2013 Features
college and graduate school of arts and sciences
First-place essay award
'The skills, motivation and empowerment' gained as a student working in accounting for BC Dining encouraged biology major Loic Assobmo '15 to launch a nonprofit organization called the Global Establishment for Medical Advancement, focused on the crises crippling Africa's healthcare system. His essay on the subject won first place in a National Association of College Auxiliary Services competition.
Advance in THz imaging
By using a laser beam to send a detailed set of instructions that create an aperture, researchers in the lab of Physics Associate Professor Willie Padilla may help tame terahertz waves in order to create new imaging technology. BC News Release | PhysOrg | Science Daily | Science Codex | Photonics.com | R&D Magazine
Physics 'top paper' honor
Physics Professor Krzysztof Kempa’s report 'Controlling light propagation with nanowires,' co-authored with researcher Yun Peng, has been selected as one of the most notable papers of 2012 by the journal Applied Physics Letters.
Unspoken messages
Psychology professor Joseph Tecce, an expert in body language, interprets Aaron Hernandez's demeanor in court.
Intrinsic value of the arts
Arts for Art's Sake? The Impact of Arts Education is a new book by Psychology Professor Ellen Winner, her former graduate student Thalia Goldstein Ph.D. '10 and Stéphan Vincent-Lancrin of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. A related post for OECD's 'Education Today'
Practical humanities
Full and effective participation in a postindustrial society and economy requires advanced analytical and expressive ability, and studying the humanities and social sciences is essential to developing those abilities, writes English Professor and Director of American Studies Carlo Rotella for the Boston Globe.
CTSA president
Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz has assumed presidency of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the world's largest association of its kind.
Brown elected to ACT post
Boston College Professor of Theology Stephen F. Brown has been elected to the position of vice president of the Academy of Catholic Theology for 2013-14. He will succeed to the post of president of the academy in 2014-15.
The Church and the world
How does the Church speak to the secular world? Philosophy Associate Professor Jeffrey Bloechl, who delivered the 2013 Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value at Australian Catholic University, writes on Charles Taylor, freedom and authority for Australian Broadcasting Co.
Supreme Court gene ruling
Like many people affected by the BRCA mutation, English Associate Professor Amy Boesky, author of What We Have: A Memoir about her family’s experience with the gene, was waiting for the Supreme Court to act on patents held by Myriad Genetics. She reacted to the ruling in an op-ed for the Boston Globe.
The VIP divide
Universal Studios Hollywood is introducing a 'V.I.P Experience' that, among other things, allows purchasers to jump the queue for its various attractions. Political Science Professor Marc Landy weighs in, writing for WBUR 'Cognoscenti' and Boston.com.
Vance prose will endure
American science-fiction and fantasy writer Jack Vance left a legacy of lasting influence, not only in dozens of books but also in his distinctiveness as a stylist, which shaped many other writers’ sensibilities, English Professor and Director of American Studies Carlo Rotella wrote in an essay for the New York Times.
Six millennia of Phoenicians
A new, annotated critical translation of Charles Corm's 6000 ans de génie pacifique au service de l'Humanité by Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Arabic and Hebrew Franck Salameh, the first Western researcher to be given access to Corm's Beirut archives and unpublished papers, includes an historical reference to an archeological discovery by two BC Jesuits and their students.
New McIntyre Professor
Professor of Mathematics Solomon Friedberg–who during his tenure as department chair has overseen a period of unprecedented growth and achievement—is the new James P. McIntyre Professor of Mathematics.
Social media for seniors
Brands need to master social marketing to senior citizens, especially as the computer-literate Baby Boomers retire, writes new College of Arts and Sciences graduate Katie Moran A&S '13 in a guest post for Forbes.com.
