Reunions 2025
Discussions & Discoveries

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Friday, May 17th, 2024  10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Jumbo Generations: A Photographic History of Student Life at Tufts

Be sure to stop by East Hall while you’re on campus to see this first-of-its kind photo exhibit depicting student life at Tufts across the generations.  Divided into themes such as dorm life, students at work, students at play, sports, activism, and arts, the exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of History, the Tufts Archival Research Center, and University Photography.

East Hall will be open from 10am – 5pm on the following days.  The exhibit is located on the first and ground floors.  Please enter East Hall at the main entrance facing the Academic Quad.

Some familiar faces from the History Department will be on hand during the following times to greet visitors and give a quick introduction to the exhibit.

Faculty on-site - Friday, May 17  1:00pm – 3:00pm            

*James Rice, Walter S. Dickson Professor of History and Chair, Department of History
*David Proctor, A94, Distinguished Senior Lecturer Professor of History and Chair, Department of History

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10:30 am - 11:45 pm
"Quo Vadis AI? Contemplating the Prospect of Truly Intelligent Artificial Agents"
Presented by: Matthias Scheutz

Description: Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly evolving and is penetrating every aspect of human societies. But do artificial agents driven by powerful AI algorithms have anything akin to human intelligence? In this presentation Professor Matthias Scheutz will revisit the trajectory of AI from its inception in the 1950s to the current excitement about large language models (LLMs). He will discuss current AI technologies like ChatGPT and provide examples of their current and future applications. But he will also specifically make the point that AI safety is critical to ensure that future artificial agents (such as autonomous robots) will fit in with our expectation about norm-conforming behavior. To that end, he will show various demonstrations from his research at Tufts on developing ethical robots that have explicit knowledge about human norms and can use them to justify their decisions and actions to humans in a way that humans can understand. 

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2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
"A Photo History of the Buildings of Tufts University from 1852 to Today"
Presented by: Dan Valentine, E93, EG95

Description: 
Join us for a 60-minute photo history of the Tufts campus to see how it’s evolved since its creation as a lonely Ballou Hall perched atop a grassy hill outside Boston. You’ll get to see images dating back to the 1800s, as well as learn about long-forgotten buildings and structures that have come and gone in the past 172 years. 

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2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
"The Power of Demography: How Populations Make and Break States"
Presented by: Monica Duffy Toft

Description: From the end of China's one-child policy, to concern about an aging Europe and a quickly urbanizing Africa, understanding the profound implications of major demographic shifts and the broader dynamics at play is woefully underdeveloped. Academics seem reluctant to pursue a demographic line of inquiry for fear of not having a direct, casual story to tell. Policymakers, working under short time frames, often fail to appreciate the longer-term consequences of natural shifts or state-driven demographic engineering until it is too late. What remains is a series of conjectures driven by ideology, emotion and ignorance. Toft's research on the political dimensions of demographic dynamics in key states during critical historical periods aims to facilitate a better understanding of demographic politics— one that is both theoretically and practically informative. 

Click Here to Register
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Friday, May 17th, 2024  10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Jumbo Generations: A Photographic History of Student Life at Tufts

Be sure to stop by East Hall while you’re on campus to see this first-of-its kind photo exhibit depicting student life at Tufts across the generations.  Divided into themes such as dorm life, students at work, students at play, sports, activism, and arts, the exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of History, the Tufts Archival Research Center, and University Photography.

East Hall will be open from 10am – 5pm on the following days.  The exhibit is located on the first and ground floors.  Please enter East Hall at the main entrance facing the Academic Quad.

Some familiar faces from the History Department will be on hand during the following times to greet visitors and give a quick introduction to the exhibit.

Faculty on-site - Saturday, May 18   10:00am – 12:00pm

*James Rice, Walter S. Dickson Professor of History and Chair, Department of History
*Virginia Drachman, Arthur Stern, Jr. Professor of American History

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Saturday, May 18th, 2024

10:30 am - 11:45 am
"A Discussion with Lee Gelernt, A84, Civil Rights Attorney for the ACLU"
Presented by: Lee Gelernt, A84

Description: 
Join Lee Gelernt, A84, as he discusses challenges he has faced during his three decades of litigating high-profile civil rights cases for the ACLU. Lee will focus on experiences post-September 11 and during the Trump administration. He served as a human rights observer at Guantanamo Bay and argued the national class-action case challenging the Trump administration’s practice of separating immigrant families at the border. Lee will discuss issues such as immigration and the Muslim Ban and how public perceptions of the issues have changed, in particular about current migrant flows at the border.

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10:30 am - 11:45 am
"Allies and Frenemies: Understanding the Context and Consequences of U.S. Alliances"
Presented by: Jeffrey Taliaferro

Description: 
The United States currently maintains security ties with many as sixty other countries. During the Cold War and the two decades following it, this network of treaty alliances and informal security partnerships has not only enabled the US armed forces to maintain command globally and project military force broadly, but also enabled Washington to exert leverage over its allies’ foreign policies and defense postures. But today, the United States faces renewed great power competition with Russia and China, as well as threats from regional powers like Iran and North Korea, spanning multiple theaters of the globe (Europe, the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East) and involving multiple operational domains (e.g., sea, ground, aerospace, outer space, and cyberspace). How are the US and its allies and partners try to adjust to this changed strategic landscape? And how have political polarization in the US and political dysfunction in Washington, impacted the Biden administration’s efforts to manage strategic competition with Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea and to reassure (and occasionally restrain) its allies and security partners in key regions? 

