Kristen Si, Author at Sampan

Kristen Si

Metro November 17, 2023 0

More than 40,000 Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites in the U.S – 40 are in MA

In February of this year, the federal government allocated $1 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) program, better known as the Superfund program. Initiated in 1980, the Superfund program is a long-term initiative aimed at cleaning up toxic waste from hazardous “Superfund sites” across the country. Due to the involvement of several largely unregulated industries in the generation of this waste, the federal government, through the Superfund […]

Arts October 20, 2023 0

I See a Dream : Immigrant Artists Mural of Newfound Home in America

Last month, Watertown saw an addition to its growing collection of street art through the opening of a new mural created by artists Amir Tabatabaei and Niloufar Keyhani. Located on the wall of Watertown Square’s CVS, the new mural, titled “I See a Dream”, opened to a crowd of nearly 100 onlookers on September 19, 2023. The original wall is in an area of Watertown known as Merchant’s Row, and contains more than 1000 square feet of space that was […]

Health September 16, 2023 0

Alarming Consequences for Asian Americans About High Exposure to “Forever” Chemicals

A shocking article published in August’s Environmental Science & Technology by the American Chemical Society showed that Asian Americans have disproportionately high exposure to polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The primary author, Dr. Shelly Liu who is an associate professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, additionally noted that when compared to whites, Asian Americans had a median PFAS level that was 88% higher. To fully understand the consequences of these findings, it is important to note the significant […]

Boston September 2, 2023 0

See Say App Gives Direct Access to Transit Police to Report Violence

MBTA Chief Safety Officer, Ron Ester, left at the end of August after years of work with federal agencies regarding MBTA safety. This lack of leadership during a time when numerous incidents of violence have been reported on the MBTA concerns many riders. This past July, Transit Police at Andrew Station arrested two men on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. In May, 2 teens were charged for unprovoked attacks on a woman in South Boston […]

Front Page August 5, 2023 0

Converting Used Office Buildings Into Affordable Housing: Who are the Real Stakeholders

There is no doubt that the city of Boston is currently in the midst of a housing crisis. In the Boston Foundation’s annual report, the Greater Boston area received a failing grade in the year of 2022. The report cites confounding factors of economic growth and rising housing prices with the bottom line that middle and lower-income families will be struggling in the coming years to find affordable housing options if new policies are not adopted. The current issues will […]

Boston July 8, 2023 0

Government Support Must be Increased to Make New Technology Affordable

While it may be easy to forget in the summer heat, New England suffers from some of the most brutal winters in the country. With temperatures occasionally dropping below zero degrees Fahrenheit every year, the cost of living in Boston is underlined with the additional cost of keeping people warm in their homes. Annually, New Englanders pay hefty costs for utility bills, with the cost of energy being some of the highest in the country. Using 2022-2023 data, the website […]

Housing June 23, 2023 0

Elderly Housing Crisis is Really Happening and It’s Getting Worse

During December 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which revealed that on any given night, more than 500,000 people in America were homeless in 2022. The statistics show a 0.3% increase in homelessness between 2020 and 2022. Despite significant federal measures through policies such as the Emergency Rental Assistance program, more and more people are facing the reality of being unable to find stable housing. While the 2022 HUD report […]

Front Page June 9, 2023 0

The Future of ChatGPT Regulation

If you’ve been on the internet recently, you most likely have heard of ChatGPT – a new AI natural language processing tool which has gained significant public traction over the past several months. The chatbot was developed by OpenAI, a startup founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Released on November 30, 2022, ChatGPT is capable of everything from returning human-like conversational responses to generating a resume to even writing software on its own. ChatGPT is able to […]

Front Page May 13, 2023 0

The Queen of Nuclear Physics: Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu

There aren’t many universal household names amongst the storied history of physicists since the early 20th century. Stephen Hawking distilled his ideas into A Brief History of Time, Albert Einstein cemented his role in history with his theory of relativity, and Guglielmo Marconi pioneered the means by which radio transmissions were transmitted. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi were two nuclear physicists who worked on the groundbreaking Manhattan Project which produced the first nuclear weapons. One name that’s conspicuously absent […]

Arts April 23, 2023 0

Life and Legacy of Legendary Japanese Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto

“Ars longa, vita brevis.” (Latin for “Art is long, life is short.”) – Hippocrates At the age of 71, Ryuichi Sakamoto – legendary Japanese composer – passed away on March 28, 2023 after battling cancer for years. The above Hippocrates quote was posted as part of a statement on his website following his passing, showcasing his status and continuing legacy as an icon within electronic pop music and the film industry. As a composer, music producer, and activist, Ryuichi Sakamoto […]

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