Massachusetts

A passion for science and music

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2022

Within the quiet corridor outdoors of Hayden Library, Zoe Levitt’s comfortable, musical voice fills the room. The acoustics are good for amplifying her phrases and her innate ardour for geology. Or, extra particularly, paleomagnetism — utilizing magnetism to review the geological historical past of the Earth — which is the main focus of her senior thesis.

“The query is, when did plate tectonics truly begin?” Levitt explains, her arms shifting in rhythm together with her phrases. “Was it intermittent? Or was it steady?”

As a senior in Course 12 (Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, or EAPS), it looks as if Levitt is on monitor to move off to graduate faculty and additional her geological pursuits elsewhere. However she’s not. Levitt’s time at MIT has been full of surprising surprises, together with selecting geology as her main within the first place. Now that she’s completed, she’s settled on a completely totally different discipline: songwriting.

“I actually have beloved finding out geology,” she explains. “However proper now, I actually really feel the necessity to pursue music.”

Levitt grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, no stranger to the folks of MIT and their ardour. When she arrived at MIT, she had been considering of majoring in math or engineering. However she was persuaded to main in geology after signing up for a Freshman Pre-Orientation Program (FPOP) to Yellowstone and Grand Teton nationwide parks.

“I actually utilized for the journey simply because I needed to get out of Boston and go see some place else,” she laughs, confessing that the concept of simply going to eating places or different locations within the space appeared too boring. The journey additionally coincided with the 2017 eclipse, so between that, climbing, and studying about geology with consultants, Levitt was bought.

She did geology analysis the summer season after her first 12 months, working with a postdoc in Kristin Bergmann’s lab, the place they checked out 1.8-billion-year-old rocks to attempt to perceive the oxygen surroundings on the time of their creation. She did her first discipline work journey to Michigan, after which within the fall returned to Yellowstone on the FPOP journey, this time as a educating assistant.

“I feel EAPS is basically particular in that you just get to go on these journeys into the sphere with professors and actually get to know them and get to know their experience,” she says. One in every of her favourite EAPS moments was a visit in January 2020. The sector cook dinner had introduced a guitar and Levitt introduced her mandolin, and collectively they jammed across the campfire whereas everybody chatted.

Music has lengthy been part of Levitt’s life. Her father purchased her a Child Taylor guitar for her sixth birthday, and he or she switched to mandolin as her main instrument just a few years later. She grew up within the bluegrass scene, attending festivals together with her father.

“I used to be at all times actually pushed by the melodies of compositions, however I by no means actually paid consideration to the phrases,” she explains. “I used to be going by a reasonably robust time and ended up beginning to write songs to course of what was taking place.”

In spring 2020, Levitt was able to take a severe step into songwriting, so she reached out to Celia Woodsmith, a Grammy Award-nominated musician. Woodsmith, like many musicians whose plans have been disrupted by the pandemic, agreed to classes.

Levitt’s songwriting first started as a manner for her to course of her feelings and experiences as a sexual assault survivor. She has since shared her songs to lift consciousness, together with recording two songs about her expertise as a survivor for Nationwide Public Radio’s Tiny Desk Contest and performing an autobiographical piece within the 2022 MIT monologues. She additionally carried out on the Boston Space Rape Disaster Middle’s Stroll for Change and recorded a tune for the Cambridge Girls’s Middle’s video commemorating their fiftieth anniversary.

“I hope that sharing my songs can convey therapeutic to others because it has for me,” she says.

Since then, Levitt has been utilizing her “curiosity and a ardour for discovery” from her time in EAPS to discover new matters in her music, reminiscent of psychological well being struggles, historic narratives, and satirical songs. Her tune “We Flattened the Curve”, feedback satirically on the U.S. Covid-19 response utilizing mathematical observations. Levitt, who along with majoring in geology is minoring in each music and math, jokes that she’s “already placing that math diploma to some good use!”

Despite the fact that Levitt formally graduated within the spring, she isn’t completed with MIT simply but. She was awarded an Eloranta Summer season Undergraduate Analysis Fellowship, which she’ll be utilizing to additional her musical pursuits. This fall she hopes to journey to Nepal to collaborate with native musicians on a venture recording and transcribing conventional music.

And she or he isn’t completed with geology, both. She’ll be spending six weeks doing fieldwork with EAPS Professor Oliver Jagoutz within the Himalayas in July.

“I have not made it out to the sphere since [2020] so I am actually excited to get again on the market,” she says. “Within the fall I will be specializing in sharing my music in the intervening time, after which see what occurs from there.”

