Seven feet long and 665 pounds—that was the size of just one leatherback turtle saved by the Mass Audubon Sanctuary and the International Fund for Animal Welfare. And while that sounds like a massive turtle (and it is), realize that, at the time of rescue, it was underweight and near death. Thankfully, during the turtle’s brief stay at a New England Aquarium facility, aquarium vets, [...]
Growing up, I loved reading the works of Sarah Dessen, an emerging young adult author who took readers through the journeys of heartbreak, betrayal and family troubles. Reading her books taught me how to behave and what was expected from me as I matured from an angsty teenager into a young woman. I enjoyed reading her books and looking at the crossovers she [...]
I grew up on a Caribbean island, and although St. Croix is actually a United States territory, it’s also an exotic travel destination with sandy beaches and warm weather year round. That was my norm before I moved to Boston, but because I grew up on a tropical island I usually don’t consider an island vacation my ideal travel experience. Growing up, I [...]
Young adult (YA) literature has dominated my to-read pile on my nightstand for many years. It is my favorite category of books to turn to, especially with a cup of tea next to me. When I asked other PSG team members about their favorite YA book or author, I got an abundance of answers that prove you don’t have to be under the [...]
When I wake up on a spring morning, the first thing I notice—after the cool breeze and chirping of birds—is the rush of cars from the highway about a mile from my house. The hustle and bustle of life in the United States is evident in the ambient noise around us—and it does not go unnoticed. Based on data that was collected over [...]
I am never one to fully plan ahead for the boredom of my commute. By the time I am out the door, I realize that the best entertainment I have is my iPod and my smartphone. Sure, my music is always somewhat entertaining, but due to my lack of interest in social media, my smartphone does not provide a wealth of excitement. I [...]
The first National Math Festival took place in Washington, DC, on April 18, 2015. The event was organized by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI) and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in cooperation with the Smithsonian Institution.With more than 20,000 math enthusiasts in attendance, the festival began a few days early, starting with a Twitter challenge: #ispymath. The goal—to spot math in your everyday life—earned the [...]
Remember the analog days before social media and the digital world took over? When the internet had yet to be born, photos were kept in an album in the closet and movies were made with unstable film that could either catch fire at any moment or slowly deteriorate into a useless vinegary mess? Unsurprisingly, when you take these two possibilities, and then add that many studios [...]
Podcasting is an established, but still emerging means of listening to your favorite stories or talk show personalities. It is not an issue of what types of content people want to listen to; it’s finding the time to enjoy listening to them. Perhaps this is what has sparked the newest trend—is speed-listening the new speed-reading? Overcast, a free podcast-listening app for iOS, was [...]
Last semester I completed an introductory course to Shakespeare’s plays, and I remember struggling with the language, hating that the relationships between the characters were even more complicated than the plot of the film Inception and laughing at the famous stage direction from The Winter’s Tale that read “Exit, pursued by a bear.” But it is the variety of reactions and emotions in the audience that make [...]