Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Warm Welcome

AUGUST 31, 2023 VOL. 31 NO. 1

At Convocation, a Focus on Higher Ed Challenges

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Reverend Dr. Jamie Washington spoke as part of the University Welcome to the Class of 2027 on August 25 in Conte Forum. photo by caitlin cunningham

The Truth of the Matter In determining what’s true, Americans consider intentions of the information source

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Putting truth to the test in the “posttruth era,” Boston College psychologists conducted experiments that show when Americans decide whether a claim of fact should qualify as true or false, they consider the intentions of the information source.

That confidence is based on what individuals think the source is trying to do—in this case either informing or deceiving their audience, the team reported recently in Nature’s Scientific Reports.

“Even when people know precisely how accurate or inaccurate a claim of fact is, whether they consider that claim to be true or false hinges on the intentions they attribute to the claim’s information source,” said Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Liane Young, an author of the report.

“In other words, the intentions of information sources sway people’s judgments about what information should qualify as true.”

Lead author Isaac Handley-Miner, a doctoral student and researcher in Young’s Morality Lab, said the so-called post-truth era has revealed vigorous disagreement over the truth of claims of fact—even for claims that are easy to verify.

“That disagreement has alarmed our society,” said Handley-Miner. “After all, it’s often assumed that the labels ‘true’ and ‘false’ should correspond to the objective Continued on page 5

Boston College faces many of the financial pressures and other challenges confronting American Catholic colleges and universities, and American higher education itself, said University President William P. Leahy, S.J., at yesterday’s annual University Convocation in Robsham Theater.

BC, however, is well positioned to not

only withstand these difficulties, he said, but to continue the upward trajectory it has been following for years and “accomplish even more as a Jesuit, Catholic university among the top tier of American institutions of higher education.”

Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead and Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley also spoke at the convocation, a traditional kick-off event for the new academic year.

Continued on page 3

An Encouraging Year 2 for The Academy

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The Academy, a cost-free, summer residential enrichment program for Greater Boston-area middle and high school students—one of four components of Boston College’s Pine Manor Institute (PMI) for Student Success initiative—held its second round of week- and two-weeklong sessions this summer, attracting more than double last year’s number of attendees.

More than 100 eighth and ninth grade students from 25 partner schools participated in the July 30-August 12 session, including more than half of last year’s 48 summer program participants, according to Joy Moore, vice president and executive director of the institute.

Just over 50 percent of the students attend public schools, while 40 percent are enrolled in Catholic schools, and eight percent attend charter schools. Communities represented include Allston-Brighton, Brockton, Chelsea, Dorchester, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Lawrence, Mattapan, Quin-

INSIDE 2 Around Campus

First Year Academic Convocation; Constitution and Citizenship Day.

4 While You Were Away BC news from the summer.

12 ‘Gateway to Himalayan Art’ New McMullen exhibition.

Participants in The Academy—a summer enrichment program for Greater Boston eighth and ninth graders run by Boston College’s Pine Manor Institute for Student Success—worked on photo by lee pellegrini an experiment in the science building at 245 Beacon Street.

cy, Roxbury, Springfield, and Worcester.

Beginning in the summer after seventh grade and continuing through grade 12, the residential program combines academic preparation in English, mathematics, and science with overnight adventures, field trips, and volunteer experiences.

The Academy students, who stayed in Williams Hall on Upper Campus, began their typical day at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast, followed by an assembly. Morning classes rotated between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), language arts, and electives, including 3D printing, textile arts, photography, cellular agriculture, digital storytelling and more. The evenings included family-style dinners, small-group reflection, campus “walk and talk,” journaling, and quiet time

before lights out at 10 p.m.

“We place an emphasis on values,” said Moore. “Each grade level has a set of three values that are integrated into all aspects of our programming. We want to instill the virtues of courage, tenacity, confidence, identity, harmony, and companionship in our eighth and ninth graders. We then build upon these values in grades 10-12 and add compassion, service and solidarity, awareness, curiosity and open-mindedness and finally, transition, responsibility, and self-discipline.”

Throughout the school year, each Academy student’s “success coach” (a BC sophomore, junior, or senior) provides tutoring and mentoring to help them achieve success in middle school and prepare for

Continued on page 5

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Around Campus

A Return Engagement for Kidder at First Year Academic Convocation Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder will return to campus September 7 as the featured speaker at this year’s First Year Academic Convocation, where he will discuss his critically acclaimed new book, Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, with the 2023 freshman class.

Organized by the Office of First Year Experience, the annual convocation is preceded by the “First Flight” processional, at which the first-year class gathers on Linden Lane to receive a charge from faculty, administrators, and the Jesuit community of Boston College to “go and set the world aflame.” They will then process to Conte Forum to hear from Kidder and the convocation’s other guest speakers.

