Dear Parents and Families,
As dean, one of the more frequent comments I hear from parents is, “I’m jealous of my
student! I wish I could go (back) to school and take some of the courses that are offered here.”
If that sounds like you, I’m pleased to announce that you will have an opportunity to experience
life as a student during Tufts’ Parent and Family Weekend October 16-17.
Each year, I am thrilled to showcase our extraordinary faculty to our parent community through
a series of short talks. This year’s series is an outstanding representation of the fascinating
lectures, performances, and presentations that Tufts professors deliver in our classrooms and
labs every week.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17TH
Keynote Address 10:00 a.m.*
“Lessons from the Evolving Reading Brain in a Digital Culture”
Maryanne Wolf, John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service (Department of Child Study
and Human Development)
Maryanne Wolf has won numerous teaching awards, including the Distinguished Professor of the Year from
the Massachusetts Psychological Association and the Teaching Excellence Award from the American
Psychological Association. In 2013, she met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in response to the Pope’s call
for solutions to the “Emergency of the Socially Excluded.”
Faculty Lectures: Times Vary*
“Merchants of Menace: Extra-factual Sources of Threat Perception and Proliferation”
Kelly M. Greenhill, Associate Professor of Political Science
Kelly Greenhill's research focuses on foreign policy, the use of military force and what are frequently called
"new security challenges," including civil wars; the use of forced migration as a weapon; intervention and
(counter-) insurgency; and international crime as a challenge to domestic governance.
“A Computational Perspective: Can We (re)-Engineer Biology?”
Soha Hassoun, Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science
Dr. Hassoun was a recipient of the NSF Career Award and several awards for her service, including the
Distinguished Service Award and the Technical Leadership Award. Her current research interests include
developing algorithmic solutions to facilitate designing integrated circuits and understanding the impact of
new technologies on design.
“The World of P.T. Barnum”
Heather Nathans, Chair and Professor of Drama and Dance
Heather Nathans is chair of the Drama and Dance Department. She holds numerous professional
affiliations, including president of the American Society for Theatre Research. Her scholarly interests include
American theatre and drama, African American theatre, Jewish American theatre, musical theatre, 17th and
18th century French theatre, theatre historiography, English Restoration drama, and directing.
“Food for Thought: Using Cheese to Unlock Secrets of the Microbial World”
Benjamin Wolfe, Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Ben Wolfe won the Bowdoin Prize for Graduate Essays in the Natural Sciences and the Derek Bok Certificate
of Distinction in Teaching, both from Harvard University. His interests include: fermentation; cheese; diet
and the human gut microbiome; and research in his lab explores the ecology and evolution of microbial
communities in food systems.
I hope you will consider coming to campus for our Family Weekend celebration, October 16-17,
to experience firsthand what life is like as a Tufts student.
*Additional event details and registration >
Sincerely,
James M. Glaser
Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Political Science