Floating classroom
Putting problem sets, papers, studying, and exams behind them, a small group of Harvard students brought together by Professor Melissa Franklin built their own boat, going from raw materials to finished product in just five days and then launching the vessel on the Charles River. “It didn’t sink,” said Franklin, the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics, with a laugh. “Getting that tiny boat out on the water was more fun than they expected because it was something they built themselves. I think every American at some point in their lives wants to build a boat and float down the Mississippi or drift away someplace.” Franklin said the idea behind the project was to give students an atypical Harvard experience, and to explore the possibility of expanding the exercise into a class. “I had this idea that every student at Harvard should build something with their hands because there just aren’t a lot of opportunities...