The event begins BC’s Conversations in the First Year, which engages each incoming class in a reflective dialogue around a common text—and helps create the year’s

Tracy Kidder photo by frances kidder

academic theme—as a means to offer insight into how to respond to life’s questions and find direction in their personal journey.

Kidder spoke at the inaugural convocation in 2004; other authors whose works have

Constitution and Citizenship Day on Sept. 14 Boston College faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates will present their views on the United States Constitution— its centrality to American life, its exceptional durability, and its vulnerability in times of national conflict—as part of the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy’s second annual campus-wide celebration of Constitution and Citizenship Day, on September 14 from 5-7 p.m.

Co-sponsored with the University’s Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, “What the Constitution Means to Us” will feature a panel of cross-disciplinary scholars, including: Moakley Endowed Professor of Political Science Kay Schlozman; BC Law School Professor and Provost’s Distinguished Fellow Aziz Rana; BC Law Associate Professor Paulo Barrozo; BC Law Professor and Carney Distinguished Scholar Daniel Kanstroom, faculty director of the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy; and Assistant Professor of Political Science Thibaud Marcesse.

Also speaking will be 2008 alumna Sarah Lunnie, who was dramaturg for the awardwinning Heidi Schreck play “What the Constitution Means to Me.” “It is thrilling and fitting to be joined

by Sarah, because of her close ties to the Theatre Department here, and for her role in the creation of Schreck’s influential play,” said Professor of Political Science Jonathan ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

Laurence, director of the Clough Center.

“The play is unique because it implores audiences to leave the theater more engaged with the Constitution than when they went in, and to join the debate on American democracy. We are responding to Schreck’s challenge by inviting the BC community to directly participate in our first event of the year.”

The Clough Center and Schiller Institute are soliciting graduate and undergraduate students’ reflections on the Constitution in a variety of media: written, spoken, musical works, and visual art or digital art, including video. A sampling of these contributions will be showcased as part of a celebratory reception featuring faculty and student speakers and an art gallery. The Clough Center will award a prize of $200 to the top general contribution, and the Schiller Institute will award a prize of $200 to the top contribution specifically geared toward the Constitution and energy, health, or the environment.

“Each year’s proceedings will be published as a record of oral history,” Laurence said. “These will be time capsules that capture our preoccupations and reassurances at a moment of democratic fragility and, hopefully, constitutional endurance.”

See www.bc.edu/clough for more information.

—University Communications

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

been explored by previous first-year classes are Barack Obama, John McCain, Ann Patchett, Jeannette Walls, Bruce Springsteen, and Liz Hauck ’00, M.Ed. ’09.

A master of reporting and nonfiction storytelling, Kidder will be accompanied by Jim O’Connell, M.D.—the subject of his inspiring story of a dedicated doctor, who after completing his medical residency some 40 years ago helped to create a medical system for the homeless people of Boston.

Kidder spent time over five years riding with Dr. O’Connell as he navigated the city at night, offering medical care, socks, soup, empathy, and friendship to some of the city’s endangered citizens.

Dr. O’Connell and his colleagues lead an organization—Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program—that includes 30-plus clinics affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Medical Center, and a host of teams that serve special groups, including one that reaches “rough sleepers”—people who sleep on the streets “in the rough”—by van. The program [www.bhchp.org/] comprises more than 600 medical and behavioral health staff, social

BC Scenes

service providers, and support staff committed to ensuring and delivering equitable and dignified access to comprehensive, high-quality health care for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Boston and beyond.

Kidder takes readers deep into Dr. O’Connell’s world, much as he did with Paul Farmer, M.D., in his Pulitzer Prizewinning Mountains Beyond Mountains—the common text for the First Year Academic Convocation in 2004, at which Kidder spoke with Dr. Farmer.

“Rough Sleepers is a wonderful introduction to the lifelong process of discernment that is so central to the philosophy of formative education at Boston College,” said Michael Sacco, executive director of the Center for Student Formation and Office of First Year Experience, of the book’s selection as the common text given to students at summer orientation. “We hope that our students can envision what a life of service to others might mean for them.”

Rough Sleepers is available at the BC Bookstore. For more on the author, see tracykidder.com.

—Rosanne Pellegrini

photos by caitlin cunningham

Opportunities Fair

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

The Conte Forum concourse was bustling at last Friday’s Opportunities Fair, where members of the Class of 2027 got information on specialized academic programs and majors/minors, volunteer opportunities, campus retreats, campus recreation, intramurals, student employment, and other areas.

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Brief Encounters Can Be Meaningful Ones Study shows health value of social connections in the moment, especially for older adults

social accompaniment, particularly with non-family members, is associated with lower levels of real-time fatigue and stress, even when accounting for baseline measures of respondent social integration and overall health.

“In other words, we asked whether being co-present with a social tie is relevant for health in the moment. Do people feel better when they’re together?”

