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Chemist Receives Recognition: The American Physical Society has named Chemistry Professor Udayan Mohanty a Fellow in the Division of Biological Physics, in recognition of his significant advances in the theory of polyelectrolyte behavior and its application to the understanding of the structure and transport properties of nucleic acids in free solution and in gels. Mohanty stated, “The success of my research that resulted in my election as a Fellow to APS is due to three factors: (1) having the privilege to have collaborated with world class experimentalists such as BC Chemistry Professors Larry McLaughlin and Mary Roberts, and others outside BC; (2) having few, but outstanding, graduate and postdocs over the past 10-15 years; (3) having colleagues like BC Chemistry Professors Scott Miller and Amir Hoveyda, and John Fourkas (BC now at U MD), who have set the highest possible intellectual and teaching standards in the department.” |
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A Simpler Life: Professor and Chairperson of Sociology Juliet Schor discusses consumer spending habits in an interview with the Observer-Reporter. Schor, author of three best-selling books on over-worked, over-consuming Americans, is a founding member of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to making U.S. lifestyles more sustainable. |
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Joy and Hope; Grief and Anguish: David Hollenbach, SJ, Director of Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor of Theology, suggests ways to renew the Second Vatican Council’s call for the promotion of social justice. America magazine |
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Citations Noted: Physics Professor Zhifeng Ren was among the 22 new entrants to ESI rankings in the October ISI Essential Science Indicators Report, which included data from January 1995 through June 30, 2005. This Report provides citation rankings of scientists, institutions, countries, and journals broken out by broad fields of science. Scientists and institutions are selected if they are in the top "1%" by total citations in a given field for the first time; countries and journals in the top "50%". A total of 10 years of ISI citation data, plus some number of consecutive bimonthly periods during the current year, are used to determine the rankings. |
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Best Innovative Course Design: The American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) awarded a scholarship to Presidential Fellowship Scholar Amy Witherbee for designing an innovative English course, which she’ll be teaching in the English department next year. Witherbee will present her course plan at the ASECS annual convention in the coming year. |
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Research Recognition: The 2005 Rosabeth Moss Kanter International Award for Research Excellence in Families and Work has been presented to Assistant Professor of Sociology Natasha Sarkisian and co-author Naomi Gerstel for their article, "Explaining the Gender Gap in Help to Parents: The Importance of Employment," which was published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in May 2004. The award, given in recognition of the best piece of work-family research published during a calendar year, is selected by a committee of esteemed scholars who scrutinize every article published in a large number of scientific journals. Professor and Chairperson of Sociology Juliet Schor stated, “This is a wonderful award, whose purpose is to recognize high quality research, and particularly research which enhances the theoretical development of the field of work and family.” |
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A Great Trifecta: “After the Storm”, written by Associate Professor in English Andrew Sofer, has been selected co-winner of the New England Poetry Club’s 2005 Gretchen Warren Award for best poem published by a member in the previous year. The poem was also named a finalist in the 2004 Dogwood poetry contest. In addition, Sofer’s poem “Mea Shearim” won the 2005 Boyle/Farber Prize for best poem in traditional form. In 2004 his poem “Unpacking” received the Erika Mumford Award for best poem on travel. |
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The Journal of Molecular Biology (JMB) published an article written by Professor of Chemistry Evan Kantrowitz and his research group, reporting their findings on understanding how cells regulate the rate of their metabolic pathways on the molecular level. Kantrowitz stated, “This fundamental understanding is vitally important because diseases like cancer occur when cells can no longer regulate themselves.” Kantrowitz is also credited for the graphic image on the Journal’s cover. |
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Cape Ann Quake Recalled: On November 18, 1755, a strong earthquake rocked Cape Ann, MA and well beyond, writes Weston Observatory Director, Professor of Geology and Geophysics John Ebel. Massachusetts Historical Society |
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Op-Ed: Director of BC’s newly-launched Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Professor of Theology / Margaret O’Brien Flatley Chair, David Hollenbach, SJ, writes on human rights in Catholic thought for America magazine. |