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1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
"Innovations for Healthy Aging"
Presented by: David Kaplan

Description:
The need for innovation in finding treatments for neurodegenerative diseases is acute. Many central nervous system disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, etc.) are near or at epidemic levels, yet there are no effective treatments for patients today despite decades and billions of dollars of investment in research. To address this gap, David Kaplan’s lab is developing novel research tools to facilitate the discovery of causes and cures of these types of disease. Professor Kaplan will discuss the methods that we have developed, how they work and what they have found thus far. He will then discuss why these findings leave us very optimistic—that these new tools will provide a route to the discovery of new treatments for these types of diseases. 

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1:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Alumni Entrepreneur Panel 

Moderator:

Kevin Oye, E79, Executive Director of the Tufts Gordon Institute

Panelists: 

G. Angela Henry, J79, Nonprofit Consulting, Foundation Administration, Voice Acting
Lisa Tanzer, J89, CEO, Beacon Wellness Brands
Ted Slafsky, A89, Publisher, CEO, 340B Report


Description: Meet and engage with fellow alumni about their entrepreneurial journeys and what they’ve learned: What made them decide to pursue entrepreneurship as active citizens? What led to their success and where do they think entrepreneurship is headed next? 

From solo-preneurs and creative content to venture investment and executive leadership, this panel represents a broad range of expertise within the scope of entrepreneurship. And you’ll be able to connect with the ever-expanding network of Jumbo entrepreneurs across the world!
 

Click Here to Register


Events will be added as they confirmed. Check back often. 

Saturday, June 1st, 2024

10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Jumbo Generations: A Photographic History of Student Life at Tufts

Be sure to stop by East Hall while you’re on campus to see this first-of-its kind photo exhibit depicting student life at Tufts across the generations.  Divided into themes such as dorm life, students at work, students at play, sports, activism, and arts, the exhibit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of History, the Tufts Archival Research Center, and University Photography.

East Hall will be open from 10am – 5pm on the following days.  The exhibit is located on the first and ground floors.  Please enter East Hall at the main entrance facing the Academic Quad.

Some familiar faces from the History Department will be on hand during the following times to greet visitors and give a quick introduction to the exhibit.

Faculty on-site -      Saturday, June 1      11:00am – 1:00pm
*James Rice, Walter S. Dickson Professor of History and Chair, Department of History
*David Proctor, A94, Distinguished Senior Lecturer

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10:30 am - 11:45 am
"Life, Connected: Raising a Media Savvy Child in the Age of TikTok, Instagram and Online Experiences"
Presented by: Julie Dobrow

Description: 
Today’s children are growing up in a world of wall-to-wall media, with choices that expand exponentially. Kids spend more time with media than they do in school, more time with media than with any other activity except sleeping. Their broadcast, interactive and social media explorations can open new worlds and new connections, enhance education, and provide community. But they can also bring distressing images, adverse consumerism, mental health challenges and problematic interactive media use. So what’s a parent to do? Dr. Julie Dobrow will share some of her research, tips on healthy media use for kids, and thoughts from parenting four media literate children of her own. 

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11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Election 2024: The Youth Vote & What's at Stake

Presented by: Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg

Description: 
41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote in 2024, including more than 8 million newly eligible voters. Whether they cast a ballot this November will have a profound influence on 2024 election results and on the future of our democracy. How can we inform, support, and mobilize all young people so that they grow into active voters? Join Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Newhouse Director of Tisch College’s CIRCLE, for a presentation and conversation on the power and engagement of young voters in the 2024 election. Dr. Kawashima-Ginsberg will share new data and insights on young voters, and research-backed strategies for engaging youth in this election cycle and beyond. The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) is the nation’s leading non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic and political engagement in the United States. CIRCLE is part of the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University.

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2:00 pm - 3:15 pm
Alumni Entrepreneur Panel

Moderator:

Jordan Kivelstadt, E04, Founder, Kivelstadt Cellars

Panelists:

Hassanatu Blake, A04, Co-Founder, Twinfold Media
Hussainatu Blake, A04, Co-Founder, Twinfold Media
Alex Wulkan A19, Co-founder and COO, Estateably
Nick Cutsumpas, A14, Plant Coach, Landscape Designer, Environmentalist

Description: 
Meet and engage with fellow alumni about their entrepreneurial journeys and what they’ve learned: What made them decide to pursue entrepreneurship as active citizens? What led to their success and where do they think entrepreneurship is headed next? 

From solo-preneurs and creative content to venture investment and executive leadership, this panel represents a broad range of expertise within the scope of entrepreneurship. And you’ll be able to connect with the ever-expanding network of Jumbo entrepreneurs across the world!

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3:15 pm - 4:45 pm
"Two Studios, Two World Views: Disney and Ghibl"
Presented by: Susan Napier

Description: 
While Walt Disney Studios exercises enormous power in the entertainment world, the creative film making from the Japanese Studio Ghibli has also gained much popularity and is now widely recognized in the mainstream market. Through the lens of Ghibli’s primary animation director Hayao Miyazaki, renown scholar on Japanese anime, Professor Napier will discuss how the studios differ. By examining how the two studios treat notions of gender, heroism and the role of nature and the environment, Professor Napier proposes that studio Ghibli is more relevant to the challenges of today’s world, accounting for its widespread rise in popularity among young people and viewers of all ages. 

Events will be added as they confirmed. Check back often.