The researchers used smartphones to collect ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) from nearly 350 older adults in the Chicago Health and Activity Space in

Real-Time (CHART) study. Study respondents carried the smartphones with them throughout their day-to-day activities, and were “pinged” five times per day to complete brief surveys that asked a number of questions about who they were with, how they felt, where they were, and their observations of their current social context in real time.

Over the course of three, one-week observation periods, these EMAs provided a glimpse into the dynamic and transitory aspects of social accompaniment in daily life.

The results indicated that older adults who are in the company of friends or neighbors are significantly less likely to experience momentary fatigue and stress, suggesting that co-presence with a social tie has unique implications for short-term health outcomes.

The authors cite recent evidence that momentary health assessments can reveal physiological states that contribute to longer-term disease processes and mental health conditions. Stress, for example, can contribute over time to underlying conditions such as cardiovascular disease, while chronic stress can cause wear and tear on the body’s physiological capacity to regulate, and lead to heightened levels of inflammation, pain, and fatigue.

“Whereas momentary symptoms are important given their link to longer-term conditions, they are also consequential in and of themselves, and in ways that may not be reflected in conventional summary measures of well-being,” they noted. “Moment-

in-time experiences of pain and fatigue could limit an individual’s ability or willingness to pursue a particular activity, which could constrain participation in potentially health-enhancing social engagement.

“Likewise, fluctuations in these symptoms throughout the day could carry implications for accessing social and other resources—for example, whether one feels well enough to run an errand, attend religious services or a group activity, or provide some type of instrumental or emotional support to a friend or family member.”

Goldman underscored the study’s relevance in light of the recent advisory by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, M.D., addressing the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” affecting the country, and affirming that social connection is as essential to humanity as food, water, or shelter.

Furthermore, he noted that humans have historically needed to rely on each other for survival, and today, people remain wired for that connection and for proximity to others.

“The unique value of being with a friend or neighbor is consistent with other research pointing to the growing importance of older adults’ non-kin and local ties,” said Goldman. “Even day-to-day fluctuations in social isolation have implications for immediate health symptoms.”

The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.

To read the report, go to journals.sagepub. com/doi/10.1177/23780231231171112.

and pre-professional programs and a reduction in faculty positions.”

Fr. Leahy also pointed to the upheaval taking place in intercollegiate athletics, including the realignment among major conferences and the controversy over whether student athletes should be treated as employees.

Meanwhile, he added, American colleges and universities are contemplating responses to the United States Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action and its effect on student racial diversity, legacy applications, and recruitment and financial aid policies.

There are additional issues in American Catholic higher education, said Fr. Leahy, including the changing demographics in American Catholicism—such as declines in marriages and births—and the altered relationship between Catholic colleges and universities and their founding religious congregations and dioceses.

As a Jesuit, Catholic university, BC can—and should—play a role in the search for solutions to the social, political, economic, environmental, and other major problems of contemporary society, said Fr. Leahy.

He pointed to the University’s innovative curriculum that links humanities with professions, its emphasis on formation, and its potential to serve as a meeting place between faith and culture, “modeling engagement and resolution of troubling issues through careful listening, honest and

respectful dialogue, and commitment to truth and the common good.”

Lochhead said BC’s “strong institutional profile and stable outlook,” as evidenced by a long string of balanced budgets “going back to the 1970s,” have helped it reach an enviable position in the shifting higher education landscape. But the University is mindful of the impact that college tuition has on students and their families—especially in a time of high inflation—and will continue to offer generous financial aid while striving to be ever more efficient and productive in its operations.

Reviewing current and prospective campus projects, including the nearly completed Hoag Basketball Pavilion and renovations at Ashby Hall on the new Brookline Campus, Lochhead noted that inflation has contributed to higher construction and borrowing costs, while new environmental regulations and ordinances require BC to reduce its carbon footprint. Administrators are weighing such considerations as the University continues to put together its next institutional Master Plan.

“It will take a lot of planning, creativity, and coordination to build in a way that makes sense for us, financially and otherwise,” said Lochhead.

Quigley reviewed some highlights of the 2022-2023 academic year, including the formal opening of the new integrated science building at 245 Beacon Street; the launch of the new major in Public Health and the Common Good; and

key transitions including the arrivals of Lienau, School of Theology and Ministry Dean Michael McCarthy, S.J., and Erick Berrelleza, S.J.—dean of Messina College, whose 2024 opening Quigley also discussed in his remarks—as well as the appointment of Grant Gosselin as dean of undergraduate admission and retirement of Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John Mahoney.

Among the faculty starting their BC careers this academic year, Quigley noted, are a Nobel laureate, four new engineering faculty, and a new director of African and African Diaspora Studies. The composition of the 2023 first-year class, meanwhile, includes 38 percent AHANA students and 13 percent Pell-eligible students, and average SAT and ACT scores, respectively, of 1474 and 34.

Quigley outlined existing and imminent challenges for higher education, including a demographic change that will see a drop in the college-age population, the effect of the Supreme Court affirmative action ruling, and the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and research.