Empathy and moral judgments
Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Those who tend to say 'yes' when faced with this classic dilemma are likely to be deficient in a specific kind of empathy, according to a study co-authored by Psychology Assistant Professor Liane Young. BC News Release | Science Daily | Medical Express | ANI News Service (India) | Science Blog
$1.9M NIH grant
Biology Associate Research Professor Tricia Burdo has been awarded a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the role of the body’s immune response in a debilitating form of nerve damage suffered by people living with HIV. BC News Release | PhysOrg | News Medical
$2.7M NIH grant
Biology Professor Ken Williams has been awarded a five-year, $2.7 million NIH grant to probe potential drug therapies that would limit the role of immunological cells connected to several debilitating illnesses that strike people living with HIV. BC News Release | PhysOrg
Distinguished Career Award
Sociology Professor Paul Schervish, director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, will be honored with the 2013 Distinguished Career Award presented by the Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity Section of the American Sociological Association.
Udall Scholarship winner
Joseph Manning A&S '14 has received a prestigious Udall Scholarship, awarded to students who have demonstrated a commitment to environmental careers.
Nabokovos, father and son
In 2011 Professor of Russian and English Maxim D. Shrayer traveled to Montreux, Switzerland to interview critic, translator and interpreter Dmitri Nabokov, the only child of novelist Vladimir Nabokov. He writes about the experience in an essay for The Forward.
Royal Society Fellow
Chemistry Professor Udayan Mohanty, whose research spans the fields of physical chemistry, chemical physics and biophysics, has been named a fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Chemistry for his outstanding career accomplishments. BC News Release
Donald Brown Award
Rayana Grace '13, a sociology major with a minor in African and African Disaspora Studies, is this year's recipient of the Dr. Donald Brown Award.
Seniors to Remember: Pat Mullane
Pat majored in economics. This fall he will play professional hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks American Hockey League affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs.
Seniors to Remember: Rui Soares
Rui majored in psychology, pre-med. After graduation he has a two-year commitment to Teach for America, followed by medical school.
Seniors to Remember: Lisa Piccirillo
Lisa majored in mathematics and will pursue a doctorate in pure mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin. She plans on a career as a research professor.
Seniors to Remember- Taylour Kumpf
Taylour majored in English and minored in Environmental Studies. She plans to pursue a publishing career in New York City.
Jobs and the economy
Economics Associate Professor Robert Murphy was interviewed about job growth and the state of economy for a front-page piece in the Boston Globe.
Simons Fellowship winner
Mathematics Professor Martin Bridgeman has been awarded a prestigious Simons Fellowship to support his research in moduli spaces. BC Chronicle
A moral mimefield
With evidence that government forces in Syria have used chemical weapons, the U.S. and Britain are evaluating whether and how to intervene in the conflict. Theology Associate Professor Rev. Kenneth Himes, O.F.M., outlines reasons for a cautious approach in an opinion piece for The Tablet.
2013 Guggenheim Fellows
Biology Professor Peter Clote and English Professor Kevin Ohi have received 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Foundation fellowships, awarded to professionals who demonstrate exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts. BC Chronicle
Goldwater Award
Maria Asdourian A&S '15, a biology major who conducts Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis research in Professor Dan Kirschner's lab, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award in the sciences. She explains her research in this short video. | BC News Release
Romero Scholarship Winner
Jessica Vallejo A&S '14 has been awarded the University's Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship, annually given to the junior who demonstrates a commitment to the values and ideals reflected in the life of the slain Archbishop of El Salvador. BC News Release
Reflection in the aftermath
Problems of identity trouble a reeling Boston in the aftermath of the bombing, writes Seelig Professor of Philosophy Richard Kearney. Irish Times
Marathon terrorist attack
Political Science Assistant Professor Peter Krause gave interviews to try and provide some analysis and peace of mind on the tragic events at the Boston Marathon. Rachel Maddow on MSNBC | NECN | CNN
Coming to grips with terror
Psychology Associate Professor Joseph Tecce talks about how we should process the horrific events at the Boston Marathon. WCVB TV
"Do This In Memory of Me"
Vatican II calls Catholics to a renewed realization of the primacy of Christ, Theology Associate Professor Rev. Robert Imbelli writes in an essay for America Magazine.
