By Taylor Smith
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia, founded in 1805, is the first and oldest art museum and school in the United States. In a unique partnership with area medical schools, PAFA provides humanities-based training for medical students, nursing students, university faculty members, and practicing physicians. more
By Taylor Smith
Winter often signifies a challenging time of year for birds to find adequate food and sustenance. Decorating an outdoor tree with edible ornaments is a way to attract winter birds, providing them with shelter and a wide range of foods. more
By Taylor Smith
This year’s gala benefit for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation took place on Thursday, November 14 at Cipriani South Street in New York City.
The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation grew out of the community-driven Stifel Paralysis Research Foundation, which was founded in 1982 when Henry Stifel, a New Jersey high school student, was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed at age 17. The organization evolved into the American Paralysis Association (APA). When actor Christopher Reeve was injured in a horseback riding accident in 1995, the APA was one of the first places that Reeve and his wife, Dana, sought support. By 1999, the APA and Christopher’s foundation united as the Christopher Reeve Foundation (Dana’s name was added to the moniker after her death in 2006). more
By Taylor Smith
Registration is underway for winter art classes for adults, teens, and children at The Center for Contemporary Art in Bedminster. With more than 35 offerings to choose from, classes begin in January 2020.
New offerings for the winter session include The Power of Pastels, Food: Form and Function, iPad Drawing for Beginners, Relief Printing, Watercolor Portraits: People and Animals, and Advanced iPad Drawing and Painting. more
By Taylor Smith
Ecology concerns the analysis and examination of the varied systems of interaction between humans and their environment. The trans-disciplinary subject matter relates to topics of anthropology, psychology, environmental management, engineering, biology, animal science, agricultural economics, geography, and sociology, among others. more
By Taylor Smith
American poet Walt Whitman has been honored with a new United States stamp.
The stamp is intended for domestic first-class mail weighing up to 3 ounces, and is priced at 85 cents. USPS Art Director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with artwork by Sam Weber, who previously illustrated the Flannery O’Connor stamp in 2015 and the Henry David Thoreau stamp in 2017. more
By Taylor Smith
Headquartered on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Bloomberg Philanthropies was founded in 2006 with the purpose of directing funding and research to five major areas: the environment, public health, the arts, government innovation, and education. By “using data in new ways,” Bloomberg Philanthropies routinely shifts policies and advances progress, legislation, and public opinion. As an example, the organization has potentially saved countless lives by creating solutions proven to curb global tobacco use. According to bloomberg.org, “If left unchecked, tobacco use will kill one billion people this century.” more
By Taylor Smith
Adolescents and college-age men and women are statistically at a high risk of experiencing the onset of a psychotic episode, particularly if they are genetically predisposed to mental illness. more
By Taylor Smith
Many veterinary schools are now offering education tracks in wildlife medicine, which is an interdisciplinary study that involves work in wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife medicine, and conservation medicine. Conservation medicine is concerned with looking at the interplay between environment and health. more
By Taylor Smith
In The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years, authors B. Janet Hibbs (psychologist and marriage therapist) and Anthony Rostain (psychiatry and pediatrics/Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania) write that today’s students “experience the very real burdens of constant striving on behalf of uncertain futures, amidst swiftly changing political and economic landscapes. They’re also stressed by the 24/7 availability of the internet, by social media pressures, and the resulting metrics of constant comparisons, whether social or academic.” more
By Taylor Smith
On Thursday, October 10 at 8 p.m., former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will deliver a talk at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark. The event is presented by Fairleigh Dickinson University and is part of the New Jersey Speaker Series at NJPAC that has previously hosted former FBI Director James Comey, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin, journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group. All events take place at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall. more
By Taylor Smith
Monmouth University in Long Branch (www.monmouth.edu) is the first private institution of higher education in New Jersey to join businesses across the state on the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry (http://registry.njsbdc.com). more
By Taylor Smith
Last fall, construction began at the Barrymore Film Center, a $15 million project in Fort Lee. The 260-seat movie theater, museum, and education center is a striking 21,500- square-foot building designed by architect Hugh Hardy. The “veil,” as promoters call it, is a pyramidal structure that points westward, towards Hollywood, California. It is expected to be completed in October 2020. more
By Taylor Smith
Located in scenic Pottersville in Bedminster Township (60 minutes west of Manhattan), Purnell School is a progressive private all-girls boarding high school. It was founded in the summer of 1962 by Lytt Gould and his wife, Sis, who wanted to create a school in New Jersey that would “put the girls first.” Purnell’s founding Guidelines — Consideration of Others, Use of Common Sense, and Truthfulness in all Relations — are still upheld and honored today by current Head of School Anne M. Glass, Ed.M. more
By Taylor Smith
My summer camp experiences as a child and teenager are some of my most vivid memories. Growing up in Princeton, I attended Rambling Pines Day Camp (https://www.ramblingpines.com) in Hopewell with my younger brother when I was 8 years old. I immediately enjoyed being able to spend all day outdoors, riding mountain bikes, playing tennis, and swimming, before taking the bus home — sweaty, contented, and freckled. more
By Taylor Smith
Located in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Wayne County, Lake Bryn Mawr Camp for Girls is a rural summer haven that prides itself on building “summer sisters” among girls ages 7 to 15. more
By Taylor Smith
Grounded in the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition, Drew Theological School is a leading seminary in Madison, N.J., offering four unique master’s programs and two doctoral programs. more