But BC has numerous areas of opportunity and strength, he said, notably its emphasis on formative education and academic excellence, and ongoing renewal of the University faculty “with a commitment to hiring and supporting the best scholars who are drawn to the University’s distinctive mission and heritage.”

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The health implications of social relationships have been well documented, whether the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of communal connections, or the health risks of social isolation. Now, a new study co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Alyssa Goldman points to the previously unaccounted positive impact of micro-level, momentary experiences of social connectedness.

In “Stand by Me: Social Ties and Health in Real Time,” Goldman and coauthor Erin York Cornwell, an associate professor of sociology at Cornell University, reveal that the short-term dynamics of “social accompaniment”—being with others—have important implications for individuals’ health and well-being. The pair recently published their work in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, the American Sociological Association’s openaccess, peer-reviewed journal.

“This investigation allowed us to elucidate how health-relevant processes that unfold in real time may be distinct from the longer-term associations that are captured through more traditional survey measures,” said Goldman. “Our findings suggest that

University Convocation Continued from page 1

In addition to offering his annual overview of the University, Fr. Leahy took the occasion to welcome two senior administrators who had joined the BC community since last year’s Convocation: Odette Lienau, the inaugural Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean of the Boston College Law School, and Senior Vice President for University Advancement Andrew Davidson.

Higher education has long been, and continues to be, widely hailed and supported for its contributions in key areas of American life, said Fr. Leahy: social mobility; the formation of personal goals, moral values, and ethical behavior; economic progress; and technological advances.

But support for colleges and universities has undeniably “diminished among many Americans,” he added. Some members of the public question the value of a college degree, especially in the liberal arts, and express growing concerns about the cost of earning one; there also has been increasing criticism of higher education’s curriculum.

This public disenchantment comes at a time when colleges and universities face growing enrollment and financial pressures, said Fr. Leahy, which among other consequences has led “to the elimination of degree programs in humanities, languages,

Alyssa Goldman: “Even day-to-day fluctuations in social isolation have implications for immediate health symptoms.” photo by lee pellegrini

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WHILE YOU WERE AWAY Boston College News from the Summer of 2023 Boston College is welcoming 51 new faculty members for the 2023-2024 academic year, including a Nobel laureate, a new director of the African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) program, and four additional faculty in the two-year-old Engineering Department.

The 51 tenured or tenure-track faculty and full-time professors of the practice will be joined by an additional nine lateral hires—previously visiting faculty members who are now professors of the practice.

Also on campus for the next academic year are 22 new, visiting full-time faculty members who are on limited term contracts.

While smaller than last year’s record 62, this year’s cohort of new full-time, non-visiting faculty represents another significant milestone, according to University administrators: 33 of the 51 are women, the highest such percentage (65) of new hires in BC history. More than a quarter of the new full-time, non-visiting faculty members—27 percent—are AHANA, they noted.

Among the new faculty is Nobel Prizewinning economist Paul Romer, the Seidner University Professor at the Carroll School of Management, who joins the school’s highly touted Finance Department and will launch the new Center for the Economics of Ideas.

Professor of History Lorelle Semley, whose teaching and research in African history spans a multiplicity of disciplines, source materials, and political and social subject matter—her current project examines the evolution of Black citizenship in the former French colonial empire—will become the new director of BC’s African and African Diaspora Studies program.

As the first majors in the University’s Human-Centered Engineering program move toward the latter stage of their undergraduate years, a newly arrived quartet of accomplished faculty will enable the department to offer upper-level courses: Assistant Professors Emma Brace and Catherine Hoar, Associate Professor of the Practice Amin Mohebbi, and Assistant Professor of the Practice Kristen Conroy.

These and other new faculty appointments are the end result of many hours of work involving senior administrators and current faculty, noted Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley.

“This year’s successful recruitment season was the result of ongoing collaboration among faculty search committees across the University working to advance key departmental and school priorities,” he said.

See bit.ly/bc-new-faculty-2023

Boston College alumna Mary Ellen Joyce, who has a significant track record in executive education and leadership development, has joined the Woods College of Advancing Studies as director of its Master of Science in Leadership and Administration (MSLA) degree program.

Joyce brings to the role extensive experience in leadership education, adult learning, and instructional design, most notably through two decades directing the executive programs division of The Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.,-based nonprofit public policy organization ranked among the world’s leading think tanks.

At the Woods College, she is directing an industry-aligned program designed to produce graduates who are agile, inclusive changemakers able to adapt to internal and external challenges and trends, and to ethically address pressing issues.

“The MSLA is designed to help students learn to lead—and thrive—in diverse and complex environments,” said

Woods College Dean Karen Muncaster.