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The Interview: Illuminated verse Paul Mariani, Professor of English, award-winning poet, and the author of 14 books, accompanied by renowned book designer and illustrator Barry Moser, spoke with Boston College Magazine editor Ben Birnbaum about their new book Deaths and Transfigurations: New Poems. The collaboration features 39 poems by Mariani, in addition to Moser’s original engravings. |
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A Well Deserved Honor: Physics Professor Zhifeng Ren has been appointed a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon members by their peers in recognition for meritorious efforts to advance science or its applications. Chairperson and Rourke Professor of Physics Kevin Bedell commented, “This is another well deserved honor for his work in nanomaterials and high temperature superconductivity.” |
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Groundbreaking Research Receives Recognition: Chemistry Professor Paul Davidovits has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Drawn from the elite in their respective fields of research, Fellows are defined as “a member whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications are scientifically or socially distinguished.” Professor and Chairperson of Chemistry David McFadden stated, “Paul was cited for his seminal contributions to confocal microscopy and for his groundbreaking studies in the chemistry of gas-liquid interactions at aerosol surfaces.” |
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The Journal of Molecular Biology (JMB) published an article written by Professor of Chemistry Evan Kantrowitz and his research group, reporting their findings on understanding how cells regulate the rate of their metabolic pathways on the molecular level. Kantrowitz stated, “This fundamental understanding is vitally important because diseases like cancer occur when cells can no longer regulate themselves.” Kantrowitz is also credited for the graphic image on the Journal’s cover. |
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The Joy of Priesthood: The life of an American Catholic priest has never been an easy one, and recent controversies within the Church have made it even tougher. But it doesn’t mean the vast majority of priests don’t enjoy their vocation, according to Reverend Stephen J. Rossetti (MA ’90, PhD ’94), author of The Joy of Priesthood. more |
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Matchmaking to Save Lives: Economics Professor Tayfun Sonmez is among a group of economists using matching theory to boost patients’ prospects for finding compatible kidney donors. NSF Discovery |
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Assessing the China Threat: After a period of calm in U.S.-Chinese relations, attention has returned to the military and economic rise of China and the challenges to American security, writes Political Science Professor Robert Ross in The National Interest. |
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Investigating Patterns of Medical Communication: The National Institute on Aging has awarded a multi-year $490K grant to Associate Professor of Sociology Eva Marie Garroutte to research medical communication needs of American Indian elders and their satisfaction with health care providers. In addition to the research project, Garroutte has been asked to serve on the editorial board of The Journal of Native Aging and Health, as well as the planning committee for the Smithsonian publication, “Handbook of North American Indians.” |
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The American Psychological Society (APS) has awarded Fellow status to Psychology Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett. This distinguished honor is awarded to APS Members who have made sustained outstanding contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, teaching, and/or application today. |
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National American Chemical Society Fellowships in Organic Chemistry have been awarded to Kevin Brown (Amir Hoveyda, advisor) and Steven Mennen (Scott Miller, advisor). A Bristol Myers Squibb Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry has been awarded to Alexander Scopton (Ross Kelly, advisor). In addition, a NASA Earth System Science Fellowship has been awarded to Eben Cross (Paul Davidovits, advisor). Professor/Chemistry Chair David McFadden stated, “The development of our graduate program depends crucially on our students competing successfully for fellowships, and these outstanding students are to be congratulated for their impressive accomplishments.” Dean of Grad A&S Michael Smyer commented, “Each fellowship represents a vote of confidence in the individual scholar and mentor; collectively, they represent a resounding vote of confidence in the Department.” |
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The Rett Syndrome Research Foundation (RSRF) has awarded a grant to Biology Professor Thomas Seyfried. Seyfried, assisted by Assistant Professor Stephen Heinrichs (Psychology) and Associate Professor Richard McGowan, S.J. (CSOM) will be researching gene-environmental interactions in the metabolic control of Rett Syndrome in Mecp2 mice using a ketogenic diet. Rett Syndrome is a complex and debilitating progressive neurodevelopmental disorder afflicting mostly females and involves reduced muscle tone, repetitive hand movements, anxiety, autistic-like behavior, and seizures. |
