Boston College Chronicle Feb. 11, 2016 edition

Page 1

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs february 11, 2016 VOL. 23 no. 11

Woods College Strategic Plan Producing Change

INSIDE honored for 2 •Freshman designing town seal

By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer

Lee Pellegrini

•Groome presents “GodPods” series •Photos: “Sing It to The Heights” auditions

3 •LSOE’s Hargreaves to receive award

•BC research classification is upgraded •University sets Black History Month schedule

4 •Barnett co-leading

STEM career initiative

5 •MLK Scholarship to be presented Feb. 16

6 •Nugent, students cre-

ate digital guide for new McMullen exhibition •Michele Norris to speak on race in the US •Obituary: Philosophy professor Thomas Owens

7 •Welcome Additions; BC in the Media; Briefings; Nota Bene; job listings

to host Ensemble 8 •BC Plus Ultra •Photos: Student Involvement Day

The Woods College of Advancing Studies is in the midst of a major ​transformation, with several recent and ongoing initiatives that include a new master’s degree in cybersecurity policy and governance, a redesign of its undergraduate program, and the appointment of a board of advisors composed of industry leaders, senior administrators and academics. The college also plans to offer the University’s first fully online master’s program next fall. “It’s been a busy year-and-ahalf or so, but we are very confident in the direction things are moving,” said WCAS Dean James Burns, IVD​, who was appointed permanent dean in September of 2014 after serving as interim dean for two years. “The level of expertise we’re getting at the Woods College, combined with the new initiatives we’re introducing, make this a really exciting time for students to be here​and for faculty to be teaching with us.”

Winter weather returned with a vengeance to campus over the past week. Facilities Services staff were busy clearing walkways last Friday, and the storm’s wet, heavy snow snapped off tree limbs, including this one in front of Bourneuf House. (Photo by Sean Smith)

Sky’s the Limit

Freshman puts his entrepreneurial talents – and his drones – to work helping scientific researchers By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer

While many students returned from the semester break with stories of vacations taken or jobs worked, Boston College freshman Branick Weix had something unusual and inspiring to share: his weeklong trip to Costa Rica to help researchers track endangered sea turtles. Through his company, SkyLink Productions, the Minnesota native partnered with the nonprofit group Seeds of Change and used an array of drones to help researchers study nesting turtles on a remote peninsula of the Central American country. “It was amazing to know that I could help in a small way,” says Weix, a member of the Carroll School of Management Honors Program. “Hopefully, I can help more and figure out future solutions for them.” Weix’s idea was to see how well a pre-programmed drone could help survey the population and nesting habits of those species. On the first night, Weix attached an infrared camera system to a drone so researchers could follow the turtles as they came ashore to lay their eggs. That night brought some unexpected drama when a Leatherback turtle tried to lay eggs

near the beach’s entrance, and too close to the high-tide line. Researchers jumped into action, with Weix and his camera capturing the drama – which can be seen on his website [http://branickweix.com/blog] along with other moments from his sojourn. “The high tide coming in the next day was most likely going to wash away the nest, so we moved it away from the high-tide line and

Photo of a sea turtle hatchling taken by Branick Weix ’19 while aiding researchers in Costa Rica.

away from poachers as well,” says Weix. “We were able to get the eggs, count them, dig another hole, put the eggs in, and then cover Continued on page 4

QUOTE:

Woods College Dean James Burns, IVD

The newly appointed board of advisors, made up of senior University administrators and chaired by former University Trustee John M. Connors ’63,​ has played a valuable role in supporting WCAS’ new degrees and programs, said Fr. Burns. “The committee has been extremely helpful in reviewing and guiding our strategic planning effort, a five-year project that’s​currently​under way. We’re focusing on 10 strategic initiatives and are already making headway in sucContinued on page 5

Congressman Neal, Mayor Walsh to Visit BC Feb. 22 Massachusetts Congressman Richard E. Neal and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh will share their insights on Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising at an event in Gasson 100 on Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. The event, titled “Reflections on the 100th Anniversary of Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising,” is sponsored by Boston College and the Boston College Center for Irish Programs. Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley will offer opening remarks. The Easter Rising occurred on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, when a group of Irish nationalists proclaimed the establishment of the Irish Republic and, along with some 1,600 followers – including 100 women in support roles

– staged a rebellion against British rule in Ireland. The rebels seized key buildings in Dublin and fought with British troops before the insurrection was suppressed. The British executed the leaders of the Rising, an act historians say turned the rebels into martyrs and spurred a previously indifferent Ireland in support of the cause of Irish Independence. The Easter Rising will be widely commemorated on both sides of the Atlantic during this centennial year. Neal, an avid historian, is a longtime guest lecturer at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Walsh, a 2009 graduate of the Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College, and the son of Irish immigrants from County Continued on page 5

“[If] I were to point to one critical investment, it would have to be in our faculty, and not just in their productivity of scholarship, but in the quality of their innovative and high-impact research.” –Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Tom Chiles, page 3


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

2

A ROUND

C AMPUS

SEAL OF APPROVAL For Carroll School of Management freshman Karen Zheng, passing up an opportunity is never an option. So when the councilmen and mayor of her hometown in Harrison, NJ, asked her to create the official seal for Harrison’s 175th anniversary last year, she accepted the challenge – even though she’s only been living there since seventh grade. Councilman Anselmo Millan gave Zheng full control in the design process, telling her to incorporate Harrison’s “beehive of industry” past with its future. “He [Millan] kept telling me it was my seal and to do what I wanted,” says Zheng, who was recently honored by Harrison for her design, which will remain the official seal for the next 25 years. “I didn’t feel like it was just my seal; I wanted everyone to like it.” Zheng, who was recruited for the project by one of her high school teachers during her senior year, says she was surprised the town trusted her enough to create the seal since she had no real knowledge of Harrison’s past. “I kept researching what Harrison was like before versus what it’s like now. I turned to the councilmen for advice and I incorporated the old and the new. I was really anxious the entire time, I didn’t want to fail.”