“Mary Ellen joins us from a lengthy career at Brookings, which delivers best-in-class executive education. She’s a strategic thinker with demonstrated expertise in providing the kind of programs that can ensure our students meet their career goals. ” “In an era marked by disruptions and challenges, it’s a pivotal time to be engaged in leadership development,” said Joyce, the daughter of a Boston College alumnus. “Demand for new leadership capabilities requires creating and delivering cutting-edge content that will equip leaders with the know-why and know-how to make a difference in the world today. That is one of our top priorities.”

Joyce’s new role brings her BC experience full circle: As an undergraduate, she had occasion to meet James Woods, S.J.— namesake of the Woods College, which he led as dean for 44 years. “He provided me with some of my first real-world lessons in leadership. It’s an honor to return to BC and to the school that bears his name,” said Joyce, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from BC. She holds a doctorate in business and public administration from the George Washington University.

See bit.ly/joyce-woods-msla

Work on the Hoag Basketball Pavilion neared completion last week. photo by caitlin cunningham

A total of 72 renovation, repair, and renewal projects on Boston College’s four campuses got underway this past summer, according to Facilities Management, with most expected to be completed by October.

Among the capital improvements, four major categories were identified, starting with respective academic upgrades at Gasson and Higgins Halls on the Chestnut Hill Campus and Stuart Hall on the Newton Campus.

The work at Gasson called for ceiling replacements in five classrooms and two stairwells, as well as replacements of lighting, audio-visual, and fire alarm/protection equipment, and repair or replacement of the stairs in the west portico.

A major face lift was in the plans for the Higgins Hall auditorium, including replacement of the fixed seating and flooring; restoration of the walls and ceiling; installation of acoustic wall panels; upgraded teaching walls that feature trays, interactive whiteboards, and storage space; new lighting and audio-visual integration; and im-

proved seating for persons with disabilities.

Five projects were designated at Stuart Hall, including the renewal of seven classrooms/seminar rooms on the fourth floor, upgrades to the dean’s office, and electrical modernizations.

Work continued at the new Hoag Basketball Pavilion, the future practice home for BC’s men’s and women’s basketball programs on the northwest side of Conte Forum. Named for University Trustee Michaela “Mikey” Hoag ’86 and her husband Jay, who donated $15 million—one of the largest gifts in the history of Boston College Athletics—the 35,700-square-foot building was near completion as the academic year began.

In preparation for the opening of Brookline-based Messina College—part of BC’s Pine Manor Institute for Student Success—a major renovation of Ashby Hall will provide new classrooms, learning commons, a new kitchen/service counter, a chapel, and offices for student services.

See bit.ly/summer-2023-facilitiesprojects

“Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land,” a documentary film featuring Boston College Law School Professor Thomas W. Mitchell (in photo), privately debuted at the Oprah Winfrey Theater at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on June 12.

BC Law Dean Odette Lienau and Mitchell were photo by caitlin cunningham among the attendees.

Written, directed and co-produced by Eternal Polk, a two-time Emmy nominated director, writer, and segment producer, the 90-minute documentary film—executive produced by Al Roker Entertainment— explores the legacy of Black farming in America, land use and loss, challenges and

solutions to so-called heir’s property, and how landowners are reclaiming their agricultural rights and creating paths to generational wealth.

“Gaining Ground” has already won two prestigious awards: Best Documentary at the recent Filmteenth International Film Festival in Bethesda, Md., and the Jury Prize for Feature Documentary at Essence Film Festival in New Orleans.

Mitchell, director of the recently launched Initiative on Land, Housing, and Property Rights at BC Law, served as a member of the Land Loss and Reparations Project that published a 2022 report conservatively estimating a $326-billion damage appraisal of the loss of Black-owned farmland between 1920-1997. He also coordinated a highly successful two-day conference co-hosted by BC Law and Harvard University titled “Land Loss, Reparations, and Housing Policy” in March.

“Gaining Ground” has been screened at several major film festivals, including BronzeLens in Atlanta this week.

See bit.ly/mitchell-gaining-ground

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The Academy: Year 2

Continued from page 1

high school. As those students head to college or other post-secondary institutions and begin their careers, PMI will continue to provide coaching and mentoring for up to two years, a distinguishing characteristic unlike any other enrichment program.

“We are fortunate to see first-hand the deep connections made between the success coaches and the Academy students,” said Moore. “In addition to mentors, they are companions, and help guide the students along their journey. It’s the Academy’s ‘secret sauce.’”

Robin Goffigan, whose son, Mekhi Goffigan-Mercer, returned to the program for the second time this summer, had all of her expectations met.

“The mentoring is very important,” she said. “Reconnecting with the BC students [coaches], plus meeting new people from different places, and connecting with them; it’s big to me, as is the program’s academic focus. He will absolutely return, all the way to the end!”

Mekhi, who this fall will attend Meridian Academy, an independent school in Jamaica Plain, enjoyed the electives he took.

“I really liked the classes in digital storytelling and the chemistry sampler,” he said.

“The program got me out of my comfort zone.”