2013 Truman Scholar
Narintohn Luangrath A&S '14—whose family’s experiences as immigrants inspired her interest in migration and asylum policy issues—has won a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which recognizes undergraduates who demonstrate leadership potential and the capacity to 'make a difference.' BC News Release
Lebanon's resilience
As refugees from Syria stream into Lebanon, it's worth recalling how past movements in the region shaped the present order, writes Assistant Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Arabic and Hebrew Franck Salameh in the National Interest.
Goldwater Scholarship Winner
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Maria Asdourian, a biology major who conducts Alzheimer’s disease research in the lab of Professor Dan Kirschner, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate award in the sciences. BC News Release
U.S. Fulbright Specialist
Political Science Professor David Deese has been appointed to the United States Fulbright Program national roster of Fulbright Specialists, which promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at host institutions in more than 100 countries.
Bearing poetic witness
In his new book, I SAW IT: Ilya Selvinsky and the Legacy of Bearing Witness to the Shoah, Professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies Maxim D. Shrayer is the first to explore how Jewish-Russian poets became the earliest literary witnesses to the Holocaust. BC Bookmarks
Play's the thing
The importance of play to children’s healthy psychological development and ability to thrive in life is underestimated by parents and educators, according to BC psychologist Peter Gray, author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.
Papal reflections
Founders Professor of Theology James Keenan, S.J., reflects on the election of fellow Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, writing for National Catholic Reporter, while Theology Associate Professor Rev. Robert Imbelli considers the legacy of Benedict XVI in a piece for U.S. Catholic.
Night at the museum
Twenty-three years ago this month, Richard Abath was thrust into the spotlight after the biggest art heist in history at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Psychology Associate Professor Joseph Tecce provided analysis of Abath's body language during his first interview about what happened that night. WBZ-TV Ch. 4 News
The ghost writes back
English Associate Professor Amy Boesky reflects on being a ghostwriter, in particular for the popular 'Sweet Valley High' series, in an interview with NPR's 'Talk of the Nation' and an essay for the Kenyon Review.
The papal conclave
The most complex papal election since 1914 is now underway, writes Theology Associate Professor Rev. James Weiss in an op-ed for the Boston Herald.
Newton College Alumnae Chair
Theology Department Professor Catherine Cornille, an internationally acclaimed scholar in the field of comparative theology, has been named to the Newton College Alumnae Chair in Western Culture. BC News Release
'The End of the Point'
Set in a fictional summer community on Massachusetts’ Buzzards Bay, The End of the Point, the latest novel by English Professor Elizabeth Graver, is 'a beautifully orchestrated family symphony,' according to the Boston Globe. | BC Chronicle | She discussed the book on the 'Leonard Lopate Show' on NPR-WNYC and with the Mass. Cultural Council.
Baby and child cognition
BC's Infant and Child Cognition Lab is cited among Boston's collection of the world’s leading baby-brain research by Boston Magazine, in a piece that includes comments by principal investigator and Assistant Professor of Psychology Sara Cordes.
Halo effect
BC physicists have constructed a unique nanostructure that provides a newfound control in light filtering, Ferris Professor of Physics Michael Naughton reports with Senior Research Associate Michael J. Burns and doctoral student and lead author Fan Ye in the journal Nano Letters. BC News | Nanotechnology News | Science Daily | PhysOrg | AzoNano
Apology to Magdalenes
English Associate Professor James Smith reflected on Taoiseach Enda Kenny's apology to victims of the Magdalene laundries in an op-ed in the Irish Times, and in interviews with New York Times, AP (via Boston Globe) and the Los Angeles Times.
The path to citizenship
Immigration proposals must be kept tough, fair, and simple, writes Political Science Professor Peter Skerry in op-eds for the Boston Globe and The Weekly Standard.
