Harvard has been swamped with media requests to interview the incoming president Drew Faust. I’m still in the queue for an interview, but the Globe managed to snag one and ran a flattering profile of Faust. She’s portrayed as an activist, very pro-women’s issues, and someone with good people skills. Certainly something Harvard needs now.

One of her first moves was to keep the provost, Steven Hyman, on board. This is a strong indication that Faust doesn’t plan on drastically changing or stopping the science planning that’s been plowing ahead at Harvard even after Summers resigned. Hyman, a neurobiologist, has been the key driving force in the Harvard administration behind some of the new interdisciplinary initiatives (Origins of Life, Innovative Computing and others). He’s also involved in the planning of a new regenerative biology department likely to be housed on the Allston campus and was part of the formation of a powerful new Harvard-wide advisory committee on science, which will try to move Harvard towards more collaborative ways of doing science.