News

Child soldiers, adult lives

Families and communities are central to recovery for Sierra Leone's former child soldiers, BC researchers find in 15-year study of war-affected youth.

Young Investigator Award

The Beckman Foundation selects Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jia Niu as one of the nation's most promising early-career scientists.

An eroding workplace

American workers feel untethered and insecure about their futures, according to a new book by Lynch School Professor David Blustein.

Taking on a parasite

BC researchers tackle a parasite that brings risks to pregnancy and sight—and infects nearly a third of the world’s population.

Celebrating Copeland

Scholars, colleagues, and former students honor the life and work of award-winning theologian M. Shawn Copeland.

The way we were

Vibrancy of memories dims and fades over time, a new study by BC researchers finds.

ACLS Fellow

American Council of Learned Societies recognizes historian Priya Lal's research of labor and nation building in Southeastern Africa.

Image showing the nonlinear mixing of waves of light intrinsically generating direct current in tantalum arsenide

A colossal photocurrent

A discovery delivers the largest intrinsic conversion of light to electricity of any material, BC scientists report.

The space environment

The U.S. Air Force selects BC's Institute for Scientific Research for a 5-year, $10.6-million ionospheric study.

A celebration of scholarship

The Woods College of Advancing Studies hosts its inaugural undergraduate research conference.

A scene from JoyceStick, a 3-D gamification of James Joyce's Ulysses

Innovation showcase

BC research projects, including a 3-D 'gamification' of James Joyce's 'Ulysses,' to be displayed at Smithsonian ACCelerate Festival.

Top 20 for business research

'Financial Times' survey recognizes Carroll School of Management faculty scholarship.

New major in neuroscience

Research-focused undergraduate degree program will explore connections between biology and behavior.

New and improved, like me

How does personal self-improvement relate to improved products? A Carroll School researcher reports.

A toothsome task

A BC biologist and undergraduates model an alpha predator of the sea.

In whose interests?

When CEOs' personal tax liabilities go down, they tend to favor corporate risk-taking, a Carroll School researcher finds.

BC a research leader

Boston College retains its place among the top three percent of U.S. universities in terms of research activity.

Motherhood Across Borders

A Lynch School researcher's award-winning book on immigrants and their children.

Sloan Research Fellowship

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Masayuki Wasa is recognized for his work developing and improving life-saving molecules.

Surface effect

Physicists from Boston College and Brookhaven National Laboratory modify a Mott insulator.

Vision for global health

New program plans new undergraduate minor and major, plus an ambitious five-year research agenda.

Regulating negative memories

Psychology researcher Maureen Ritchey studies cognitive reappraisal with support from a Young Investigator Grant.

Ice Age still at work

It continues to shape sea level variations along the East Coast, BC researcher Carling Hay and colleagues report.

'Biobehavorial profiling'

At the National Institutes of Health, a Connell School researcher shares his innovative approach to studying chronic illness.

Kagome discoveries

BC physicists on an international team report new discoveries in the kagome magnet.

The priesthood, reexamined

After a two-year study, BC scholars issue a statement on renewal of priesthood and ministry for a contemporary Catholic Church.

Outstanding scientist

Endawoke Yizengaw of BC's Institute for Scientific Research is honored for advancing Earth and space science.

Outstanding contributions to mathematics

Professor Martin Bridgeman is recognized by the American Mathematical Society.

Shifting religious landscape

Sociologist Gustavo Morello, S.J., leads the most widespread qualitative study of how religion is lived in Latin America.

Adults with autism

A computer scientist's NIH-funded study lays groundwork for therapies and interventions.

SSA grant supports retirement research

The Center for Retirement Research receives a five-year continuation grant, including $2.4M award for the initial year, from the U.S. Social Security Administration.

Seton Medal winner

School of Theology and Ministry Professor Mary Jo Iozzio is honored for outstanding theological contributions.

Ebola's effects

A BCSSW researcher explores the long-term impact of exposure to the virus among children in Sierra Leone.

Section of large abstract oil painting; public domain

State of the art

Even the untrained eye can detect the work of real artists, psychology prof Ellen Winner writes in the Wall Street Journal.

