Yale University

Seventy-two Yale College juniors received honors from the Council of the Heads of Colleges in recognition of their scholarship, contributions to college life, and their character. Learn more about the Class of 2027 honorees and read the award citations written by their heads of college: bit.ly/3R5pkYM

#Yale2026: Meet the graduates! 🎓 To kick off Commencement weekend, Yale News spotlights a few of the many exceptional members of the Yale College Class of 2026 — a group that includes multi-instrumentalists, global health advocates, a rising star in quantum science, and a Broadway actor turned engineer. We hope this small sampling offers a sense of the creativity, compassion, and resilience of the undergraduate Class of 2026: bit.ly/4uGXel4

Yale’s first Chess Cup checked all the boxes. Dozens of students gathered in Beinecke Plaza for the tournament, transforming the space into an outdoor hub for strategy, spectatorship, and spirited play. “This is how chess is meant to be played,” one spectator said. Read more in Yale News: bit.ly/4uxhRju

Old Campus is nearly ready to welcome the Class of 2026. The chairs are in place, the stage is set, and Handsome Dan is patiently waiting for Commencement Weekend to get underway: ▪️ Yale College Baccalaureate — Sunday at 10 a.m. ▪️ Yale College Class Day — Sunday at 2 p.m. ▪️ University Commencement — Monday at 10:30 a.m. To check out the full schedule and everything to know for Yale’s 325th Commencement, visit commencement.yale.edu. #Yale2026 🎓

A decade-long journey along the Ganges became a study of change over time. Over more than 9,000 miles, Yale architect Anthony Acciavatti documented the Ganges River Basin through photographs, drawings, and mapping tools that trace the river’s shifting rhythms and landscapes. Learn more about the project and its related exhibition in London: bit.ly/48RKXSi

New discoveries are changing how scientists understand autism. After identifying hundreds of genes linked to autism, Yale researchers are now studying how shared pathways in the brain may help explain why similar traits and behaviors emerge across many different genetic profiles. The work could help researchers better understand the biology of autism and guide future approaches to care and treatment. See how this research is advancing neuroscience: bit.ly/4nBX9gl

Yale’s Daniel Martinez HoSang has received a 2026 Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. HoSang, a professor of American studies and political science in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, is among 24 scholars in the U.S. and Canada selected for the annual fellowship, which supports research in the social sciences and humanities. His project will explore political polarization and potential paths forward. Learn more about the fellowship and HoSang’s work: bit.ly/3R18lqp

A newly approved breast cancer drug — developed by New Haven-based biotech firm Arvinas and based on the pioneering research of founder and Yale chemist Craig Crews — will soon be available as a once-daily oral therapy. Explore how this work is moving from research to real-world care: bit.ly/4eB8BGt

📸 A look back at Yale Commencement 2025. Moments of tradition and celebration on Old Campus. In one week, on Monday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m., Yale will celebrate its 325th Commencement. During the ceremony, deans present candidates for degrees, which are formally conferred by the president, while honorary degree recipients are also recognized as part of a tradition that dates back to 1702. For the full schedule of Commencement 2026 events and exercises, visit commencement.yale.edu. #Yale2026 🎓

Class Day is almost here. As we look ahead to the 2026 celebration, we’re revisiting moments from the Class of 2025 gathering on Old Campus — including some of those unforgettable hats. Held the day before Commencement, Class Day brings the Yale College community together for student performances, awards, and long-held traditions, a celebration that dates back to the 19th century, when graduates gathered on the lawn to share stories from their time at Yale. This year, acclaimed author Min Jin Lee ’90 returns to campus as Class Day speaker. Learn more about Class Day, which will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, on Old Campus: bit.ly/3QOhzWU #Yale2026 🎓

📸 Scenes from Yale Baccalaureate 2025. For more than three centuries, Baccalaureate has been held the day before Commencement, bringing seniors and their families together to pause, look back, and hear from the university president. In one week, the 2026 Baccalaureate will take place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, on Old Campus. Learn more about the ceremony and all #Yale2026 events at commencement.yale.edu. 🎓

A deeper look at the quantum world is opening new possibilities. Yale researchers have built a superconducting circuit that recreates proton tunneling, a quantum phenomenon found in systems ranging from photosynthesis to human DNA. The discovery could help advance research in solar fuels, pharmaceuticals, and materials science: bit.ly/4t7kRSq

A transfer to Yale became a turning point. In 2024, Sabrina Soriano came to Yale from a community college in California, drawn by the university’s art collections and her passion for art history. Since then, she has built a network of mentors and peers and was the only undergraduate invited to a prestigious international symposium on Paul Cézanne. See how her journey is taking shape: bit.ly/4w3wah8

The way we live today may be reshaping the gut microbiome, the ecosystem of microbes inside the digestive system. Yale researchers report that factors linked to industrialized living, including feeding infants formula, are influencing how the body processes estrogen. Now the question is whether these changes are beneficial or harmful. See what they found: bit.ly/4cGeuAO

From Yale teammates to the pros. Elle Hartje ’24 and Anna Bargman ’25, former Yale ice hockey captains, are now skating together again as teammates on the New York Sirens of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. In this Q&A, they reflect on friendship, teamwork, and how their time at Yale helped shape their careers: bit.ly/4dbmvhe

A different way to look at animals in art. In a Yale History of Art course, students examine depictions of animals in French visual culture, considering them “not only symbolically,” said instructor Ivana Dizdar, “but also as historical agents.” See how the class connects art, history, and the natural world: bit.ly/4eJ9oF8

What does it mean to be American and who decides? In a Q&A, Yale historian Beverly Gage discusses her new book, tracing a cross-country journey through historic sites and the ways the past continues to shape how we understand the nation today. See how history informs the ongoing conversation about American identity: bit.ly/4vLrso8

Spending more time outside? Here’s what to know about ticks. As tick populations grow, Yale epidemiologist Peter Krause breaks down which diseases are spreading, which are rare but dangerous, and how to protect yourself and your family. Learn what to know before heading outdoors: bit.ly/4n1Jyi2

Finding support shouldn’t be so hard. Inspired by his own experience with chronic illness, Blake Robertson ’24 M.P.H. is using AI to help people better navigate the social safety net and access the care they need. “Our broader vision is to use the power of AI to strengthen the connection between the social safety net and the people it’s meant to serve.” See how this work is making support more accessible: bit.ly/3OVCHdb

How life began remains one of science’s biggest questions. Inspired by a Yale course on complex systems, researchers have developed a new mathematical approach to explore how life may have first emerged on Earth. See how this study sheds light on life’s earliest beginnings: bit.ly/3QKW8G4