Asked how she designed the seal, Zheng laughs. “I can’t draw, I’m not an artist.” With no prior graphic design experience, she traced templates she created in a Microsoft Word document. Though the process was overwhelming at times, Zheng says the positive response was well worth it. The experience made her realize that accepting a challenge is rewarding, and she hopes fellow BC students would do the same. “People don’t ask unless they

believe in you and see potential. Anything challenging is a great way to learn and prove to others that there’s something in you,” says Zheng, a student in Options Through Education (OTE), an enrichment program for financially disadvantaged students. OTE Director Ines Maturana

Karen Zheng ’19 at an event honoring her for creating the official seal for the 175th anniversary of her hometown of Harrison, NJ. With her is Randi Shu, who was her advocate during the design process of the seal [shown below].

Sendoya is not surprised at Zheng’s achievement. “Karen looks at a challenge and takes it right on,” she said. “We look for that in our OTE students, and Karen really exemplifies it.” Zheng, like other OTE participants, has “done a lot with limited resources,” added Sendoya, but also embodies what BC looks for in all its students. “When we tell our students to go set the world aflame, this is an excellent example of doing that – doing something bigger than yourself,” she said. –Siobhan Sullivan

CORRECTION A photo on page 2 in the Jan. 28 Chronicle of the Consumer Insights Panel lab opening contained an error in the caption: Nailya Ordabayeva is the person seated on the left, Hristina Nikolova is standing at right.

Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith

Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Siobhan Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini

TIME TO SHINE

The Emerging Leader Program held auditions recently for “Sing It to The Heights,” the annual audience-interactive competition held to benefit the St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton. Above, the trio of (L-R) juniors Bianca Francois, Amelia Parker and Laura-Kay Demezieux performed a Destiny’s Child song for ELP freshmen members Julie Ozmeral, Madeleine Sullivan and Enzo Butrico. At right, Sullivan, Eric Zhang ’18 and Natalee Deaette ’19 listened to junior Ben Seo ‘17 sing a number by Stevie Wonder. “Sing It to The Heights” will take place March 3 in Robsham Theater from 7-9 p.m. (register at http://bit.ly/1KDtu18). Photos by Christopher Huang

WORDS FOR THE SEASON Those looking for spiritual nourishment during Lent have long turned to the Alumni Association’s Lenten Reflections, where a member of the Boston College community shares his or her thoughts on the season or reflection on a Gospel reading. This year’s Lenten Reflections have an added feature: an audio component thanks to podcasts produced by the Church in the 21st Century Center. The 2016 Lenten Reflections were written by C21 Director Thomas Groome, a professor in the School of Theology and Ministry. Working with C21 Associate Director Karen Kiefer and other C21 staff, he recorded his reflections, launching a new podcast series C21 has dubbed “GodPods.” The idea behind GodPods, say the C21 staff, is to meet people, especially

The Boston College

Chronicle www.bc.edu/chronicle chronicle@bc.edu

young people, where they are – which is usually attached to their smart phone. In his Ash Wednesday reflection, Groome questions whether we need Lent this year and reminisces about the Lent of his childhood. Then, he gets to the heart of his reflection, quoting a line from the Ash Wednesday reading from the prophet Joel, “Return to me with your whole heart.” He goes on to explore the meaning and challenge of “whole

heart” and leaves the listener with several questions to ponder. Subsequent reflections and podcast episodes will be available each Friday during Lent on the Alumni Association website [http://bit.ly/1ocFJry] and the C21 website [www.bc.edu/ church21]. Groome and Kiefer said GodPods will live on after Lent. Possible future podcasts could include reflections on Catholic or religious topics of the day or brief snippets from special guest speakers hosted by C21, for example. Established in 2011, Lenten Reflections have previously been offered by Professor of Theology Fr. Michael Himes; University Mission and Ministry Vice President Jack Butler, SJ; Campus Minister John Glynn, and School of Theology and Ministry’s Jane Regan and Sister Barbara Quinn. –Kathleen Sullivan

The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.

A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

“Horace Mann stood for great things – access for all to school, a strong teaching profession and the public good.” –Andy Hargreaves

Big Honor for a Friend of Public Education England. To receive an award that honors Mann, credited as the “father” of American public schools, fits with Hargreaves’ belief in the transformative power of education. “Horace Mann stood for great things – access for all to school, a strong teaching profession and the public good,” says Hargreaves, who came to BC in 2002, following 15 years at the University of Toronto. “To receive an award in line with those values is one I am grateful to accept and puts me in company I’m honored to keep.”

It’s easy to understand how the Lynch School of Education’s Andy Hargreaves might wake up and take a moment to sort out his surroundings. Glasgow, Toronto, London, Stockholm and Washington, DC, are among his most recent stops. And that’s just during the past month. Colleagues of the Brennan Professor of Education say that tempo is typical of Hargreaves, setting off for research, lectures and consultations with teachers, principals and policymakers. “He pushes himself at an extraordinary pace,” says Lynch School Professor Dennis Shirley, who has co-authored two books with Hargreaves. “In return for a brutal schedule, he has the reward of being highly impactful in the field.” His dedication has not gone unrecognized: Tomorrow, Hargreaves will be in Phoenix to receive the Horace Mann League of the USA’s 2016 Outstanding Friend of Public Education Award, an honor presented to the public schools’ leading advocates and thinkers, including past recipients Marian Wright Edelman, Pedro Noguera, Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Kozol. “We honor people who make an impact on public education in particular,” says Horace Mann League Executive Director Jack McKay. “Andy’s work – specifically his recent books – and his ability to communicate to many audiences made a direct connection with us and we’re pleased to honor him as a friend of public education.” It is the second recent major recognition for Hargreaves, who has authored or edited more than 30 books. In late 2014 he shared the $100,000 Grawemeyer Prize with co-author Michael Fullan for their book Professional Capital. Hargreaves has been studying how to improve the work of teachers, principals and schools for nearly 30 years in his native United Kingdom, Canada and the US. Bridging theory and practice, Hargreaves searches for successful initiatives that can be shared in any classroom. When he speaks about the influences that led him to focus on the essentials of teaching and learning – particularly in the public sector – Hargreaves cites his late mother, Doris, a working-class woman who prized the value of education, and his early teachers in Accrington, a mill town just north of Manchester,

Lee Pellegrini

By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

Brennan Professor Andy Hargreaves will be recognized by the Horace Mann League of the USA for his contributions to public education.

