More Perfect The Harvard Plan
10 snips
Nov 18, 2025 
Camilla Naxerova, a cancer researcher at Harvard Medical School, shares how federal funding cuts threaten her vital work on metastasis. Meanwhile, Kit Parker, a bioengineering professor and Army Reserve colonel, discusses the pressures of conservative viewpoints on campus politics. They delve into the ramifications of the Trump administration’s actions on American universities, including the chilling effects on research and faculty morale, and the ongoing moral dilemmas faced by academia in these turbulent times.
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Election Shifts Felt Like A Systemic Threat
- 2016's upset shook quantitative political scientists but 2024 felt like a different, grimmer challenge to democracy.
- Ryan Enos frames the new threat as systemic, not merely policy disagreement.
Immigrant Scientist Finds Freedom In U.S. Labs
- Camilla Nakserova emigrated from Czechoslovakia and chose American scientific culture for its openness and collaboration.
- She built a lab at Harvard focused on metastasis in colorectal cancer with hopes for lifesaving breakthroughs.
A Conservative Professor With Eclectic Labs
- Kit Parker balances military service and bioengineering, blending art, patents, and eclectic teaching.
- He votes Republican and hoped Trump might engage with universities rather than punish them.
