Friend-to-friend lending app wins $10,000 Bobcat Ventures pitch competition

Jay Burns

As the editorial director for the Bates Communications Office, Jay guides Bates Magazine and BatesNews.

Stories by Jay Burns

Friend-to-friend lending app wins $10,000 Bobcat Ventures pitch competition

Thursday, June 24, 2021 10:39 am

Biruk Chafamo '22 has created a web application that brings an ancient, community-based lending tradition into the 21st century.

AMERLING, Friedrich von(b. 1803, Wien, d. 1887, Wien) Portrait of Count István Széchenyi1836 Oil on canvas, 250 x 165 cmHungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest

Bates announces Fulbright Student awards for 2021–22

Thursday, June 17, 2021 9:14 am

Meet the eight new graduates and young alumni who have been offered Fulbright Student awards to teach or conduct research abroad in 2021-22.

Video: For Erick Gredonia ’21, dance creates the ‘best version of myself’

Thursday, June 10, 2021 11:23 am

Motion defines dance. Yet for Gredonia, a defining dance experience at Bates was a moment of quiet stillness, tinged with despair.

Then and Now: Bates buildings and places, Reunion 2021 edition

Friday, June 4, 2021 11:38 am

Prepared as part of Reunion 2021 programming, an interactive look at a few Bates buildings and spaces as they looked years ago, and now.

Campus scenes on Sept. 8, 2020.Beverly Vari and Hoi Ning Ngai, colleagues at the Bates Center for Purposeful Work, hold their weekly check-in meeting on the Historic Quad.Besides talking strategy and tactics — from how to expand employment opportunities for students to following up on summer internships — they also “catch up on how we’re engaging in self-care — especially given the challenges of operating in a pandemic,” says Ngai. Prioritizing health and well-being is not just personal: “It’s a way to model that mindset for students as they become professionals.”

‘I hate grass’: Confessions, quirks, and authenticity from Hoi Ning Ngai’s Baccalaureate Address

Friday, May 28, 2021 11:15 am

"Be comfortable embracing all of your strange and special qualities — and all of the people who love you for them," said Ngai in an address that shared

The College's 155th Commencement will look a little different, but most of it remains the same.The chairs on the Historic Quad, walking across the steps of Coram, your classmates and friends, family, and representatives of the faculty are here. This certainly has been a challenging year, but we know it was also filled with joys and successes.You have all worked so hard to get to this day and we are ready to celebrate your accomplishments.To members of the Bates community and beyond, we invite you to join the celebration with as it streams live on our website at bates.edu/commencement/live and on our Facebook page.Parents and loved ones, if you wish share memories or congratulate your student, use the #Bates2021 hashtag and we'll share our favorites!⁣Link to watch our livestream is in our bio. ⁣(Theophil Syslo/Bates College)#Bates2021 #BatesCollege #Commencement #Classof2021

With a doubleheader Commencement on May 27, Bates celebrates Class of 2021

Thursday, May 27, 2021 1:02 pm

After a year's absence, Bates celebrated an in-person Commencement on May 27, featuring two ceremonies on a bluebird day with all the comforts of familiar rituals, including words of wisdom and love.

21 frequently (and infrequently) asked questions about Bates Commencement on May 27

Friday, May 21, 2021 2:39 pm

For our Class of 2021 seniors, here are 21 frequently, and infrequently, asked questions about this year's Commencement.

Hi altitude and balloon clubHi Altitude Weather Balloon Launch on Garclon Field on Saturday, May 15, 2021IDs:tara ellard white shirtMax bartley grey tshirtJackson donahue tan collar shirtTucker barber long hairLoren Andrews green mask white tshirtMatt clayton garnetChristopher barker ë21 at the helmPeter Riley droneChristopher talks about Elon Musk after the ìfailedî launch:ìBefore the launches with SpaceX, he usually lays out a goal. And that goal is usually about some part in the launch sequence. So then, they will do the full launch; the thing will eventually come down and crash land and explode. And then everyone thinks itís a failure. But then he goes, ëNo, thatís fantastic. We got these beautiful stats that we needed, that weíre looking for in our iterative process of making a spaceship that works.íìSo today we got a full crew of members of the club to get to the 10th hour of the launch, and that was fantastic. I think everyone learned so much today, and for me to do that with the group is really rewarding because personally I know that Iím the only one thatís done it fully through. So to be able to pass down as much knowledge as I did today so that the club continues is just a thrill.î Members of the High Altitude Ballooning Club lay out their gear on May 15 in preparation for a launch from Garcelon Field.IDs for students launching the weather balloon on Garcelon Field on Saturday, May 15, 2021.tara ellard white shirtMax bartley grey tshirtJackson donahue tan collar shirtTucker barber long hairLoren Andrews green mask white tshirtMatt clayton garnetHi altitude and balloon clubChristopher barkerPeter riley drone

At Garcelon Field, a failed balloon launch in name only

Friday, May 21, 2021 10:32 am

A student club's high-altitude balloon launch — minus its payload — offers a chance for some Commencement-season ruminations on the value of failure.

Video: Bowie meets the Bard through director Deon Custard ’21

Friday, May 21, 2021 9:07 am

Custard took Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, added a dose of glam rock, and shook it all into something fresh, but also vintage, for the Bates stage.

COVID-19 income-support programs save lives, says Bates economics professor

Thursday, May 13, 2021 10:13 am

Massive income-support programs during the pandemic have been more than just a shot in the arm for the world’s economies, says Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics Abraham Asfaw.