Hargreaves’ most recent initiatives include advising the premier of Ontario on education policy, launching the new Journal of Professional Capital & Community and serving as president-elect of the International Congress for School Effectiveness and Improvement. Hargreaves is eager to mine insights into the educational experience, whether they come from international data sets – or David Bowie’s report card. Following the British singer’s death last month, Hargreaves paid

tribute on Twitter, posting a teacher’s report card comment that the future global superstar was a “complete exhibitionist” and lamenting that if the young Bowie was more focused and consistent, “his ability would have been put to better use!” The comment said as much about the challenges teachers face as it did about Bowie as a teen-age student, says Hargreaves. “You have somebody who was spectacularly creative in life, so how could the school not pick it up? Yet the evaluation was both incredibly right and incredibly wrong. But it points to the challenge of any school to pick up the glimmer of something special in a student and to nurture it and challenge it.” Married to his wife Pauline, father of two grown children and grandfather to three, Hargreaves says that in his free time he is an “obsessive walker.” He enjoys hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail, as well as other iconic walking and climbing routes in Britain and Europe – typically joined by his colleague Shirley and both of their wives. Each day, he notes, should start with a “proper breakfast” and end with a comfortable bed. Much like schools, Hargreaves views the protected natural spaces he hikes as essential to the public good. “I have always been interested in those places and the people who work to improve the public good,” says Hargreaves. “That’s done in schools, in the public parks we maintain for recreation and in hospitals that care for people who are sick. I think these are critically important places.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu

Black History Month Events

Boston College’s celebration of Black History Month continues today with a screening of the film “Passage at St. Augustine” at 4:15 p.m. in McGuinn Auditorium, and a meet-and-greet with AHANA faculty and staff from 4-6 p.m. in the Fulton Hall Honors Library. Other events to be held during Black History Month will include: the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Banquet on Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Gasson 100 [see page 5]; the Voices of Imani Winter Jam on Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. in Lyons Dining Hall; and a talk, “This Could Be You: Confronting the Specter of Racial Violence in Postwar New York and London,” with Princeton University historian Joshua Guild, on Feb. 25 in Devlin 101 from 4:30-6 p.m. The closing ceremony for Black History Month will be Feb. 27 from 6-8 p.m. in the Walsh Function Room. For more on the BC Black History Month celebration, see the Thea Bowman AHANA & Intercultural Center Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/BowmanCenter.

University Earns Highest Research Classification Boston College has received another affirmation of its growing strength among the nation’s best research universities with the announcement that it has been elevated to an “R1” institution — a designation assigned by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to doctoral universities with the highest levels of research activity. Boston College is now one

3

Biology. “However, if I were to point to one critical investment, it would have to be in our faculty, and not just in their productivity of scholarship, but in the quality of their innovative and high-impact research. One needs only to look, for example, at the natural sciences and math, where our faculty are routinely being awarded prestigious fellowships

Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Tom Chiles says the R1 designation partly reflects “the investment that the University has made across the board to support faculty research/scholarship, as well as the caliber of many of our doctoral programs, the impact of research being carried out at BC, Suzanne Camerata and the investments in infrastructure to support research.”

of only 115 universities in the “highest research activity” classification, and was one of only 15 universities to move into the top echelon this year. Derived from empirical data, the 2015 edition of the Carnegie report is the most comprehensive review of research prowess at more than 4,660 colleges and universities in the United States. “This latest recognition of Boston College’s place among the nation’s leading research universities affirms the wisdom of the investments we’ve made over many years to strengthen our research enterprise and our graduate and professional programs,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “We remain committed to research that seeks to make a difference across disciplines and around the globe.” “I believe the R1 designation reflects, in part, the investment that the University has made across the board to support faculty research/scholarship, as well as the caliber of many of our doctoral programs, the impact of research being carried out at BC, and the investments in infrastructure to support research,” said Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Tom Chiles, the DeLuca Professor in

and federal grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.” Of the 108 institutions given the highest-level research designation in the previous Carnegie report issued in 2010, 100 remained in the R1 category in the 2015 edition, while 15 institutions moved from level 2 to level 1, and eight moved from level 1 to level 2. Joining Boston College in its rise this cycle were Northeastern, Clemson and Syracuse universities. The Carnegie Commission on Higher Education developed the Carnegie Classification of colleges and universities in 1970 to support its program of research and policy analysis. First published in 1973, it subsequently has been updated in 1976, 1987, 1994, 2000, 2005 and 2010. In 2014, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching transferred responsibility for the project to IU Bloomington’s Center for Postsecondary Research in the IU School of Education, which oversaw this classification. Additional information can be found at www.carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. –Office of News & Public Affairs


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

4

$1.2m Grant Will Support STEM Program for Low-Income Students By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.2 million grant to a unique STEM career pathways program, led by faculty from Boston College and Massachusetts Bay Community College, that will serve students from middle school through community college. The grant will serve approximately 1,300 low-income students and from Boston, Framingham and Waltham through a network of STEM education offerings in middle and high schools, BC’s College Bound program and STEM career-focused courses at MassBay, said Lynch School of Education Professor of Science Education Michael Barnett, a leader of the project. The new program has been designed to offer the kinds of hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics – or STEM – lessons in which students thrive and to support science educators who teach those classes, said Barnett, a national expert in science education and the preparation of science teachers. “Many students are interested in science and we’ve been good at getting them interested in science,” said

consider these jobs, said Barnett, who is working on the project with Lynch School colleagues Professor David Blustein, an expert in STEM career trends, and Director of Urban Outreach Initiatives Catherine Wong. MassBay Professor Shamsi Moussavi, a computer scientist, will lead the initiative. The primary focus of the program is to support low-income students during the years in high school and college when, as research indicates, these students abandon STEM disciplines – often at a rate of nearly 50 percent for students of color. The reasons these students opt out of STEM study are multi-faceted, said Barnett, ranging from socio-economic background to English proficiency to the kinds of STEM courses and teaching methods made available to them. “It is for this reason that we have been partnered with Massachusetts Bay Community College,” said Barnett. “Our partners at MassBay will help us create a friendly, supportive and nurturing environment for students to not just stay in a STEM field but to thrive.” The $1.2 million NSF grant becomes part of a $2.4-million initiative of grant-funded STEM education programs Barnett has estab-