Study of lifetime homeless rates

1 in 6 older black people have at one time been homeless, a study co-authored by a BC social work researcher finds.

Lower high school dropout rates attributed to BC City Connects

New report shows the elementary school intervention program has a lasting impact on participants.

New Global Observatory on pollution, health

In partnership with U.N. Environment, the BC observatory will track efforts to control pollution and prevent related diseases.

Library of Congress fellow

Libby Professor of Law and Theology Cathleen Kaveny receives Kluge Center residency for scholars at the height of their fields.

Expanding genetic codes

Turning to a deadly bacteria, BC chemists devise a way to incorporate non-canonical amino acids into human cell proteins.

Sustainability in healthcare

Large healthcare organizations fall short in protecting the environment, according to a new study.

The sweetest sounds

The neurological link between taste and hearing, or why airplane passengers like to drink tomato juice.

Psychonomic Society Award

Psychology's Liane Young recognized by the preeminent organization for experimental study of cognition.

Taking the heat

A drop of four degrees has a big impact on garment workers in India, and on the company's bottom line, a BC economist finds.

Up in the air

What's the highest number of objects a human can juggle? At last, an answer.

Targeted attack

Faculty in chemistry and biology team up to tackle antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Digital tulips

What fuels the eye-popping returns on cryptocurrency investments? Carroll School researchers report.

Theory and practice

A promising new cooling material develops from theoretical work by BC physicist David Broido.

Helping mothers-to-be

Connell School of Nursing Dean Susan Gennaro brings her life’s work to fruition, supported by a major federal grant.

Directing atomic magnetism

A method developed by BC physicists is a leap of progress for the optical and magnetic device industry.

Frozen across time

Clues to the future of climate change lie in an Antarctic ice sheet's response to a past warming period.

The science of art appreciation

A study by BC psychologists sheds light on the mysteries of the aesthetic response.

Fixing Social Security

How can it serve the most vulnerable? Center for Retirement Research director Alicia Munnell talks to Forbes.

Work-family lifetime award

BC School of Social Work's Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes is honored for extraordinary contributions to scholarship and community.

An ethical challenge

Are two heads better than one in ethical decision-making? A BC Carroll School researcher reports.

International justice

Chile's Luksic Foundation supports BC Law projects on investment law reform and water and property rights.

Distinction is theology

The Catholic Theological Society of America presents its highest honor to BC theologian M. Shawn Copeland.

Impact of integrated student support

A BC report offers insights into promoting academic achievement and life chances for children in poverty.

Volunteers joining the Refugee Women’s Protection Corps are trained and coached by Jackie Loo, Head of ICMC’s Office in Malaysia. The group is learning about ICMC Children’s Safety Program. The Refugee Women’s Protection Corps was one of 64 projects featured in the report. Photo courtesy of ICMC and the Boston College School of Social Work.

Catholic thought, social innovation

A groundbreaking study shows how Catholic-affiliated organizations respond to the global refugee and migrant crisis.

The brain and language

What's the optimal age for learning a new language? New research challenges traditional thinking.

The Lynch School of Education, Campion Hall

Five win AERA awards

Lynch School of Education faculty and alumni are honored by the American Educational Research Association

Research showcase

Members of the Class of 2018 presented their theses at BC's 5th annual poster session.

A discharged carbon cathode viewed through scanning electron microscopy.

Building a better battery

BC researchers produce a stable 'water-in-salt' electrolyte.

Testing the tests

A media-driven focus on country rankings in student tests can be misleading, argues the Lynch School's Henry Braun.

Senior presents paper at Museum of Fine Arts

Jessica Lipton shared her research of North Korea's Kim regime at a symposium for outstanding student scholars.

A beading session at Loom Chicago. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Innovation in action

Innovative Catholic social programs are helping migrants across 32 countries, a BC School of Social Work report shows.

New Burns Scholar

Historian Jason Knirck is the first American to serve as the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies.

Meeting of the Minds

BC will host the signature ACC event highlighting undergraduate research on April 6-8.

Gasson Professor Francis P. Xavier, S.J.