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Massachusetts

They’re champs! See the results of the spring high school state title games. – The Boston Globe

Published

4 hours ago

June 15, 2024

Press Room

They’re champs! See the results of the spring high school state title games. – The Boston Globe

St. John’s (Shrewsbury) vs. BC High, Saturday, 6 p.m.

Division 2

Plymouth North vs. Walpole, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Division 3

St. Mary’s vs. Oakmont, Saturday, 3 p.m.

Division 4

Pittsfield vs. Seekonk, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 5

English High vs. Georgetown, Sunday, 10 a.m.

Softball

Division 1

King Philip vs. Taunton, Sunday, 3 p.m.

Division 2

Westfield vs. Walpole, Saturday, 5 p.m.

Division 3

Hudson vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, Saturday, 2:30 p.m.

Division 4

Tyngsborough vs. Joseph Case, Sunday, 12 p.m.

Division 5

Georgetown vs. Turners Falls, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Boys’ lacrosse

Division 1

Jack Weissenburger celebrates with captain Grayson Ambrosh after they defeated Needham in the Division 1 lacrosse state final.Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe

St. John’s Prep 17, Needham 13

St. John’s Prep wrapped up a fourth straight championship and a 29th straight in-state victory by outdueling Needham in Saturday’s Division 1 state final, sealing senior Jake Vana’s fourth title as a member of the boys’ lacrosse program, and his seventh ring overall counting titles in hockey and soccer.

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Marshfield vs. Longmeadow, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 3

Medfield 13, Scituate 4

The Medfield seniors saved their best performance for last: a commanding victory over second-seeded Scituate for the Division 3 boys ‘ lacrosse title at Westwood High. Senior Tim Collins collected three goals and an assist, junior defenseman Ben Lusby had three goals, and senior captain Joe Bartolotta scored twice as the No. 1 Warriors (20-3) captured the program’s eighth title, but first since winning D2 in 2016.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Sandwich vs. Nantucket, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Girls’ lacrosse

Division 1

Central Catholic celebrates with the trophy following their victory over Wellesley.Jim Davis for The Boston Globe

Central Catholic 14, Wellesley 9

Senior Nicolette Licare poured in five goals and junior Kerri Finneran added four to fuel the No. 1 Raiders (24-2) to their first state title in program history. Sophomore goalie Anne Cashman was sharp, and Kierstyn Zinter, Olivia Rondeau, and Abby Yfantopulos were a few of many other contributors.

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Notre Dame (Hingham) 14, Walpole 10

The dynasty rolls on for Notre Dame Hingham girls’ lacrosse, as the top-seeded Cougars battled past second-seeded Walpole, 14-10, to win their third consecutive Division 2 state championship. Senior captains Siobhan Colin and Jane Hilsabeck scored four goals each for the Cougars (22-1) to secure the program’s fifth overall state title since winning Division 1 titles in 2013 and 2019.

Read the game story here.

Division 3

Medfield 14, Newburyport 10

Throughout the season, members of the Medfield girls’ lacrosse team used last year’s Division 3 semifinal loss to Norwell as motivation. They reminded themselves how empty they felt, and they vowed to write a different story this time around. Thursday night, they accomplished that mission, outlasting Newburyport to capture their second Division 3 state championship in three years.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Cohasset 14, Ipswich 9

Third-seeded Cohasset was sharp in every facet of the game in Thursday’s MIAA Division 4 final, outlasting No. 4 Ipswich at Turco Memorial Field at Walpole High for the program’s third championship. Senior Laney Larsen scored twice in the final game of her high school career. Sophomore Avery Regan tallied a game-high six points (5 goals, 1 assist), and junior captain Libby Schiffmann recorded a hat trick for the Skippers (19-3).

Read the game story here.

Boys’ tennis

Division 1

Concord-Carlisle vs. St. John’s Prep, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2

Duxbury vs. Westborough, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Division 3

Weston 3, Bedford 2

With six-time defending champion Weston tied, 2-2, in its Division 3 boys’ tennis final against Dual County League rival Bedford, the match came down to first singles, Max Ding vs. Dillon Denny-Brown. It was Ding, a senior playing his final match for the Wildcats, who wore down Denny-Brown, a junior, to close out a 3-2 victory as Weston (14-6) earned its seventh consecutive title (5 in D3, 2 in D4), and 13th overall.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Manchester Essex vs. Lynnfield, Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

Girls’ tennis

Division 1

Wellesley vs. Boston Latin, Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Division 2

Notre Dame (Hingham) vs. Longmeadow, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Division 3

Pembroke 3, Weston 2

With the final tied 2-2, Pembroke sophomore Nicole Makarewicz edged Olivia Rome at first singles, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, to lift the third-seeded Titans to a 3-2 win over No. 4 Weston for the program’s first title.

