The View from Carrie Tower

Each year, all first-year students read and discuss a book chosen by the Brown community as part of orientation. Aliosha Bielenberg '20 reflects on his First Readings experience and the new First Readings book, Anthony Marra's "The Tsar of Love and Techno." Music: Giant Leap by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

Each year, all first-year students read and discuss a book chosen by the Brown community as part of orientation. Hear Dean Maud Mandel discuss how she's changed the selection process to create a campus-wide discussion about the First Readings book. Music: Giant Leap by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena

On this episode of The View from Carrie Tower, we spoke with a group of Brown students and Brown Annual Fund Co-Chair Paula McNamara '84 about what they think of Brown alumni and the BrownTogether campaign. Music: Trap Lyfe by Ari de Niro, licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License.

Want to understand the government's surveillance program from the inside out? Visiting Fellow Tim Edgar, a former member of the Obama administration’s National Security Staff, with the same security clearance as Edward Snowden, details the current NSA surveillance programs and proposes reforms to increase both security and privacy.

Todd Fisher '87, P'17 offers advice to new volunteers and tips for showcasing the power of the Annual Fund.

For 25 years, Professor Timmons Roberts has been working to address the "wicked problem" of climate change. From climate related health challenges in Providence to resiliency legislation in Rhode Island to improving climate change negotiations at the United Nations, he and his students' research aims to make "a big impact". This story is part of a series on engaged scholarship at Brown, brought to you in partnership with Swearer Sparks.

In high school, Professor Elizabeth Hoover wanted to be a farmer. Instead, she became an anthropologist who studies the relationships between farming, environmental contamination and food. This story is part of a series on engaged scholarship at Brown, brought to you in partnership with Swearer Sparks.

When Professor Jim Morone hears a debate in the public sphere with an argument missing, he is eager to throw his hat in the ring. From healthcare to mass incarceration, ebola to gay marriage, he uses “good old-fashioned historical and political science research” to add context and substance, and change the conversation for good. This story is part of a series on engaged scholarship at Brown, brought to you in partnership with Swearer Sparks.