Michael Barnett, center, shown working recently with students on a robotics project, is co-leading a STEM career pathways initiative. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)

Barnett. “But when they get to high school, or to college, they say ‘This isn’t the science I signed up for.’ This results in many students leaving science. “However, if we can support students in recognizing the varied pathways to a STEM career, they are more likely to stay in science. We focus on science with a purpose. The reason you need to know science is because you are going to use it to do something that positively impacts your neighborhood, community, or city. We want to extend that model all the way from middle school through community college.” The program’s career pathways focus will help students assemble the skills they need to prepare for jobs in coding, robotics, electronics and technology, the so-called “middle skill” fields that will require an estimated 225,000 new workers with post-secondary training to support the growth of this crucial economic sector in Massachusetts during the next decade. But many students don’t stick with STEM study long enough to

lished in collaboration with partners from schools, community groups, educational institutions and private industry. At the center of the efforts are lessons that Barnett and others have developed during the past five years that teach a range of STEM lessons through soil-less – or hydroponic – farming, robotics, and clean energy technology. The new grant will also expand offerings in computer science through lessons in coding and 3D printing. The grant will test an extension of the program into the middle school grades at Boston’s Gardner Pilot Academy and Frederick Pilot Middle School. At the high school level, the program will work with students from Boston who attend BC’s precollegiate program College Bound, as well as students from Waltham and Framingham. At MassBay, afterschool and summer courses will be offered to high school students. Students who decide to attend MassBay can continue the program as they pursue an associate’s degree.

For Weix, Break Not Just a Day at the Beach Continued from page 1 them up. It was remarkable to see something that weighs over a thousand pounds come up and lay 80 eggs.” More drama came on the last day when dozens of tiny turtles from another nest began hatching, which once again prompted the researchers to lend a helping hand. “The researchers put the turtles in buckets and then waited at night to release them into the water,” he explains. “Had we allowed them to make their way to the ocean during the day, the birds and other predators would have gotten them. So we were able to put them on the beach, release them, and watch them safely head to the water. It was a remarkable life experience to see 80 turtles crawling into the ocean.” During the time in Costa Rica, Weix flew his drone over large swaths of beach, captured the images and converted them to usable data. The device was valuable in accessing hard-to-reach stretches of sand where turtles are known to nest: A beach that might take researchers a day to reach and survey took the drone just 14 minutes. “There were two things researchers really liked,” says Weix. “One was the ability to go to the faraway beaches they don’t have access to so that they could verify their extrapolated data. The second was that we were able to build 3-D models of the beaches, and even though it didn’t work out great I think it was a good start. “The researchers want to see how the beach dynamics of waves and tidal systems affect nesting over time. When you combine the model data with the nesting season of the turtles, it might help them understand more about the species.” In fact, says Weix, the researchers were so enthusiastic about the drone technology that they talked about using it for other projects, such as studying crocodiles, migrating birds, rain forests and even active volcanoes in the area. “There’s tremendous application for drones and a lot of people know this.” Weix first used a drone two years ago to help make marketing videos for the golf course where he worked. That led him to start SkyLink Productions, which produces marketing materials for realtors, schools and golf courses. A video Weix made for his sister’s school was seen by the head of Seeds of Change, and resulted in the invitation to Costa Rica. His success with SkyLink got Weix hired at Spacecrafting Photography, the largest real estate photography company in the Midwest, for whom Weix is now developing an app.

Above, Branick Weix ’19 (seated) checks on the progress of a drone flight as researchers and students look on. Right, a Leatherback sea turtle heads toward the water. (Photos courtesy of Branick Weix)

He also started Demain Designs, the result of his helping a family friend with her businesses selling items online. His efforts helped that company generate $40,000 in sales last fall. All three ventures are at the intersection of technology and business, which is what appeals to Weix. “Throughout grade school, middle school and high school, I always had an interest in business and had seen businesses around me,” says Weix. “My dad started his own business and my grandfather did too. My dad is always coming up with crazy ideas for products and businesses, so I think I got a little bit of that from him. A few of my friends in high school and I started random little businesses. We’d always brainstorm ideas – text each other in the middle of the night – ‘What do you think of this or that?’” Now he’s at BC, considering computer science, finance, or information systems as possible majors while taking in all that the Carroll School and the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship have to offer. “I like the ideas where you can kind of build a business around a scalable technology. BC is a great place to see all those connections and be with other like-minded people that are interested in entrepreneurship.” In the near-term, Weix expects to consult for the research team he

worked with in Costa Rica and set them up with a permanent drone package to help with future projects. While it’s too early for him to speculate on his post-graduation plans, Weix says the demand in many industries for using dronecollected data in visual analysis might provide other opportunities. “The next step that I would like to take is to overlay hard data – things that companies build massive databases on, such as specific locations, weights, and other metrics, and push it into a more visually appealing platform. So you’d look at one central platform where dozens of inputs come together allowing you to make more informed decisions. That would be the ultimate vision and goal in this.” For now, Weix plans to enjoy his college years, as he reflects on how using his skills to serve others has led him to some impressive accomplishments. “I’m definitely proud of it all. For me, I was taking things I was interested in and pushing them to their full potential, seeing how I could help other people. It’s what I like to do, it’s made learning a lot of fun at school – and it’s brought me many great experiences that I hope to continue.” Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

5

It’s All Going to Plan at WCAS

Lee Pellegrini

Continued from page 1 cessfully achieving our goals. It serves as our road map,​if you will,​for how we see ourselves moving and growing over the next three to five years, and is meant to be complementary with the direction o​​ f BC’s strategic plans.” The WCAS master of science degree program in cybersecurity policy and governance, which began this semester, is unique among similar offerings in the northeast because it emphasizes cybersecurity policy along with executive leadership and management, critical thinking, and analytical problem solving, according to program director Kevin Powers. “Our program is designed to bridge the communication and management gap between IT security professionals and senior business and government executives,” said Powers, a former Navy JAG officer and general counsel for a software company. “Cybersecurity has become a strategic priority for private industry and government and there is an increasing need for a unified approach to the challenges faced today. “We not only prepare practitioners to manage cyber risk and develop strategies to effectively defend, mitigate and recover from a cyber attack, but also to design and make the case for investment to senior business executives and government officials.” The cybersecurity program follows on the heels of the MS in applied economics program that debuted last spring. Under the direction of Sasha Tomic, the program features innovative practice-oriented ​ courses taught by ​industry experts from ​organizations such as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston,​​and academics with considerable work experience in energy industry and environmental ​consulting. Also in the works for the applied economics program is a series of ​project-based classes in partnership with the Office of University Advancement, which will provide students with practical experience in managing and analyzing big data. The students’ insights may also prove useful in improving Advancement’s communication efforts, Tomic noted. “While we are still in program-building mode, our focus on real-world, applied skills is resonating very well with current and potential students, as well as our contacts in industry,” said Tomic. “The interest in the pro-