When Gladys Tejada first learned about The Academy, she expected it to be an opportunity for her daughter, Emma, a ris-

ing ninth grader from Lawrence Catholic Academy, to grow as an individual, meet new people, and improve as a student.

“The program met all those expectations,” said Tejeda. “Emma has become more independent, she has made several friends that she’s remained in contact with, and she’s developed new academic strengths that she’ll continue to apply as she enters high school. She’s also gaining a better sense of herself and her interests, while also learning how to navigate her social life.”

Emma wants to return next summer, citing what she characterized as “the profound social and academic opportunities” offered at The Academy.

“I eagerly look forward to the atmosphere, the Boston College campus, and the connections,” she said.

The PMI’s capstone initiative is the launch of Messina College—opening on the former Pine Manor College campus in Brookline in fall 2024—which will offer 100 first-generation students with high financial need a residential college experience steeped in Jesuit values, coupled with resources tailored to help students excel. BC’s ninth school and its first two-year associate’s degree program—named for the first Jesuit school, founded in Sicily in 1548—is designed to offer multiple pathways to success by preparing students to transfer to a fouryear institution or for a professional career.

Truth(?)

Continued from page 1

accuracy of a claim. But is objective accuracy actually the only criterion people consider when deciding what should qualify as true or false? Or, even when people know how objectively accurate a given claim of fact is, might they be sensitive to features of the social context—such as the intentions of the information source? We set out to test whether the intentions of information sources affect whether people consider a claim of fact to be true or false even when they have access to the ground truth.”

The researchers showed participants a series of claims accompanied by the ground truth relevant to those claims, according to the report. In one experiment, the claims concerned politicized topics such as climate change, abortion, and gun violence.

In another experiment, these claims concerned non-politicized topics such as the average lifespan of a car and the price of a pair of headphones. The researchers asked participants in both experiments to decide whether they would consider each claim of fact to be true or false.

When presented with a claim of fact, study participants were presented with one of two scenarios about the source of the information they were assessing: The information source either wanted to deceive or inform them. To do this, the researchers swapped out the news outlet that allegedly published the claim. For example, one participant might be told that a claim about

A ninth-grader discusses an assignment with staff of The Academy. More than 100 students photo by lee pellegrini from 25 partner schools participated in this year’s session.

Associate degrees in such high-demand areas as general business, health sciences, applied data science, and applied psychology and human development will be offered.

“I can’t wait to welcome our newest Eagles to the Brookline Campus!” exclaimed Messina College Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J., the son of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate who was appointed last summer. “Messina College brings together the best of what we offer at BC in a twoyear, residential experience. The formative education our students will receive will set them apart from their peers in the workplace, and prepare them for impactful contributions to the world around them.”

The PMI also serves as an umbrella organization for the University’s mentoring and academic achievement pillar, including the former Learning to Learn office, Options Through Education, the College Transition Program, and McNair Scholars, all of which serve a wide range of students. The institute also now is the administrative center for BC’s partnership with QuestBridge, a nonprofit organization that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to the country’s top-ranked colleges and universities.

More information on the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success is available at bc.edu/bc-web/sites/pine-manor-institute.

Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Liane Young and doctoral student Isaac Handley-Miner. Their project involved working with nearly 1,200 participants and examining about 16,200 responses.

The findings suggest that, even if people have access to the same set of facts, they might disagree about the truth of claims if they attribute discrepant intentions to information sources.

These results demonstrated that people are not merely sensitive to the objective accuracy of claims of fact when classifying them as true or false. While this study focused on the intent of the information source, Young and Handley-Miner say intent is probably not the only other feature people use to evaluate truth.

In future work, the researchers hope to develop an expanded understanding about how people think about truth. Moreover, given the rise in popularity of artificial intelligence models, such as ChatGPT, the researchers may investigate whether state-of-the-art AI models “think” about truth similarly to humans, or whether these models merely attend to objective accuracy when evaluating truth.

The research was supported by funding from John Templeton Foundation, the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship, and BC’s Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society’s Grants for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship (SIGECS) program.

In addition to Young and HandleyMiner, co-authors of the report included Associate Professor of Philosophy Richard Atkins, Associate Professor of Communication Mo Jones-Jang, and Associate Professor of Philosophy Daniel McKaughan; doctoral candidate Michael Pope; and Dartmouth College Assistant Professor Jonathan Phillips.

photo by lee pellegrini

climate change came from Fox News, while another participant might be told that the same claim about climate change came from MSNBC, Handley-Miner said.

In the experiment with claims about non-politicized topics, the researchers told the participants whether the information source was trying to be informative or deceptive, he said.

“We presented participants with claims of fact and ensured that participants knew precisely how accurate or inaccurate those claims were,” Handley-Miner said. “Across participants, we varied whether the source of those claims intended to inform or deceive their audience. Participants reported whether they would consider the claims to be true or false given the supplied ground truth. We then evaluated whether participants were more likely to classify claims as true when the information source was trying to inform versus deceive their audi-

ence.”