Sustainable new catalysts
Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry Amir Hoveyda and BC colleagues report in the journal Nature their development of sustainable small-molecule catalysts fueled by a single proton. BC News Release | PhysOrg
MLK Scholarship winner
Philip McHarris A&S ’14, winner of the 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial award, has an impressive record of scholarship and leadership. BC Chronicle
Justice for Magdalenes
A new report that sheds light on the extent of state involvement with Ireland's Magdalene laundries ultimately will be remembered for whether the government responds with measures that bring justice, writes English Associate Professor James Smith, long-time advocate for the victims, in the Irish Times | He was interviewed by numerous news outlets about the report, including the New York Times 1 & 2 | BBC Radio 4 | BBC Radio 5 | Los Angeles Times | Irish Independent | Irish Central | Scotsman | AP and Irish Times.
Moral motivation
Getting people to think about morality as a matter of objective facts rather than subjective preferences may lead to improved moral behavior, Psychology Assistant Professor Liane Young reports in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. BC News Release | PsychCentral | Science Daily | Yahoo! News | Science Codex | Medical Express | NewsTrack India | RedOrbit | National Affairs
Off the grid in Boston
If you live anywhere long enough, the way of life there, the lay of the land itself, will sink into you, according to English Professor and Director of American Studies Carlo Rotella in his column for the Boston Globe.
The gridlock illusion
If Washington seems to get much less done than it once did, it is partly because it is trying to do so much more, writes O'Neill Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick in the latest edition of the Wilson Quarterly.
Gilman Scholars
Seven students in the Class of 2014 (five from A&S) are participating in study-abroad programs this semester—in Japan, Ireland, Brazil, South Korea, South Africa and the UK—through prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships.
Subdued by the tube
A recent American tendency to treat political and nonpolitical expression as rough equivalents is encouraging people all around the world to do the same, according to Martha Bayles of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program. Boston Globe
Art and the Great Hunger
Seelig Professor of Philosophy Richard Kearney joined a special broadcast of Ireland's RTE radio from Connecticut's Great Hunger Museum commemorating the Irish famine. RTE Radio (clip begins at approximate 34-minute mark).
'Muslim Journeys'
Islamic Arts by Calderwood Chairs of Islamic and Asian Art Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom has been selected by for inclusion in 'Muslim Journeys,' part of the new NEH/American Library Association 'Bridging Cultures' initiative. BC Bookmarks
Inauguration of sacrifice
President Obama must speak loudly and clearly about the sacrifices needed to restore the nation to fiscal sanity, writes Political Science Professor Marc Landy for WBUR's 'Cognoscenti'.
Charities after "the cliff"
One of the stones left unturned in the wake of the 'fiscal cliff' compromise is how new tax rates affect charitable giving. Sociology Professor Paul Schervish, director for the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, discussed how the budget deal affected rates of giving on WGBH 'Boston Public Radio'.
Award-winning revival
Music Professor Michael Noone's CD set featuring music by priest-composer Tomas Luis de Victoria, which recently won a Gramophone Award in the early music category, is highlighted by the Boston Globe (second item).
Econometric Society fellow
Economics Professor Uzi Segal has been elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the world's leading learned society for economists. BC News Release
The Foley abduction
Political Science Assistant Professor Peter Krause discussed unfolding events in the Middle East in light of the abduction of journalist James Foley in Syria in an interview with NECN.
Women and the Church
Associate Professor Mary Ann Hinsdale, I.H.M., co-director of Catholic Studies, was interviewed regarding women theologians' contributions to the Church, for an article that includes comments by doctoral candidate Rev. Dan Horan, O.F.M. U.S. Catholic.
A boxer's life
English Professor and Director of American Studies Carlo Rotella writes on the late boxer Hector Camacho for the annual 'Lives They Lived' tribute section of the New York Times Magazine.
The Fiscal and Climate Cliffs
Sociology Professor Juliet Schor discussed the Senate deal approved by the House to avert the "fiscal cliff" and what it means to social and environmental programs as a guest on the syndicated independent radio news hour Democracy Now!