Frequently Asked Questions

    How is admission to a First-Year Seminar determined?

    All first-year may apply to as many seminars as they wish, although they may enroll in only one seminar per semester. Seminar placement is ultimately done by a matching algorithm that is run after all applications have been submitted. However, different factors influence the algorithm’s outcome: instructors can select or deny students based on their essays and other relevant information; and student rankings and preferences are also taken into consideration.

    Are there waiting lists for seminars?

    No. All seminars with openings are posted on our website after the algorithm is run, and we encourage first-years to email you directly for placement in your seminar. You may accept or decline additional students at your discretion until the Course Registration Deadline.

    May I take auditors?

    No, a first-year seminar is a small, limited enrollment course that may not be audited.

    How to enable ArcGIS Extension tools

    For ArcMap, see https://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/latest/extensions/main/using-extensions-in-arcgis.htm.

    For ArcGIS Pro, users need to know which license type they are using when checking to see if they have an extension license. ArcGIS Pro has three types of licenses:

    1. Name user license – individual users login to their ArcGIS Online account with Harvard Key to get licenses when they run ArcGIS Pro. This...
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    How to Remotely Access the T: Drive on the HMDC Lab Computers

    To access the T drive you will need to use the VPN connect. First, use your Cisco VPN client to connect to vpn.harvard.edu, sign in, and and then follow the instructions below:

    Windows 10:

    1) Click on the folder on the bottom bar

    2) Click This PC

    3) Click on the Computer tab

    4) Click Map Network Drive

    5) Enter the path to your share: \\fas-depts.ad.fas.harvard.edu\cgis\arcgis

    6) Check the box...

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    How to install ArcGIS Desktop or Pro on a Mac computer

    To run ArcGIS Desktop or ArcGIS Pro on an Apple Macintosh computer, the Mac must be set up to run Windows.  There are severals ways to do this, but they require one of two installation options.

    Option One:   Create a dual-boot setup on your Mac, which allows you to boot into either Mac OS or Windows OS.    The typical method for this is to use the free software BootCamp.

         Using BootCamp: ...

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    How do I copy files between RCE and Cannon (FAS RC)?

    We recommend using rsync to copy files between RCE and FASRC, although ssh, scp, and sftp will also work.

    Examples:

    Via rsync:

    Note: This example uses the -v flag. The verbose option shows every file that is transferred and is probably not appropriate when copying large numbers of files or directories.

    Note: If you have ssh keys for the RCE set up on your computer, you may not be prompted for your password when logging in to the RCE.

    SSH into FASRC.

    ssh jharvard@...
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    What will I learn on CS252R?

    Programming Languages drive the way we communicate with computers, including how we make them intelligent and reasonable. In this advance topic course, we will look at artificial intelligence broadly construed from the point of view of programming languages. We gain clarity of semantics, algorithms and purpose. Topics include differentiable programming, neuro-symbolic systems, constraint and probabilistic programming, interpretable AI and more. Reading and discussion will be based on a selection of papers, suggested collectively. Grading is based on participation, presentation and final...

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    Why does Hubble’s Law often confound those born and raised on Earth?

    A wide variety of modern astronomical observations clearly show that our Universe had a beginning in time, known as the “big bang.”  But, those same observations also show that the Universe expands in all directions simultaneously, meaning that it has no single birthplace in space. 

    Unless time is treated as a fourth dimension, akin to the three dimensions of space, these ideas--a starting time, but not a starting place, are...

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    Supernatural Solutions

    Of course, these two tricky questions can be avoided if a supernatural power pressed a "start" button on time, and controls whatever is "beyond" our Universe.  In Ancient times thinkers across cultures believed the Universe was controlled at least in part by supernatural forces. 

    Even by the 17th century, when Galleo’s telescopic observations of Jupiter had effectively disproven the Ancients’ Earth-centered Solar System, and Isaac Newton had shown how gravity controlled the...

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