The researchers worked with 1,181 participants and examined approximately 16,200 responses fielded during their experiments.

Although participants knew precisely how accurate the claims were, participants classified claims as false more often when they judged the information source to be intending to deceive them.

Similarly, they classified claims as true more often when they judged the information source to be intending to provide an approximate account rather than a precise one, according to the study. For instance, what if someone knows for certain that 114 people attended an event, but one source reports 109 people attended, and another source reports that 100 attended?

An individual is likely to view the latter number as true because it’s assumed the source is providing an estimate, Young said.

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August 31, 2023

Faith and Cybersecurity

A Jesuit spent the summer at BC continuing to develop his talents toward safeguarding today's digital landscape

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The seventh annual Boston Conference on Cybersecurity held in June at Boston College—and highlighted by a keynote speech from FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate—included a sublime moment: an invocation by a Nigerian-born Jesuit spending the summer at BC. “With each passing day, the threats we encounter evolve, becoming more sophisticated and relentless,” Collins C. Obidiagha, S.J., of the North-West Africa (ANW) Province of the Society of the Jesus Curia, told the audience. “We ask God to give us the courage to draw upon the values that guide our work: integrity, vigilance, and resilience. We ask for the grace to embrace the spirit of continuous learning as we navigate the ever-changing threat landscape, adapt to new technologies, and anticipate emerging risks.

“May we find inspiration in the pursuit of excellence, leveraging our skills and expertise to safeguard the digital ecosystem that underpins our modern lives. May this gathering serve as a catalyst for innovation, driving us closer to the solutions we seek for the greater glory of God and humanity. Let us gather the wisdom and insight to shape a more secure and trusted cyberscape,” concluded Fr. Obidiagha, who was then beginning his stint as a visiting scholar in the Cybersecurity Policy and Governance program at the Woods College of Advancing Studies.

In many ways, Fr. Obidiagha’s opening prayer provided a narrative of his own lifelong learning in service to God. Born in Lagos, the onetime altar server discovered in high school that he had both “a passion to be a priest” and a deep interest and aptitude for technology. He pursued this combination of vocation and avocation in various settings, and last year took a major step when he began an onsite master’s degree program in cybersecurity at Fordham University. He expects to graduate next May. Spending the summer at BC proved to be the perfect opportunity to broaden and diversify his grounding in cybersecurity while getting some valuable practical experience in the field, reflected Fr. Obidiagha.

“My internship at the Woods College

Collins Obidiagha, S.J.—shown above delivering the invocation at the Boston Conference on Cybersecurity, held on campus this past June—was a visiting scholar at the Woods College of Advancing Studies. “I started with computer basics, and found myself frequently serving as a mobile engineer, fixing other people’s technology problems. Eventually, I asked myself, ‘How can I apply this God-given talent for the benefit of others?’” photo by lee pellegrini

of Advancing Studies has provided me with a unique opportunity to reflect on my areas of interest and identify potential future research directions in cybersecurity,” said Fr. Obidiagha. “The exposure to the governance, law, and policy aspects has enriched my understanding of the broader implications of cybersecurity practices, further reinforcing my commitment to making meaningful contributions to the field.”

One of Fr. Obidiagha’s key tasks while at BC was to develop the cybersecurity curriculum for the new Messina College—the former Pine Manor College, acquired by BC in 2020 as part of its Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative aimed at enhancing educational opportunity for under-resourced, firstgeneration students. Beginning in the 2024–2025 academic year, Messina will annually offer 200 students a two-year, associate’s degree program with the goal of preparing them to either enroll in a bachelor’s degree program or begin their careers.

“I proposed a nine-course syllabus, five of which are ‘hands-on’ experiences,” he said. “When completed, the student

would be eligible to work in any of the cybersecurity domains. I believe the learners will be very excited about this program, and it will draw prospective students to Messina College.”

Interviewed this past summer, Kevin R. Powers, founder and director of BC’s Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Program, and an assistant professor of the practice at BC Law School and the Carroll School of Management, characterized Fr. Obidiagha as a cyber expert who “is stepping up our game.”

“Fr. Obidiagha has been a welcome addition to our cybersecurity team this summer,” said Powers, who oversaw Fr. Obidiagha’s practicum as part of the Jesuit’s master’s degree program. “He already has a keen understanding of what’s needed to proactively protect organizations from

Snapshot

today’s cyber threats on the technical side.

Through his work at BC, he’ll have a better understanding of how cybersecurity is not just a technology issue, but a business/financial risk concern that involves a holistic, interdisciplinary approach across every organization.”

Initially trained on desktop publishing and design, Fr. Obidiagha earned a computer engineering diploma and served as a peer educator and computer instructor at Nigeria’s Development Research and Action Network.

“I started with computer basics, and found myself frequently serving as a mobile engineer, fixing other people’s technology problems,” he said. “Eventually, I asked myself, ‘How can I apply this Godgiven talent for the benefit of others?’”