By Taylor Smith
Brant Lake Camp, founded in 1916, is one of the oldest single-family owned camps in the United States. Situated in the Adirondack Mountains, 3.5 hours from New York City, Brant Lake serves as a summer “home away from home” for boys ages 7 to 15. With the motto of “Where sports are done right,” Brant’s facilities include 15 tennis courts, three baseball fields, two soccer fields, eight basketball courts, a roller hockey rink, two volleyball courts, a climbing wall, an archery range, a putting green, and a large multi-sport stadium. more
By Taylor Smith
Lego, the classic children’s brick-building company, has announced the release of customized bricks designed to help children who are blind or visually impaired to learn to read Braille. more
By Taylor Smith
Rutgers Preparatory School is a distinguished private school in Somerset, N.J. Each summer, the school offers a series of academic camps. The International Ivy Summer Programs for ages 5-14 will take place July 8-August 16. Half-day offerings are available from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 1:30 to 5 p.m. A full-day option takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. more
By Taylor Smith
Stagedoor Manor in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y., offers total theater immersion for campers ages 10-18. It’s the only performing arts camp of its type, whether your child envisions themselves on the television screen or in the movies. Its noteworthy alumni include Jon Cryer, Mandy Moore, Natalie Portman, and Zach Braff. more
By Taylor Smith
Pingry School in Short Hills and Basking Ridge, N.J., has announced the selection of Matt Levinson as its 16th head of school. Levinson began his career in education at Princeton Day School and was active in summer programs at New Jersey SEEDS and Prep for Prep. Most recently, Levinson served as head of school at University Prep in Seattle, Washington, and held senior leadership positions at Marin Country Day School and The Nueva School, both in the San Francisco Bay Area. Within the classroom, Levinson has taught middle and upper school history, coached upper school varsity soccer, and served as department chair and grade level dean. more
By Taylor Smith
Launching in the fall of 2019, Seton Hall University’s College of Arts and Sciences will offer a Master of Science in data science. The data science program encompasses coursework in statistics, computer science, and applied mathematics. Data scientists are currently in high demand for their knowledge and understanding of business needs, analytics, computer science, and systems engineering. more
By Taylor Smith
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is frequently recognized as one of the nation’s top public colleges for animation, as noted in the 2019 Animation School Ranking published by Animation Career Review.
Central to this distinction is NJIT’s B.A. in digital design with two tracks: entertainment and interactive media/production. Both programs offer undergraduate students experience in character design, color and composition, game modification, acting for animators, character development, and technology. more
By Taylor Smith
A host of summer classes at Seton Hall University in South Orange can help high school, college, and graduate students meet their academic and future graduation goals. The Department of Continuing Education and Professional Studies’ Summer Sessions will begin on May 21 and run through August 8. more
By Taylor Smith
Want to develop your creative craft or pen that novel that’s been living inside you? Do you have a passion for painting, drawing, sculpture, or film? Are you considering a teaching career in the arts? We’ve rounded up some top Master of Fine Arts programs in the Northeast that can add an extra spark to your resume and potentially help you to make that career change or land the job you’ve been dreaming about.
Columbia University
Location: New York City
Program: Applicants apply to either painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, or “new genres.”
Length: 2 years
Famous Faculty: Nicola Lopez, Sanford Biggers, Gregory Amenoff, and Kara Walker.
Selling Points: If location is a determining factor, it doesn’t hurt to spend two formative years training and studying in Manhattan, arguably one of the largest art capitals in the world. Being an Ivy, Columbia also ranks high for exclusivity, accepting only two percent of applicants to Columbia’s MFA in visual arts. As of 2013, the program also offers a concentration in sound art, so if experimenting with audio is your forte, this is the place for you. more
By Taylor Smith
On view through August 9, 2020, “T. rex: The Ultimate Predator” is sure to ignite the imaginations of visitors at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The new exhibit asks, “How did T. rex evolve to become the most fearsome carnivore of the Mesozoic?” Spectators can take in life-size models of the fearsome predator; fossils, casts, and interactive activities; and an immersive multiplayer virtual reality experience developed just for the exhibition. Children are sure to marvel at how this 12,000-plus-pound terror began as a tiny critter. They will also meet T. rex’s family members, some of whom are small and even have feathers! more
By Taylor Smith
Philanthropist and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg recently announced on his Twitter account: “I’m giving $1.8 billion to @JohnsHopkins for financial aid so admissions can be permanently need-blind. I want to open the same door of opportunity that I had for generations of talented students, regardless of financial aid.”
The donation is the largest ever to a higher education institution. Bloomberg wrote in a following New York Times op-ed, “My Hopkins diploma opened up doors that otherwise would have been closed, and allowed me to live the American dream.” Bloomberg has stated that he was able to attend Johns Hopkins because of a National Defense student loan. more
Since its publication in 2017 by Fordham University Press, Pre-Occupied Spaces: Remapping Italy’s Transnational Migrations and Colonial Legacies has resonated with critics and readers alike. It was awarded the 2017 American Association of Italian Studies Book Prize in the 21st-century category and was one of five finalists for the prestigious international 2018 Bridge Book Award. In December, it received an Honorable Mention for the Modern Language Association Howard R. Marraro Prize in Italian Literature. more
By Taylor Smith
Sleepover camp is in session at American Girl Live, a 90-minute musical at the Mayo Performing Arts Center, perfect for kids ages 5 and up. Five spunky campers will face various feats of growing pains and bravery as they turn to their favorite American Girl characters for advice. Each character —inspired by a different period of history — will share stories of conviction, demonstrating the strength of friendship. more
