# Fall 2020, Volume 35 Number 1 ## expand\_more ![Thumbnail image of the cover of the fall 2020 Centerpiece](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/wcfia/files/ctrpiece_f20-cover-150px.jpg?itok=8M0BmMcl) The fall 2020 issue of *Centerpiece* highlights the Center's recent activities, which are still going strong—albeit remote—during the pandemic. In her [Message from the Director](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/director "Message from the Director") column, Michèle Lamont details how our various programs and intellectual pursuits are thriving in our new reality. In our annual [Dispatches feature](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/dispatches "Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field"), four of our Undergraduate Associates share stories of their summers—either abroad or local—and how COVID-19 affected their thesis research projects. In our other feature, [In Conversation with Timothy Colton and Meg Elizabeth Rithmire](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/feature_regions_cluster_leadership "In Conversation with Timothy Colton and Meg Elizabeth Rithmire"), we talk to the chairs of the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Regions in a Multipolar World. They explain the origins of forming their research cluster and share what they're currently working on. Weatherhead Scholars Program Director [Kathleen Molony says goodbye to the Center](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/scholars_program_director_goodbye "Weatherhead Scholars Program: Director's Goodbye"), where she has worked for twenty-one years. She will be retiring at the end of December 2020. And Faculty Associate Jeffry Frieden shares a warm [tribute to colleague and friend Alberto Alesina](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/in_memoriam "In Memoriam"), who passed away this May. **Download**: [Fall 2020, Volume 35 Number 1](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/ctrpiece_f2020-lowres.pdf "Centerpiece Fall 2020, Volume 35 Number 1") \[ PDF: 892 KB \] ### [Message from the Director](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/director "Message from the Director") *by Michèle Lamont* These have been trying months for sure. Between the pandemic and the many challenges presented by the recent US elections, many of us have felt disoriented and slightly out of whack. Nevertheless, rather than scale back Weatherhead Center activities, we have continued to forge ahead thanks to our amazing staff and to the dedicated members of our academic community... ### [In Conversation with Timothy Colton and Meg Elizabeth Rithmire](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/feature_regions_cluster_leadership "In Conversation with Timothy Colton and Meg Elizabeth Rithmire") *Interview by Sarah Figge Hussain* “What makes a region?” This seemingly simple question frames the work of the [Weatherhead Research Cluster on Regions in a Multipolar World](/weatherhead-clusters/regions-multipolar-world "Weatherhead Research Cluster on Regions in a Multipolar World") (informally called the regions cluster). Spearheaded by Faculty Associates [Timothy Colton](/people/timothy-j-colton "Timothy J. Colton") and [Meg Elizabeth Rithmire](/people/meg-elizabeth-rithmire "Meg Elizabeth Rithmire"), the research cluster seeks better understanding of what defines a region—by studying political and economic diffusion, perceptions of regional identification, regional ordering principles, and transnational cooperation... ### [Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/dispatches "Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field") Typically every spring, a select group of Harvard College students receive travel grants from the Weatherhead Center to support their thesis field research on topics related to international affairs. With the advent of the pandemic and accompanying travel restrictions, this past spring was different. Instead, we selected twenty exceptional undergraduates whose research we could still support in other ways, from helping revise research methods to plan projects that don’t require travel... ### At the Center - [Of Note](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/of_note "Of Note") - [New Books](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/newbooks "New Books") - [Student Programs](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/prog_student "Student Programs") - [In Memoriam: Alberto Alesina](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/in_memoriam "In Memoriam") - [Weatherhead Scholars Program: Director's Goodbye](/publications/centerpiece/fall2020/scholars_program_director_goodbye "Weatherhead Scholars Program: Director's Goodbye") - [Photo Gallery | Events](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/ctrpiece_f2020-lowres.pdf "Centerpiece Fall 2020, Volume 35 Number 1") --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf Centerpiece Fall 2020, Volume 35 Number 1 ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/ctrpiece_f2020-lowres.pdf) --- See also:- [ Centerpiece ](/content-types/centerpiece) - [ Centerpiece: Fall 2020 ](/newsletter-issues/centerpiece-fall-2020)