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“Antisocially Conscious Sectors: A Benchmark for Socially Conscious Investing,” a research paper co-authored by Christian Gilde (Sociology graduate student), was published in the fall issue of “The Journal of Investing”. This unique paper presents a systematic approach that measures the performance of companies/sectors, such as tobacco, alcohol, and gambling, that are screened out of socially responsible mutual funds. |
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What's the Strategy Behind the Miers Nomination? Political Science Professor Marc Landy shares some insight on the Supreme Court nominee with Newhouse News Service. |
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Are today’s fears and anxieties very different than those during the Plague era? Associate Professor Franco Mormando (Chairperson, Romance Languages & Literatures), originator of the exhibit “Hope and Healing: Painting in Italy in a Time of Plague, 1500-1800”, talks about his exhibit and himself during an in-depth interview with the Washington Post. |
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When questioned about the economic impact from Hurricane Katrina, Associate Professor Robert Murphy (Economics) told the Boston Herald that the hurricane could generate huge economic activity — contingent upon gas prices. |
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Lessons of Summer, an insightful editorial written by Associate Professor Laura Tanner (English), reminds us that by allowing our youngsters the time and space for true recreational activity, we’re equipping them for success in college and beyond, and quite possibly eliminating future academic burn-out. Wellesley Townsman |
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Economics Professor Peter Ireland has accepted an invitation to be an editor of the B. E. Journals in Macroeconomics. Ireland stated, “I’m especially pleased to be able to play a role in advancing the new model for scholarly publishing adopted by the B. E. Press, involving quick turn-around, immediate online publication, and the tiered structure for accepting papers of varying quality.” |
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Weston Observatory Director; Professor of Geology and Geophysics John Ebel discusses the Cape Ann fault, one of four surprising places in the US where big earthquakes have happened - and could happen again. USA Weekend |
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Professor of Sociology Paul Schervish and John Havens discuss distribution of retirement income to self, family, and charity in the National Catholic Reporter. Schervish is the Director of Center on Wealth and Philanthropy and Havens is the Associate Director and Senior Research Associate. |
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Research by Arts & Sciences Dean Joseph Quinn regarding raising the retirement age is cited in Robert Samuelson’s column in the Washington Post. |
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Blogging Places, an on-line article written by Tim Lindgren, English doctoral candidate specializing in Composition and Rhetoric, will be published in the fall issue of “Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy.” This unique hypertext essay is about the relationship of Composition pedagogy, and students’ ideas about place blogging, the ability to reflect intimately with the place they are blogging [about]. |
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John Ebel and James Skehan, S.J. discuss how belief in science and God can co-exist. Ebel is a Professor in Geology and Geophysics; Director, Weston Observatory, and Skehan, S.J. is Professor Emeritus in Geology and Geophysics; Director Emeritus, Weston Observatory. Boston Herald |
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Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science; Director of The Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, takes a cautious look at author Rick Warren’s plans to lend a hand in Rwanda. Wall Street Journal |
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"Junk Food Nation: Who’s to Blame for Childhood Obesity?” The article, co-authored by Professor Juliet Schor (Sociology), appears on the cover of the August 29 issue of The Nation. Schor, author of Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture, is on the board of directors of Commercial Alert, a non-profit organization with a mission to prevent commercial culture from exploiting children. |
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The IRA’s latest move is analyzed by Associate Professor Kevin O'Neill (History), and theologian Raymond Helmick S.J., who has acted as a mediator between many of the principal figures in the Northern Ireland conflict. |
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“Hope and Healing: Painting in Italy in a Time of Plague, 1500-1800,” The Worcester Art Museum’s exhibit by co-curator Associate Professor Franco Mormando (Chairperson, Romance Languages & Literatures), received an outstanding review in the New York Times. |
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Alexander Scopton has been named a recipient of the 2005/06 Bristol-Meyer’s Squibb Graduate Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. Scopton, along with nine other Fellowship awardees, was selected based on demonstrated academic and research achievement, as well as potential for significant future accomplishments. |