Fr. Chisholm Is Guest Speaker for Feb. 16 MLK Scholarship Event

The 34th annual Martin Luare planned. The redesign f​or the WCAS ther King Jr. Scholarship Banundergraduate program has​quet will be held Feb. 16, featurmeant​a stronger core, with e​ ach ing a keynote address by Gregory of the 14 majors n ​ ow incorpo- Carl Chisholm, SJ, pastor of the rating the best each academic Church of St. Charles Borromeo/ discipline has to offer while ad- Resurrection Chapel in the Archdressing current industry needs, diocese of New York. Highlighting the event – according to Fr. Burns. ​In addition, there are eight p ​ rofessional which takes place at 5:30 p.m. in studies ​certificates ​that align with Gasson 100 – will be the presenemployer demands for applied tation of the King Scholarship by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, to a Boston College junior who exemplifies the life and philosophy of the legendary civil rights leader. The theme of this year’s ceremony is “Beyond Black and White: Toward Justice.” This year’s scholarship finalists are: Jacquelyn Andalcio, a major in secondary education and English with a minor in African and African Diaspora Studies from the Bronx, NY; Philadelphia native Joi Dallas, an applied psychology and human development major with minors in African and African Diaspora Studies and Faith, Peace and Justice; Osamase Ekhator, from “The level of expertise we’re getting at the Woods

gram is growing and we have a strong applicant pool for the fall. We are also strengthening our faculty roster and our electives offerings to better prepare our students for the demands of the job market.” Part of the WCAS strategic plan calls for a greater use of technology, and for WCAS to be​a key site for​incubation and innovation​at ​ Boston College.

College, combined with the new initiatives we’re introducing, make this a really exciting time for students to be here​and for faculty to be teaching with us.”

Revere, Mass., an English major and African and African Diaspora Studies minor; Connell School of Nursing student Sonia Okorie from the Bronx, NY; and Jessica Stephens, a political science major in the pre-law program and native of Richfield, Minn. A native of New York City who grew up in Harlem, Fr. Chisholm became pastor of the Church of St. Charles Borromeo in 2011 after serving as pastor at St. Patrick Church in Oakland, Calif., for five years. He also has been a professor at the University of Detroit Mercy and a teacher at the Jesuit-run Hekima College in Kenya. Fr. Chisholm, whose interests include theologies of liberation and the history of black Catholics, holds a doctoral degree from MIT in mechanical engineering and a licentiate in sacred theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He was ordained by the Society of Jesus in 1993. For information about the event, e-mail mlkjr@bc.edu. –Office of News & Public Affairs

University to Welcome Neal, Walsh

Continued from page 1 Galway, has long been a student of Irish history. –Woods College of Advancing Studies Dean James Burns, IVD Oliver P. Rafferty, SJ, professor of history and director of Irish Studies Programs at Boston College, said he That’s why next fall, the col- skills, including finance and mar- was pleased to sponsor an event on lege will offer BC’s first fully keting, criminal and social jus- such an important topic during its 100th anniversary. online master’s program – in e​ x- tice, and human resources. “The Irish Studies Program is “We ​invited​industry leaders ecutive ​ health care administration – which will be both credit from the areas in which we offer delighted that Congressman Richand transcript-based as well as a majors ​and certificates ​to deter- ard Neal and Boston Mayor Martin mine what would​be most at- Walsh have agreed to speak at Boscompetency-based education. “In many ways, a fully on- tractive to them in terms of​their ton College on the significance of line master’s program ​is keeping needs as​future employers of our the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, with the ​current and foreseeable​ students,” said Fr. Burns. “​ ​We’ve in its centenary year,” said Fr. Raftrend in higher education,” said gotten ​a ​great response and have ferty. “These two prominent Irish Fr. Burns. “It​a​ lso ​ aligns with really strengthened the applied​ Americans will help us to appreciate clear movements in t​echnology- nature of our curriculum and an event which is seminal for an unbased platforms in place at most​ program offerings, which allows derstanding of modern Irish history. “The Proclamation of Indepenschools across the country – not our students​to be very desirjust evening or continuing educa- able to employers in areas such dence, read by Patrick Pearse outside tion schools but universities that as business, communications, IT,​ are offering this through their economics and psychology​. A wintery scene at the ​“We’re thrilled with our up- Stokes Hall amphitheater. day programs.” be- (Photo by Sean Smith) Another change is the mas- ward trajectory. We really ​ ter of science in leadership and lieve​students who are enrolling administration program, which are getting a rigorous, relevant, replaces the MS ​​in administra- flexible education not only from tive studies. The MS in leader- our talented University faculty, ship and administration offers but from highly accomplished specializations in human resource experts who can take what they management, executive leader- practice every day in the real ship ​ and o​rganization develop- world and bring it here to stument, corporate communication dents in the Woods College.” and marketing, and sports ​leadership, ​ each available as standalone ​ graduate ​ certificates that Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu will eventually be available online. Three more concentrations

the General Post Office in Dublin on Easter Monday 1916, explicitly mentions the support the attempted revolution had from Ireland’s ‘exiled children in America.’ It is therefore altogether appropriate that two of the descendants of Ireland’s exiled children will give us their insights into the circumstances and importance of the Rising. Our students and faculty are looking forward to the occasion.” Registration for the event, which is free and open to the public, is requested by Feb. 19 at http://bit. ly/1SEjqrG. A reception will follow. See www.bc.edu/centers/irish/ studies/calendar.html for additional information. –Jack Dunn


