Top 'News from Watson' Stories of 2019

Whether you missed them the first time or want to revisit them now, we countdown our most-read stories this year.

10. It’s Complicated: How Women, Islam, and the State Intersect
In a book talk and on an episode of "Trending Globally," anthropologist Nadje Al-Ali discussed the intersection of politics, religion, and gender in the Middle East.

9. A game-changer in the fight against Ebola
Adam Levine, director of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, explained the promising results of a clinical trial evaluating promising new treatments for Ebola virus disease.

8. Fifth Cohort of Brown in Washington Program Students Start New Semester with Offices and Agencies Across Washington D.C.
Last spring, nine students completed the semester-long fellowship that offers practical experience in the public policy sphere through internships in top public and nonprofit sector agencies.

7. Middle East Studies Enters a New Era at Brown
Last fall, Middle East Studies grew from being an undergraduate concentration to becoming a center that serves as a hub of Middle East-related scholarship and teaching.

6. With Rights Under Attack in Brazil, the Brazil Initiative Convenes Students, Scholars, and Activists
Not long after Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration on January 1 as Brazil's 42nd president, the Brazil Initiative held a conference featuring activists and academics who explored Brazil's Afro-descendant/Afro-Brazilian issues, indigenous issues, and current rise in populism.

5. New Faculty Leadership Roles
Patsy Lewis and Geri Augusto assumed new leadership roles, and the Watson Institute welcomed a new director of the International Relations concentration program. 

4. Introducing the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies
Three years after its founding, the Humanitarian Innovation Initiative became the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies. One highlight of the Center's full roster of activities during the fall semester was a new Human Security Seminar Series led by Visiting Fellow David Polatty of the Naval War College.

3. U.S. Representative David N. Cicilline ’83 Joins the Watson Institute
As a senior fellow at the Watson Institute, the representative of Rhode Island’s First Congressional District taught "Public Policy and Politics in Partisan Times" as part of the Master of Public Affairs program.

2. Jim Yong Kim ’82 to Bring Real-World Experience to Watson
The former president of the World Bank Group shared with students his experience and expertise in economic development, global health, multilateral institutions and global politics.

1. Two Campuses, One Course: Naval War College Faculty Teach at Brown Too
Two historians from the Naval War College taught a course on economic competition and economic warfare among the world’s great powers.