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| Interfaith education, spiritual transformation: At a recent gathering in Bali, world leaders and religious scholars from Europe and Asia considered ways to improve understanding and tolerance between people of different faiths. A. Bagus Laksana, a BC doctoral candidate in comparative theology, writes on this challenge in Indonesia’s Jakarta Post. |
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The AARP Foundation has awarded a scholarship to Amy Collins, doctoral student in developmental psychology. Amy’s work at BC centers around older adults’ psychological resilience in the face of the physical, social, and cognitive losses associated with normal aging. In addition, Amy has worked on research related to aging policy as a Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellow for the National Academies of Science. |
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Last week’s split within the AFL-CIO will certainly not revitalize organized labor’s power in the short run, say observers like Sociology Professor Charles Derber. • Christian Science Monitor |
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Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam recently interviewed Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science and Director of Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, on whether a Mormon could be elected president? Boston Globe |
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The identities of the July suicide bombers in London has experts questioning how much collective benchmarks play in predicting the extremism of a handful of angry people. “We definitely have a different dynamic going on here in the United States,” says Professor Peter Skerry (Political Science) in Thursday’s New York Times, “I don't know that that necessarily means we’re out of the woods - it doesn’t take very much for a set of individuals to adopt attitudes that could lead to a terrorist act.” |
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At a national conference of university fund raisers Paul Schervish, Sociology Professor and Director, Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, was one of the keynote speakers discussing the changing motivations of major donors, and how to build, maintain, and evaluate a loyal alumni base. Schervish said that the task for college or university fund raisers appealing to major donors is to show them how they are fulfilling the needs of themselves by meeting the true needs of others. Chronicle of Higher Education |
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Outpourings of grief, anger, horror, and defiance followed the London terrorist bombings, as did speculation over the identity and intent of those responsible. In response, BC Professors Marc Landy (Political Science) and Jeanne Guillemin (Sociology) shared their thoughts on the bombings and the implications with The Office Public of Affairs. Guillemin and Landy web sites |
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“Foucault’s Philosophy a Call for Ethical Behavior,” written by Professor of Philosophy James Bernauer, S.J., sheds light on the mysterious world of Foucault, the most distinguished philosopher of the 20th century. Bernauer discussed his book, which was recently translated into Turkish, with Zaman, Turkey’s first online newspaper. |
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A nanotech paper published by the American Physical Society journal Physical Review Letters offers a harbinger of research to come from a new electron microscope lab in Higgins Hall. Authors of the paper include Professor Zhifeng Ren, Associate Professor Jianyu Huang, Shuo Chen (doctoral student), Sung-Ho Jo (post-doctoral researcher), Associate Professor Ziqiang Wang, and Visiting Professor Daxin Han—all from BC’s Physics Department. Additional authors include Professor Gang Chen (Mechanical Engineering) and Professor Mildred Dresselhaus (Physics and Electrical Engineering) from MIT. BC Chronicle • Physics Dept. |
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The real question before the court: Is the US heading for a constitutional revolution and returning it to the days when government was small and its authority was weak? Alan Wolfe Professor of Political Science and Director of Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life writes in the Boston Globe. |
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Boston College was one of the best represented universities at the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment’s 7th biennial conference. Among the attendees actively participating in the conference were nine graduate students who had previously taken Robert Kern’s (Associate Professor of English) graduate course in American Nature Writing and Ecocriticism. |
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Ellen Winner, Psychology Professor and author of “Gifted Children: Myths and Realities,” was a guest speaker on The Connection for a discussion about the potential problems prodigies often face once they become adults. |
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The founding congress of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was called to order on June 27, 1905, the year English Professor Suzanne Matson’s father was born into a family of immigrant unionist coal miners. Now as the IWW marks its centennial anniversary, Matson writes an op-ed in the Seattle Times about her father’s fond memories of the IWW members, commonly known as the “Wobblies.” |