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

Journalist Norris to Speak Feb. 16 Award-winning journalist Michele Norris, who has written about race from both a national and personal perspective, will present a talk, “The Grace of Silence and the Power of Words,” on Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. Norris, a former National Public Radio host and correspondent who also has worked for ABC News, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, has interviewed world leaders, distinguished artists and influential newsmakers – as well as working parents facing the challenge of finding child care – in a style praised as relaxed and rigorous. Following the election of Barack Obama as president in 2008, Norris set out to study Americans’ thoughts and attitudes about race. Instead, she wound up looking into her own background, examining long-

obituary

hidden family secrets that raised questions about her racial legacy and underscored America’s long, complicated racial history. The result was her widely praised 2010 book Grace of Silence: A Family Memoir. Inspired by the experience of writing Grace of Silence, Norris created The Race Card Project [theracecardproject.com], a blog that aims to foster a wider conversation about race in America. The Race Card Project was selected for the 2014 George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in journalism – another prestigious honor for Norris, who also has earned Emmy, Alfred I. duPontColumbia University and National Association of Black Journalists awards. The event is sponsored by the division of Student Affairs and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs. For information, e-mail bcsa@bc.edu or call ext.2–8600. –Office of News & Public Affairs

Thomas Owens, 93; Taught Philosophy A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 29 at Sacred Heart Church in Lynn for Thomas J. Owens, a faculty member in the Philosophy Department from 1957 to 2010, who died on Jan. 26. He was 93. A Boston College alumnus who held a doctorate in philosophy from Fordham University, Dr. Owens was an expert in German philosophy, especially Martin Heidegger, and phenomenology. He was the author of the book Phenomenology and Intersubjectivity: Contemporary Interpretations of the Interpersonal Situation, among other works. According to Philosophy Professor Patrick Byrne, who served as department chair from 200310, when Dr. Owens began his career at BC he was one of a handful of dynamic, young faculty members who arrived when the department was transitioning to a new approach to teaching philosophy. “Tom Owens was instrumental in the design of our doctoral program and worked closely with Fr. Joe Flanagan [Philosophy chair from 1965-93] in setting up the Perspectives program,” said Byrne. “He was a very important advisor to all the Philosophy Department chairs. He had wisdom and carefully thought things out. He was tremendously valuable.” “Tom was an excellent writer, one of the best writers I knew,” recalled Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Richard Cobb-Ste-

vens, who served as department chair from 1993 to 2002. “If I were writing something, I’d run it by Tom and he would always add clarity. “He was witty, too. He always gave good advice and was a wise counsel,” added Cobb-Stevens. “He could always be counted upon to serve on departmental or University committees where he came to be admired for his sensitivity and wisdom in human concerns and his down-to-earth practical advice.” Both Byrne and Cobb-Stevens praised Dr. Owens’ teaching. “He was an excellent teacher both on the graduate and undergraduate levels. In particular, he was very successful in teaching introductory and core courses,” said Cobb-Stevens. “He was a challenging teacher, especially to his graduate students,” said Byrne. “He always made them think deeply about the philosophical questions.” Cobb-Stevens visited with Dr. Owens last year when he was recuperating in a nursing home. “He was totally at peace. He was a man of great faith and I think that gave him consolation. “His was a happy and fruitful life. I will miss him,” said CobbStevens. Dr. Owens was born in Saugus and grew up in Lynn. He is survived by his sister, Imelda Owens, and several nieces and a nephew. Burial was at St. Mary’s Cemetery. –Kathleen Sullivan

Expanding the View Nugent and students enhance McMullen exhibition with digital guide and one way is to make use of interactive technology to complement and expand on the exhibits.” In the class last spring, Nugent gave the students an overview of periods in Irish history – such as the late 19th and early 20th century, the Middle Ages and the Celtic Revival – that are referenced in “Making It Irish.” Students then researched exhibition items to come up with ideas for which aspects could be devel-

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

Associate Professor of the Practice Joseph Nugent and a group of students have added an extra dimension to the McMullen Museum of Art’s new exhibition: an interactive digital guide that provides historical, social and artistic background to the items on display. The guide is loaded on iPads and iBooks that are available to museum visitors who come to see “The Arts and Crafts Movement: Making It Irish.” The exhibition explores how Ireland’s Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century helped shape Ireland’s post-colonial transition. Using the guide, a visitor can track the geographic movement of an exhibition item over time, and the nature and degree of its influence on Irish society; or examine an object in greater visual detail. Audio and video clips – including interviews with writer Fintan O’Toole and historian Paul Larmour, both catalogue and exhibition contributors – offer further enhancement and context. In a separate installation, visitors can experience an immersive VR (virtual reality) tour of six different medieval and contemporary sites using Oculus Rift. “It’s a great, fun journey,” says Nugent – a faculty member in the English Department and Irish Studies Program – of the guide, which originated as a project in his Digital Text Material Image class last spring and continued with the involvement of six undergraduates and one doctoral student, supported by a Special Digital Humanities Grant from the ILA and a fellowship from Bookbuilders of Boston. Nugent has been a champion of digital humanities at BC: In past years, he and his students have produced an e-book guide, “Digital Dubliners,” based on James Joyce’s Dubliners, and “Walking Ulysses,” a multimedia tour depicting Dublin in 1922 inspired by another Joyce work, Ulysses. He credits Vera Kreilkamp, a part-time faculty member in Irish Studies who co-curated the “Making It Irish” exhibition, with suggesting a digital guide as a project. “This was an opportunity to do something different,” Nugent explains. “There is an increased emphasis on getting more students to come to the museum,

– which was full by then – she “begged” Nugent to find space for her, which he did. “Before I started working on this, I had no experience with iBooks Author and had never before designed for a ‘client,’ much less a museum,” she says. “Now, I can say that I designed an iBook to fit a real exhibit and that is extremely rewarding. People are going to pick up what we did and learn with it. I love having been part of making something

Lee Pellegrini

6

Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Joseph Nugent (English) working with (L-R) seniors Ryan Reede, Patrick Synan, Kaitlin Astrella and John McElearney on the digital guide to the McMullen Museum of Art’s “Making It Irish” exhibition.