Read the game story here.

Division 4

Hamilton-Wenham 5, Lynnfield 0

Junior Naomi Provost and Emma Jani powered the Generals to their third straight Division 4 state championship, sweeping Lynnfield at MIT. Provost (6-0, 6-0) finished first her match first, with Jani (6-0, 6-1) close behind, both in under an hour. The second doubles team of junior Maddie Minich / senior Angelina Meimeteas secured the title with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Senior Ellie Holbrook (6-2, 7-6/7-1) won at third singles and the first doubles pair of senior Sienna Gregory / Emily McIntosh (6-4, 7-5) prevailed in straight sets.

Read the game story here.

Boys’ rugby

Division 1

Xaverian vs. BC High, Saturday, 12 p.m.

Division 2

Hanover vs. Weymouth, Saturday, 4 p.m.

Girls’ rugby

Division 1

Weymouth vs. Belmont, Saturday, 2 p.m.

Boys’ volleyball

Division 1

Newton North 3, Needham 2

Senior Adam Christianson came into the season learning to set for the first time, and he ended the year with a 15-kill, 14-assist, 3-block performance that gave the second-seeded Tigers (22-3) the title in a five-set thriller — 23-25, 25-12, 17-25, 25-22, 15-8 — over the top-seeded Rockets (24-3).

Read the game story here.

Division 2

Westfield 3, Wayland 2

Senior Miles Shepard recorded the biggest of his 19 kills to finish the game, finalizing a chaotic comeback in the Division 2 title match — 11-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-13 — for top-seeded Westfield (23-3), which captured its fifth title.

Read the game story here.

Emma can be reached at emma.healy@globe.com or on X @_EmmaHealy_.

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Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts, Ranked Among Top 12 in the U.S.A. for Public Recreation Spots

Published

11 hours ago

June 15, 2024

Press Room

Boston, Massachusetts

As New Englanders, you don’t have to tell us that Boston is a city that will give you plenty of physical activity if you are looking for it. Whether you are into walking long distances, going to a playground, or playing tennis or basketball, Boston has plenty of places for you and your family to play, so much so that Beantown was named one of the top 12 cities in the nation for recreation.

According to WalletHub, recreation for each city in the country was ranked based on the number of public golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, basketball hoops, baseball and softball diamonds, parks, and playgrounds.

The rankings were also based on how accessible the recreation places were, and how many walking trails, bike trails (lanes), and shopping centers there were.

If you’re looking for an example of a good walk in Boston, check out the Freedom Trail. It’s one of my favorites because it has the most history to explore about the American Revolution. You are likely to see many joggers and other walkers on this route. It’s just over three miles, and is pretty easy.

If you are just looking for a scenic route, check out the Neponset River Reservation. It’s a scenic and easy walk.

Portland, Maine, Was #2 Best City in the Country for Recreation Spots

Boston isn’t the only city that made the list. Portland, Maine, was ranked even higher, coming in at #2 for recreation. The whole state of Maine, in my opinion, ought to rank excellently for recreation. It has the best hiking in the country, but I might be biased.

10 Celebrities That Ran the Boston Marathon

Many celebrities have partaken in the 26.2 miles that make up the Boston Marathon.

Gallery Credit: Chantel

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Massachusetts

MA Saw A Drop In Overdose Deaths In 2023. What About Waltham?

Published

18 hours ago

June 15, 2024

Press Room

MA Saw A Drop In Overdose Deaths In 2023. What About Waltham?

WALTHAM, MA — Massachusetts saw the biggest year-over-year decline in opioid deaths in two decades last year, and Waltham numbers matched that trend.

Massachusetts opioid overdose deaths increased every year between 2019 and 2022, reaching an all-time high of 2,357 in 2022. An estimated 2,125 died in 2023, and deaths over the first three months of 2024 were trending lower than in previous years, the state Department of Public Health said Wednesday.

In Waltham, six people died from opioid overdoses in 2023, a decline from 14 in 2022.

It’s the lowest mark for Waltham since 2020, when only four people died from opioid overdoses. In the period from 2016 to 2023, only 2018 marked lower death numbers than those two years, when just three people died.

State officials attributed the reduction to increased investments in treatment programs and housing, the distribution of nearly 200,000 naloxone overdose kits and increasing access to medications to treat opioid-use disorder. The state has focused its efforts especially on people living in rural areas and in communities of color.

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