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Chemistry Professor John Fourkas and Physics Professor Michael Naughton are combining two super-small building techniques with some amazing results. View video from NECN and Boston’s Museum of Science. |
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“Nobody Here but Us Liberals,” an essay written by Alan Wolfe, Professor of Political Science and Director of Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, was published in the Sunday Book Review section of the New York Times. |
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| When the BC Chronicle asked members of the faculty to name some books on their summer reading list, three A&S faculty members, Professor Paul Mariani (English); Associate Professor David Quigley (History); and Professor Carlo Rotella (English) named the following: |
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The Dana Foundation, a private, philanthropic organization with interests in neuroscience, immunology, and arts education, has awarded Professor of Psychology Ellen Winner a two-year grant to extend her longitudinal study with Gottfried Schlaug on the effects of instrumental music training on children’s brain and cognitive development. |
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History Doctoral student Mark Doyle has received a 2005/06 Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. The Fellowship provides funding during final-year dissertation projects to students in the natural and social sciences and the humanities that promise to increase understanding of the causes, manifestations, and control of violence, aggression, and dominance. Doyle’s dissertation is entitled “Fighting Like the Devil for the Sake of God: Protestants, Catholics, and the Origins of Violence in Belfast, 1850-70.” |
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The William Foote Whyte Distinguished Career Award, presented annually to a scholar who has shown outstanding commitment to the profession of sociology and made notable contributions to sociological practice, is being awarded to Professor Emeritus Severyn Bruyn. Professor Stephen Pfohl commented, “As I near the end of my work as Department Chairperson, it is with great pleasure that I announce that Severyn Bruyn, Professor Emeritus, has been named as 2005 recipient of the William Foote Whyte Distinguished Career Award, presented by the American Sociological Association’s section on Sociological Practice. This is great news for Severyn, our department, and Boston College.” |
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Born To Buy : The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture, written by Professor Juliet Schor (Sociology), was cited by The Hindu Business Line regarding the effect advertising has on children. Schor’s book details her research findings — “10 to 13-year-old Boston kids (her sample group consisted of 300 children) are extremely materialistic and entirely incorporated into ‘junk food’ and what she refers to as ‘junk culture’— a mixture of MTV, designer label clothes and too many toys.” |
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BC Alumnus, Patrick Leahy, has been named Acting Director of the U.S. Geological Survey by Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton. Leahy received his B.S. (Geology) in '68 and his M.S. (Geophysics) in '70. In '96 Leahy was awarded BC’s Alumni Association Award of Excellence in Science. |
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Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Dean Michael A. Smyer has been named as one of 16 Massachusetts delegates to the White House Conference on Aging, to take place Dec. 11-14, 2005. Smyer, nominated for the conference by U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA), is an expert on geriatric mental health, and a past president of the American Psychological Association’s Division on Adult Development and Aging. Office of Public Affairs • Conference information |
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The Donald and Helene White Dissertation Award for outstanding dissertation in the field of Social Science was awarded at the 2005 Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Commencement to Edward Rugemer from the History Department. Rugemer’s dissertation is entitled “The Problem of Emancipation: The United States and Britain’s Abolition of Slavery.” |
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Professor of English and author of Cut Time: An Education at the Fights Carlo Rotella discussed the state of boxing on NPR’s Talk of the Nation. BC Magazine |
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“Cambridge Now,” a poem written by Assistant Professor Andrew Sofer (English), placed 1st in the 2005 Iambs & Trochees national poetry contest. The poem will be published in Journal IV Issue 2 of Iambs & Trochees, the only American print journal publishing exclusively metrical verse. Sofer’s poetry manuscript, “The Whale Road,” was a finalist in three national book contests last year. |
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Professor John Fourkas (Chemistry) and his team have demonstrated that gold particles can be induced to emit light strong enough to allow the observation of single nanoparticles. Science Daily • Innovations Report |
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| Vanessa Rumble (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Psychoanalytic Studies Program) has received the 2005 Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award. Annually, students initiated into the Phi Beta Kappa are asked to nominate an outstanding teacher who has positively influenced their experience at BC, either in or outside the classroom, then based on the cumulative nominations from students over multiple years, a faculty member is selected for this prestigious recognition. BC Chronicle |