oped for the guide. Class members also collaborated on the technological end, which involved working with the iBooks Author program to integrate text with layout and design facets, and on marketing the guide. “They had to keep in mind that we were creating a product for a client – something that was going to be used by the public – so it was important to pay attention to every possible detail: not only the content but the form,” says Nugent. Fortunately, he says, the students – both in the class and those in the smaller group that continued working on the project – were up to the challenge. They included sophomores, juniors and seniors, and represented a diversity of academic interests: art history, computer science, history and English. “They were a dynamic group, and I took great delight in teaching them,” says Nugent. “This is the kind of project that shows the benefits of integrating humanities and technology, and it wouldn’t have been possible without their work.” Nugent’s students are equally laudatory of the project, and Nugent, for broadening their perspective. When Kaitlin Astrella, a senior English major from Parsippany, NJ, with an interest in publishing and editing, heard about the class

tangible and functional. And I aspire to make books, so working on an electronic book before I even graduate just makes me feel that much more confident about helping make more books in the future.” “This was a very valuable experience: I felt like I was part of a project team,” says senior Ryan Reede, a computer science major from the Los Angeles area. “The artistic and historical elements of the class were not areas I’d necessarily delved into before, but Professor Nugent put them into a different context. I like how he pushes things forward, and helps you see the way technology can influence arts and literature, and vice-versa.” Adds Medford native and physics major John McElearney ’16, “[Nugent] has this great skill in finding people and bringing them together to work effectively. I thought the idea of presenting an obscure, complex aspect of history in an accessible and engaging manner was intriguing, and I felt that even more as we continued on the project. “Perhaps the most important thing you learn is to communicate effectively, because you’re collaborating with people who have different skill sets than you do.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

7

BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA An introduction to new faculty members at Boston College

Rui Albuquerque

Associate Professor of Finance Carroll School of Management DEGREES: University of Rochester (MS, PhD); Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon (Licenciatura in Economics) WHAT HE STUDIES: Asset pricing, international finance, capital market imperfections, corporate governance. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: International Financial Management Why should somebody study finance? “Finance is at the heart of economics, helping understand how to best allocate savings across industries or over time. It’s exciting to contribute to societal welfare in this way.”

Carol Anne Marchetti

Clinical Associate Professor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: University of Massachusetts, Boston (BS); Boston College (MS, PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Acute and chronic care of children following sexual assault; trauma. WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Clinical Lab; Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Theory; Psychiatric Nursing Clinical.

Samuel S. Richardson

Associate Professor of the Practice of Economics Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Stanford University (BA); Harvard University (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Health economics WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Principles of Macroeconomics; Honors Microeconomic Theory Why do you focus on health economics in your research? “Economists believe that under certain assumptions, markets are the best way to allocate resources. These assumptions are flagrantly violated in health care markets, which is why I am fascinated by the study of health economics.”

Michael Serazio

Assistant Professor of Communication Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: University of San Francisco (BA); Columbia University (MS); University of Pennsylvania (MA, PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Popular culture; advertising; politics; new media. WHAT HE TEACHES: Sports, Media & Culture; Popular Culture Theory; Intercultural Communication; News Media & Democracy. You’ve been completing researching the communication strategies of campaign consultants. In what ways has the current, contentious presidential campaign provided fodder for that project? “My work on consultants is based on dozens of in-depth interviews with those who organize campaigns, produce advertisements, write speeches, and manage press coverage. It is, in short, a backstage glimpse of those who design the political communication environment that confronts us as citizens. Many of the trends discerned in conversations during the 2012 election continue to resonate in this year’s cycle: increasingly sophisticated use of data-driven message targeting; social media stratagems to circumvent traditional news gatekeepers; enduring anxiety about candidate authenticity and “establishment” credentials; an emotion-based logic borrowed from the world of commercial branding; and, of course, the blurring of popular culture and politics that a certain reality TV star has taken to new heights.”

Only a fraction of gifted children become revolutionary adult creators, according to Prof. Ellen Winner (Psychology), commenting in the New York Times.

Massachusetts Attorney General’s office investigation into a possible violation of state laws by Gilead Sciences Inc. in the pricing of its hepatitis C drugs.

Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) shared her views on economic growth and environmental sustainability – including her belief that utopian thinking seems a sensible response to a modern culture of work and consumption – in a conversation with JSTOR Daily.

Prof. Andrew Jorgenson (Sociology and Environmental Studies) spoke with the Washington Post on new data that show poor and minority communities are more likely to be exposed to the most intense pollution.

Assoc. Prof. Dean Hashimoto (Law) offered comments to Dow Jones Business News on the

Lynch School of Education Prof. David L. Blustein and Assoc. Prof. Karen Arnold discussed the gap between career aspirations and real-

–Ed Hayward, Rosanne Pellegrini, Sean Hennessey and Kathleen Sullivan Photos by Lee Pellegrini

Charges of sowing division in the Church are more properly lodged against one of the heroes of conservative Catholicism, the late Richard John Neuhaus, than against Pope Francis, wrote Libby Professor of Law and Theology Cathleen Kaveny in Commonweal. Prof. Emeritus Paul Schervish (Sociology), retired director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, was a guest on Tony Martignetti Nonprofit Radio’s “2015 Giving Report and 2016 Forecast.”

EXPERT OPINION Assistant Professor of Communication Matt Sienkiewicz, commenting in Politico Magazine on the tendency of pundits covering the New Hampshire primary to describe the state as “flinty” [read the full article at http://politi.co/1TQE1rH]: “New Hampshire is a really complicated thing to explain for the national press. You can kind of picture an old man trudging through the snow. And there are a lot of old men in New Hampshire who trudge through snow – certainly.”

Caitlin Cunningham

BC BRIEFING Contemporary Accounting Research accepted the article, “Enterprise Risk Management and the Financial Reporting Process: The Experiences of Audit Committee Members, CFOs, and External Auditors,” by Prof. Jeffrey Cohen (CSOM), for publication.

Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), presented “The Societal Implications of Astrobiology: The Role of Emotions,” at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics in Toronto.