Physicist-priest is this year's Gasson Professor

Francis Xavier, S.J., global vice president of Jesuit Worldwide Learning, is at the crossroads of religion and science.

Woodcut depiction of the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake

History in a muddy pond

Researchers find evidence of New England's strongest recorded earthquake, Cape Ann's temblor in 1755.

Lynch School student with St. Columbkille class

New laboratory school

The designation will enhance teaching and research collaboration between BC and Saint Columbkille Partnership School.

A river runs through it

Removing dams causes changes to riverside plant communities, a BC student and faculty research team finds.

A catalyst for clean energy

BC chemist Dunwei Wang leads an international team in a discovery toward clean energy harvesting.

Clues to cognitive health

Sara Moorman's NIH-supported research tracks early social factors that may influence later-life decline.

Universal child care improves language skills

It can also narrow achievement gaps, a Lynch School-led study of Norway's child care system shows.

Cityscaping Damascus

Historian Dana Sajdi will study prose topographies of Syria's capital as a fellow at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute.

APS Fellow

The selective honor recognizes physicist Ziqiang Wang's outstanding contributions to condensed matter physics.

Dangerous trade

Political scientist Jennifer Erickson wins a national award for her book on the Arms Trade Treaty.

The politics of shopping

How does ideology come into play at the mall? New research from BC Carroll School.

Approach or avoid?

Why do we react as we do to others in distress? New insights from a BC neuropsychology researcher.

Associate dean for nursing research

Cardiovascular nurse scientist Christopher Lee joins the Connell School of Nursing.

DOJ grant for BCSSW

BC School of Social Work's Jessica Shaw's research aims to aid adolescent survivors of sexual assault.

Example of a micro-lepidopteran moth Example of a living representative of a primitive moth belonging to the Glossata, moths that bear a proboscid adapted for sucking up fluids, including nectar. Size of the scale bar is 1 cm. Photo taken by Hossein Rajaei, Museum für Naturkunde, Germany.

Jurassic moths

A BC scientist traces the existence of moths and butterflies to 50 million years before the emergence of flowers.

Show of force

Scientist, educator, and advocate Liz O'Day '06 takes an entrepreneurial approach to fighting disease.

A dividend disconnect

Think dividends are extra money, on top of capital gains? Fiction, says the Carroll School’s David Solomon.

Life expectancy for women

U.S. women are falling short in an important aspect of their lives, reports BC's Center for Retirement Research.

GNSS leadership award

Institute for Scientific Research project helps developing nations benefit from satellite-based technology.

Prayer in translation

Should there be a change in the translation of 'The Lord's Prayer'? BCSTM Dean Tom Stegman, S.J., weighs in.

'The Holy Spirit'

A collection of essays by 17 scholars is the second collaborative book from BC's School of Theology and Ministry.

Shaping climate policy

Social scientist Andrew Jorgenson talks inequality and climate change with the journal 'Nature.'

Advancing Research and Scholarship Day

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Ken Hackett ’68 is the keynote speaker.

Azrieli Global Scholar

One of only 15 researchers named to the program, Psychology's Katherine McAuliffe studies how children develop a sense of fair play.

BC theologians honored

Three faculty members receive awards for scholarly contributions to their field.

Global reading report

Fourth-graders in the Russian Federation and Singapore top an international assessment led by BC researchers.

Speaking up

Who gets more leadership credit for voicing ideas—men or women? A report by Carroll School researcher Sean Martin.

A quantum spin liquid

BC physicists create a metal oxide with a honeycomb lattice that may advance quantum computing.

New Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society

The multi-disciplinary, collaborative research institute is named in honor of BC Trustee Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller.

Meaning in kids' scribbles

Children's quirky art isn't just cute, says professor of psychology Ellen Winner in an interview with The Atlantic.

Global report on pollution's effects

The Lancet Commission, which includes two BC scholars and an alumnus, issues the first global analysis of pollution effects.

Flanagan named AAN Fellow

Connell School Associate Professor Jane Flanagan has been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing.

The fate of 401(k)s

The plans are destined to fail millions of American retirees, a survey by BC researchers finds.