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Taking a cue from a popular global lecture series that highlights cutting-edge thinking and new ideas, a Boston College student group has launched BCTalks to provide a new forum to highlight the scholarly interests and achievements of undergraduates.
Modeled after TEDTalks, a foundation-sponsored series devoted to “ideas worth spreading,” BCTalks aims to bridge the gap between the academic and social lives of undergraduates, according to student organizers from the group Education for Students by Students, which held the first event on Nov. 13 and 14 in Robsham Theater Arts Center.
The 14 speakers were drawn from the ranks of students whose scholarly accomplishments have been recognized by Advanced Study Grants or Undergraduate Research Fellowships. The topics ranged from senior Brian Tracz’s “Think Glia: Mental Life Beyond the Neurons” to senior Abby Letak’s “Accidental Intellectuals: How Modern Quality Television is Changing the Way We Think.”
Event co-founder Connor Sullivan ’13 said the BCTalks drew a vocal crowd that added to the excitement of the unique speaker format. Presentations were kept to 20-25 minutes.
“Often at BC there’s a divide between academic and social life,” said Sullivan. “We have these incredibly passionate discussions in class, but not many of those discussions take place outside the classroom.”
Lisa Piccirillo ‘13, another event co-founder, said the process of sifting through potential speakers, their projects and resumes offered insight into the depth of intellectual pursuits among undergraduates.
“Just putting together a one-paragraph summary for the panel to consider was a challenge,” said Piccirillo, a math major. “These students have multiple interests and they’ve accomplished something significant in almost each area.”
All of the talks were videotaped and the organizers expect to post them to the web in the coming weeks. A second BCTalks event is being organized for the spring semester as well.
“We haven’t put any limits on whether speakers can present again, but we think it’s probably something someone does once,” said Piccirillo. “We want to put the focus on that passion and interest they have put all their effort into.”
For more information, see the BCTalks website.