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Professor Stephen Brown (Theology) received a “Doctor Theologiae, honoris causa” degree in Helsinki during a three-day solemn Ceremony of Conferment, which takes place once every five years and follows a 360-year European tradition. Brown was one of only nine professors, selected from various countries, to receive this prestigious award. |
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Professor Lisa Cahill (Theology) commented in the New York Times that a focus on semantics in controversial science issues may sidestep important moral questions. |
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The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has named Dr. Robert A. Morris (Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, BC 1987) a Fellow, the Laboratory’s highest award, for his outstanding lifetime achievement in chemical physics, including major contributions to the Air Force. Morris, Chief of the Space Weather Center of Excellence, Battlespace Environment Division at Hanscom Air Force Base, is the nation’s leading expert in predicting, controlling, and mitigating plasma effects on reentry systems and hypersonic vehicles. During Morris’ BC years David McFadden (Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department) was his advisor. |
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Psychology Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett, whose research delves into the mysteries of emotional experience, was quoted in the Boston Globe regarding an experiment at Massachusetts General Hospital, tracking the state of mind of patients battling depression. Barrett’s Publications |
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In an article written by Jennifer Steinhauer, editor for the New York Times, Sociology Professor Juliet Schor’s comment, “The old system was keeping up with the Joneses, the new system is keeping up with the Gateses,” was selected for the NY Times ‘Quote of the Day.’ |
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Rev. Scott Steinkerchner, OP (Ph.D. in Theology ´05) has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. Steinkerchner plans to live in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal (located on Mt. Everest) next year, while studying Tibetan Buddhism in a Buddhist Institute. In addition to Steinkerchner, 13 undergraduate students have also received Fulbright Fellowships, eight from the German Studies Department. BC Chronicle |
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Ali Banuazizi (BC Psychology Professor and President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America) was interviewed by Bernard Gwertzman (NY Times Consulting Editor for Council on Foreign Relations) regarding former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. |
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Professor Jorge Garcia (Philosophy) will join the executive board of the nation’s preeminent philosophical society, having been elected to a three-year term on the Eastern Division Executive Committee of the American Philosophical Association. |
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Professor and Chairperson Kenneth Himes O.F.M. (Theology) wrote an article in The Boston Globe concerning the influence Benedict XVI might have on the academic freedom in Catholic universities. |
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Assistant Professor Shana Kelley (Chemistry) has been named a 2005 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. Selection for this award is based on individual research attainment and promise, as well as evidence of excellence in teaching. Chairman, Professor of Chemistry David McFadden stated, “The list of awardees and of their institutions testifies to the strength of Shana’s research program and to the competitiveness and reputation of BC’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Programs.” |
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Brain Drain: Debra Stewart, President of the Council of Graduate Schools, recently depicted the sharp decline in international students’ applications to American universities’ graduate schools. Krastan Blagoev (BC GSAS alum), director of various research activities at Los Alamos National Laboratories, was one example given by the Globe to verify the major role international graduate students play in research and development after graduation. Boston Globe Opinion |
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Chairperson and Professor Cynthia Simmons (Slavic/Eastern Languages) has received an International Research and Exchanges Board Travel Grant (IREX) for travel to and research in Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. |
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Vanderslice Professor T. Ross Kelly (Chemistry) was among seven Prize Professors showcased on WCVB-TV’s “Chronicle.” View segment. In 2004 Kelly was voted Teacher of the Year at Boston College by the students of Phi Beta Kappa, making him the first scientist to win this notable award. |
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The Graduate Student Association’s Outstanding Student Award Recipients are:
Jessica Bollinger, Candidate for Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in French Literature degrees • Sarah Link, Candidate for Master of Hispanic Studies degree • John Manoussakis, Doctoral student in Philosophy • Melanie McFadyen-Leussis, Ph.D. Candidate in Behavioral Psychology. |
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Professor Larry McLaughlin (Chemistry) has won (2) $1 million research grants. The first is from the National Science Foundation for a 5-year project titled “Functional Group Interactions in Protein-DNA Recognition” and the second is from the National Institutes of Health for a 4-year project titled “Probing dNTP/DNA Polymerase Interactions.” These projects continue his work on the biological chemistry of DNA. more |
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Denise Leckenby (Ph.D. student and Teaching Fellow) is one of BC’s “Most Wanted” instructors. Based on the Undergraduate Student Government’s Professor Evaluation Profiles (PEPs), Leckenby’s core course Love, Intimacy and Human Sexuality was rated 10 out of a maximum score of 10. The Heights |
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Assistant Professor Shana Kelley (Chemistry) has been awarded a Keck Futures Initiative Grant, a competitive grant aimed to fill a critical missing link between research on bold new ideas and major federal funding programs which don’t currently provide grants in areas that are considered risky or unusual. This grant will enable Kelley, along with Professor Edward Sargent (University of Toronto), to conduct research on the properties of PbS semiconductor quantum dots built using DNA molecules, a novel class of hybrid inorganic bionanostructures. |
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Sister Mary Hinsdale (Associate Professor of Theology) discussed the Pope’s legacy regarding women and women’s issues on WBUR-FM’s “Here and Now.” |
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Assistant Professor Franziska Seraphim (History) was a guest speaker on Talk of the Nation for a discussion on the re-telling of history — Japan’s role in World War II. |
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Professor Mark Reeder (Mathematics) finished 104th in the 2005 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:40:56, beating his 2004 record of 2:43. |
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In dual Boston Globe Opinion pieces Associate Professor James Weiss (Theology) writes that the coming conclave offers an “extraordinary mixture of old precedent and new paradox” while Professor James Keenan, SJ (Theology) says the voting cardinals need to consider the needs of a “restive and divided” church. |
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Alexandra Pittman (Ph.D. student in Cultural Psychology) has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her research on how women’s leadership roles in a variety of social, economic, and political spheres can be enhanced through a carefully designed series of training workshops. Pittman will be conducting her research in Morocco. |
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Kristen Lindquist (Ph.D. student in Psychology) has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to conduct research on how people perceive emotion in others and experience it in themselves. Lindquist is currently researching how language influences people’s ability to perceive and categorize emotion in others. |
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Associate Professor Sarah Babb (Sociology) has been awarded a prestigious Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for AY 2005/06. This award will enable Babb to pursue research on the complex ways in which global economic ideas rise and fall from historical prominence within a context of powerful multi-national economic and political institutions. |
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Professor John Paris, S.J. (Theology) discussed the ethics involved in the Schiavo case on CNN’s Lou Dobbs Tonight newscast. |
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Amrita Bhattacharyya, a fourth-year Economics graduate student, is being cited in the April 1, 2005 Forbes magazine article “Good News for Medical Journals.” The article briefly summarizes a result from Bhattacharyya’s as yet unpublished paper, “Advertising in Specialized Markets: Example from the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry,” which will become part of her Ph.D. dissertation. |
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Associate VP for Research and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Michael Smyer has been named chair of the Council of Graduate Schools Government Relations Group, an organization of higher education institutions engaged in graduate education, research scholarship, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. |
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Habits Of Devotion, edited by Professor James O’Toole (History), is written about the Catholic religious practice in twentieth-century America. See book review in the Jesuit magazine America. |
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Professor Peter Gottschalk (Economics), co-author of one of the first papers on income volatility in the 1990’s, commented on the public’s reluctance toward President Bush’s Social Security Program. New York Times |
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Several hundred BC students gathered on O’Neill Plaza for a memorial service celebrating Pope John Paul II’s public persona, his broad sense of humor, and his work promoting justice and peace. Boston Globe. |