NOTA BENE

JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Assistant Director, Core Curriculum, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Research Economist, Center for Retirement Research Production Manager, Catering and Events, Dining Services Communications Student Services

Specialist,

Assistant Director, Sophomore Area, Residential Life Events Assistant, Alumni Chapters, Alumni Association Program Director, Master’s Health Administration, Woods College of Advancing Studies

Wen Fan

Assistant Professor Sociology Department Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Renmin University, Beijing (BA); University of Minnesota (MS, PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Sociology of health; medical sociology; aging, work and family; gender; social demography WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Introduction to Sociology for Healthcare Professions; Regression Models for Categorical Data. What has your research shown you about the connections between work and family and health behaviors? “What I’ve found is that different health behaviors may have distinct antecedents, e.g., extended work hours tend to be associated with less exercise and more fast food consumption. But gendered workfamily expectations shape time allocations in ways that more than often promote men’s and constrain women’s health behaviors. Neo-traditional arrangements – where husbands work longer than their wives, for example –constrain women’s ability to engage in exercise but increase odds of men exercising.”

ity for low-income students in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Professor of History Heather Cox Richardson served as a consultant for “Murder of a President,” which premiered this month on PBS’ “American Experience” program. “Murder” tells the story of James Garfield’s unprecedented rise to power and the presidency, the shooting by Charles Guiteau only four months into his administration, and its bizarre and heartbreaking aftermath. An expert in 19th-century American history and the author of several books including To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party, Richardson reviewed the script for historical accuracy and helped to provide political context. She also offered on-air commentary [above]. [The website for “Murder of a President,” which includes the full documentary, is at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ americanexperience/films/Garfield.]

Assistant Director, C&F Communications and Proposal Development, Corporate Foundation Relations Account Manager, Ticket Sales, Athletics Director of Compliance, Office of General Counsel Director of Career Advising, Career Center Investment Officer, Endowment/Investment Resident Director (anticipated openings 2016-17), Office of Residential Life


T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle february 11, 2016

8

EVERY PICTURE A STORY www.instagram.com/bostoncollege

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

The voices of University Chorale members will join with those of the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Plus Ultra (EPU) – dubbed “a crack squad of the finest British early music singers” by Early Music Today. Co-founded in 2001 by Boston College Music Department Chair and Professor Michael Noone, the award-winning London-based group [www.ensembleplusultra.com] will be guest artists on campus during their current US tour. This Saturday, the ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. in Trinity Chapel on Newton Campus, conducted by John Finney, University Chorale director. The program is a collaboration with the Chorale’s Chamber Singers, a 22-voice ensemble of members of the larger group. On Sunday at 3 p.m. in St Mary’s Chapel, EPU will present a program of Renaissance a cappella music, with an emphasis on Latin settings of the biblical Song of Songs, in recognition of Valentine’s Day, according to Noone. EPU’s BC events – all free and open to the public, and their exclusive Boston-area appearances – include performing as well as collaborating with, and coaching, BC students. “There’s nothing more ex-

Internationally acclaimed Ensemble Plus Ultra will be on campus for three performances, including a collaboration with the University Chorale.

hilarating for our students than intense periods working side-byside with experienced arts professionals in a collaborative performance that combines creativity, imagination, and hard work,” said Noone. “And of course, there’s the terrific satisfaction of performing before their peers on campus. “One of the important features of this concert is that it is part of an artist-in-residence program in which the musicians of EPU will work closely with BC students, John Finney, and members of the University Chorale,” Noone said. “I am delighted that the Chamber Singers of the University Chorale of Boston College have the opportunity to collaborate with the superb singers of Ensemble Plus Ultra,” said

Finney. “I anticipate that our Chamber Singers will find this experience to be both thrilling and inspiring, and I know that our audience will be enthralled with the beautiful voices of our students, alongside the exquisite singing of Ensemble Plus Ultra.” The performance, which will feature as its main work Carissimi’s oratorio “Jephte,” will include full-ensemble singing by the Chamber Singers as well as solos by EPU members and some BC students, Finney said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to collaborate with a Grammy Award winning group,” said Chamber Singer and concert soloist Hannah Bowlin ’17. “We are so honored to work with Ensemble Plus Ultra – not only to listen to them sing, but to learn from them as our musi-

cal peers.” The student soloists will have individual coaching sessions with EPU members during a Feb. 12 workshop, in which all 164 members of the University Chorale are invited to participate. EPU’s campus visit culminates in their presentation of behind-the-scenes insight into the recording – under Noone’s direction – of their new CD which commemorates the 400th anniversary of the death of Toledo’s greatest artist, El Greco. That event, “From Spain to Eternity: Vocal Music from El Greco’s Toledo,” which incorporates concert and commentary will be this Monday at 8 p.m. in Gasson 100. Noone said the CD project originated in 2014, when the group was invited to perform in Spain’s Toledo cathedral for a Pontifical Requiem Mass to commemorate the death of El Greco. “We chose to perform a Requiem composed by 16th-century Tole-

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

“bOp! In the Name of Love” Feb. 12, 8 p.m. Heights Room, Corcoran Commons

BC’s legendary student jazz-vocal ensemble will kick off Valentine’s Day weekend with music ranging from Big Band favorites to contemporary hits. Dancing is likely – if not expected – to occur. [See www.bc.edu/bands]

BC SCENES

Photos by Peter Julian

dan composer Morales, one of the few copies of which is held among the Burns Library collection of rare music. This led to the CD, ‘From Spain to Eternity.’” The EPU’s first visit to BC in 2013 was a great success, he added, and “has led to the group’s intense involvement in a digital humanities project focusing on the rare music holdings of the Burns library [see www.moralesattheburns.wordpress.com]. “The members of the Ensemble, all top-rank professional vocalists, are especially eager to share their experiences with BC students,” Noone said. “After all, this was the music that resounded through the Spain in which St Ignatius lived. In a real sense it represents the sound track of Ignatius’s Spain.” For information on EPU campus events, call the Music Department at ext.2-6004.

JOIN THE CLUB(S)

The University’s winter Student Involvement Fair brought hundreds of clubs and organizations to the Conte Forum concourse on Jan. 28. At left, Han Xieng and Erica Osiecki of Full Swing showed off their dance moves. Above, (L-R) Kely Coleman, Meaghan Kelleher and Katie Kelleher of The Music Guild were in full voice. Top right, Brian Hyunwok Yoon (left) and Michael Jang shared a message from the AHANA Management Academy. Right, Ashley Lajoie and Connor Claffey fielded questions for the AHANA Pre-Law Student Association.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.