Bankole studied abroad in London for a semester, and Berman studied abroad over the summer.Originally from Nigeria, Bankole noted that it is a common misconception that international students hesitate to go abroad because they are already studying abroad at Tufts."Given my background, I've studied in multiple places
When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia arrived on Oct. 2 to give the 17th and final Richard E. Snyder President's Lecture, campus was already in an uproar over the guest. Students, equipped with chants and signs, assembled outside the Gantcher Center to protest the university's selection of Scalia as the speaker. A teach-in was scheduled for after the lecture, focusing on Scalia's originalism and his key role in the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act this summer.[Scalia] is an immensely controversial figure," sophomore Greer Clem, executive board member of the Institute for Political Citizenship (IPC), said. "Our protests actively reflected the way that one should [protest], in a very intellectual and peaceful way."James Glaser, dean of academic affairs for the School of Arts and Sciences and professor of political science, was glad to see what he called healthy campus activism surrounding the lecture."One of the protestors said to me, 'Oh, I didn't think you'd be happy with us,'" he said. "I think it's great. Absolutely, let's have a protest
Developing medical technologies have helped nutritionists design diets for people with food intolerances, but many confuse these meal recommendations, like eating gluten-free, as recipes for weight loss.Equating gluten-free and healthy food is not accurate, according to Tricia Thompson (N '91), a registered dietician who focuses on gluten-free diets. Some gluten-free options are high in fat and sugar, and often low in fiber, Thompson wrote in an article published in the Tufts Nutrition Magazine. Tufts Dining Services Nutrition Specialist Julie Lampie, also a registered dietitian who is responsible for making arrangements for students with dietary restrictions or food intolerances, agreed with Thompson's statement. I try to dissuade students who just want to follow a gluten-free diet for weight loss," Lampie said. Thompson underscored that a gluten-free diet will not automatically lead to weight loss, and said that gluten is not harmful to those who are not medically diagnosed as sensitive to it. For students with medical reasons to avoid gluten, Tufts offers an array of dining options. Both junior Alexandra Bukowski and sophomore Emma Boyd suffer from forms of gluten intolerance."If they didn't have the fridge, I wouldn't be able to eat in the dining halls." Boyd said. "I'd be eating salad every day - salad and rice."The term "gluten intolerance," encompasses a range of disorders, including celiac disease, which damages the small intestine upon contact with gluten, constraining the body's ability to absorb nutrients. Those with celiac disease have certain antibodies that cause the affliction, while gluten sensitivity is a term used for those who experience celiac symptoms, but lack these antibodies. For both cases, a lifelong gluten-free diet is the only known cure. According to the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness, 18 million Americans suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity - six times the amount of celiac sufferers."For people that are intolerant, there's a lot of fatigue, digestive issues changes in mood, things like that," said Boyd, who has a gluten sensitivity. "It was a couple of months of realizing, 'I feel sick, but I don't know why' it attacks your immune system, so I was getting sick all the time and what not."Gluten intolerance can range from mild to extreme sensitivity, according to Bukowski, a junior who has celiac disease. "I'm not as sensitive as other people are." Bukowski said. "My second cousin was diagnosed and she couldn't even inhale airborne flour."According to Bukowski, the cards in the dining hall that list ingredients and allergens for regular food items are helpful, but the refrigerator dedicated to gluten-free alternatives has been most helpful to her dietary needs."I rave about it to all of my friends," Bukowski said. "The stuff [in the gluten-free fridge] is so good that they needed to put a lock on it and give every gluten-free student a key, because non-gluten free students were taking food out of there."Lampie discussed the array of options that Tufts tries to provide its students, including bread substitutes for bagels, wraps, pizza shells, hamburger rolls, whole grain and white bread and baked goods, including cookies, muffins and biscotti."[Gluten-free options] are so much easier and healthier and tastier than they used to be," Lampie said.In response to those who want to use the gluten-free diet as a weight loss tactic, an energy booster or simply a healthier choice, Lampie said she has advised students against eliminating gluten from their diets. "There's no reason
When I was applying to colleges, none of my potentially first?generation college?bound friends had the nerve to entertain the thought of a gap year. I never thought critically about the prospect of volunteering on a political campaign or working full?time at an internship before delving into the overpriced pressure cooker that is higher education. College is not an option
There's no doubt that Tufts is expensive. More than 40 percent of the undergraduate student body makes use of Tufts' financial aid grants, loans and work-study options, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Even beyond the high cost of tuition, another stipulation for good performance in classes burns a hole in your pocket: textbooks.
Tufts was the first in New England to have a Department of Drama and Speech when Marston Doc" Balch established the program in 1940. A professor on the Hill for 35 years, Balch had an impact both on and off campus. One of his former students, Elizabeth Bottomley Noyce (J '52), even donated The Marston S. Balch Arena Theatre in 1983 in his honor.