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Leah Schmalzbauer (Ph.D. '04) spent two years interviewing and studying a group of Honduran parents residing in Chelsea while their spouses and children remained in Honduras, focusing her research on how they preserved their family bonds while being separated by long periods of time and distance. Boston Globe |
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Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell (Center for Retirement Research) and A&S Dean Joseph Quinn offer comments to the media on the changing nature of retirement. New York Times • CBS MarketWatch • Newsday |
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Associate Professor Harry Rosser (Romance Languages and Literatures) commented in the Boston Globe, “The benefits of knowing a foreign language go way beyond career objectives.” |
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Assistant Professor Jennifer Steen (Political Science) has found that US senators need more than big bucks to maintain their seats. The Washington Times |
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During a recent interview with the Boston Globe, Associate Professor Paul Gray (Sociology) discussed why the younger generation prefers music played on vinyl format versus digital format. |
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Professor Juliet Schor (Sociology) commented in the Los Angeles Times about the various ways marketers try to brand a product on a consumer’s mind. |
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Professor John Paris, S.J. (Theology) discussed the Catholic Church’s end-of-life ethical issues with USA Today. Paris was also interviewed in The Christian Science Monitor regarding who makes the decision to end life-extending treatment when a patient leaves no written living will. |
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Professor Ellen Winner (Psychology), a specialist in visual arts, as well as a psychologist who has studied gifted children, appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss Marla Olmstead, the 4-year-old girl whose paintings are selling for up to $24,000. View segment |
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Associate Professor Prasannan Parthasarathi (History) is co-author of an article that appeared in the Boston Globe regarding BU’s plan to construct a high security laboratory to undertake research on biological weapons. |
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Professor Richard Kearney (Philosophy) discussed desire and evil in the Christian and Jewish traditions during a recent lecture on WBUR’s “World of Ideas.” |
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Snow job: BC economics students and A&S Dean Joseph Quinn help NBC’s Katie Couric offer “Today” show viewers a wintry primer on the Social Security dilemma. View segment |
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Alan Wolfe (Professor of Political Science and Director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life) discussed church and state in the U.S. on NPR’s The Connection. |
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Professor John Paris, S.J. (Theology) discusses the dispute between a mother and Texas Children’s Hospital over ending her terminally ill baby’s medical treatment. Paris teaches medical ethics at BC and has written extensively on the subject. Houston Chronicle |
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Richard Blake, S.J., Fine Arts Professor and Co-Director of BC’s Film Studies program, writes a review on Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby.” America |
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Associate Professor Amy Boesky (English) is head writer for the Beacon Street Girls, a realistic book series written about a quintet of seventh-grade girls facing everyday predicaments. “The girls are by no means perfect,” says Boesky. “The hope is that kids will end up identifying with their dilemmas.” Boston Globe |
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Professor William Gamson (Sociology) has been selected as 2005 Recipient of the Merit Award of the Eastern Sociological Society. This prestigious award is given to distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the discipline, the profession, and the ESS. |
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Professor Richard Kearney (Philosophy) has been named this year to the Cardinal Mercier Chair in Leuven University, Belgium. This prestigious Chair is offered to an internationally distinguished scholar each year who delivers two public lectures and two university seminars. The titles of Kearney’s talks are: Narrating Desire: From Plato’s ‘Symposium’ to the ‘Song of Songs’; Narrative Terror: Philosophy after 9/11; Narrating Pain: Trauma and Catharsis; and Narrating the Sacred: A Poetics of Epiphany. The public talks will be broadcast on national and European television. |
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Social Security stretched, strained by long retirements: The golden age of retirement is in full bloom in the USA, and the nation has to deal with the economics of an aging population. One reasonable approach is to encourage later retirement for those able to work a few more years, says College of Arts & Sciences Dean Joseph Quinn in USA Today. |
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