Although Fr. Obidiagha had never met a Jesuit, he knew them to be very well regarded in Lagos, and universally recognized as intellectuals who love to teach.

He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Benin City in 2007, spending two years as the network administrator for the community’s computer lab.

As he continued his studies in preparation for the priesthood—he was ordained in 2019—Fr. Obidiagha held various positions that enabled him to further develop his technological and cybersecurity skills, including as IT administrator and head of the Information and Technology Communications department at a Catholic secondary school in Nigeria and director of communications and computer networks engineer at the ANW Province.

Now, with a master’s degree in sight, he is contemplating his next step.

“If my provincial approves, I’d like to earn a Ph.D. in cybersecurity,” said Fr. Obidiagha, who plans to return to Africa.

“I’d like to publish and add knowledge to the field, but also bring that knowledge and expertise to the continent to help secure our systems.”

photos by caitlin cunningham

McNair Symposium

Mass of the Holy Spirit Is Sept. 7 University President William P. Leahy, S.J., will celebrate the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit with homilist Claudio Burgaleta, S.J., rector of the Boston College Jesuit Community, on September 7 at noon on the Plaza at O’Neill Library.

Classes will be canceled that day from noon to 1:15 p.m. In the case of inclement weather, the Mass will be held in Conte Forum.

All members of the University are invit-

ed to attend the Mass, a traditional opening of the school year at Jesuit institutions dating back to the Middle Ages. The festive liturgy serves to welcome new members into the Boston College community, renew friendships, and invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit for the year to come.

The Mass of the Holy Spirit is organized by the Office of Campus Ministry in the Division of Mission and Ministry.

—University Communications

Tracy Aggrey-Ansong ’25 was among the presenters at this past summer’s McNair Symposium. Administered by Boston College’s Learning to Learn office, the McNair PostBaccalaureate Achievement Program prepares low-income, first-generation students for graduate degrees. In addition to the annual summer research component, the program provides academic services from GRE preparation to faculty mentoring.

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August 31, 2023

A Coveted CAREER Award for Engineering’s Hira

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Assistant Professor of Engineering Avneet Hira has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant, the institution’s most prestigious honor in support of junior faculty members who exemplify the role of teacherscholar through research and education, and the integration of these endeavors into their organization’s mission.

Supported by the five-year, $596,000 grant, Hira will lead a project that aims to promote study in engineering and technology among youth historically underserved in STEM fields, and to develop educational programming for engineering students and coordinators of collaborative work spaces in the Greater Boston area.

Titled “Engineering in Youth-led Technology-rich Settings: Promoting Belonging and Preventing Harm,” the project will recruit middle and high school students who are typically unlikely to engage with engineering and technology, and involve them in participatory action research.

Hira’s NSF CAREER award is the first for BC’s Engineering Department, which enrolled its first students in fall 2021.

“We live in a world where we increasingly use technology to do essential daily tasks, and the number of STEM and nonSTEM jobs that use technology is steadily growing,” said Hira. “Yet, only students who have access to expensive resources or see themselves as people who are ‘good with technology’ feel like they belong in engineering and technology.”

According to Hira, this estrangement is attributable to the pervasive technology divide evident since the advent of computers, along with the inadvertent gatekeeping

Asst. Prof. Avneet Hira (Engineering), right, assisted students with a class presentation earlier this year. She is leading a project to promote study in engineering and technology among youth historically underserved in STEM fields. photo by caitlin cunningham

behaviors of individuals in charge. Her project’s primary goals are to support youth leading their own explorations of how technology use and creation can reinforce a sense of belonging in engineering, and co-developing a framework with youth that focuses on preventing human and environmental harm when engineering.

Middle and high school youth will lead the design of work stations featuring different types of technologies, such as 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, microcontroller boards, sewing machines, hand tools, sensors, and other electronics, for use in solving youth-relevant engineering problems, but in a low-stakes, formative environment. They also will meet and collaborate with coordinators who manage such “makerspaces,” and with students who

are or might become leaders in such work spaces, to learn and develop best practices for similar, youth-led, technology-rich settings.

A collaboration between youths and the research team will develop ways to introduce the principle of detriment prevention as an essential tenet of engineering, added Hira, who also has a courtesy appointment in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

“Using technology to create artifacts aligned with students’ interests and motivations has great promise in promoting inclusion and attracting students to engineering,” she said. “However, women and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and underserved racial and ethnic groups remain underrepresented in these

inclusion efforts. The lack of a sense of belonging in engineering and STEM contexts plays a clear role, as do gatekeeping behaviors of teachers, shop staff, and coordinators. This project addresses these barriers by conducting youth participatory work to meet the unmet promises of technologyrich spaces in engineering education.”

Glenn R. Gaudette, the John W. Kozarich ’71 Chair of the Department of Engineering, noted that this award recognizes Hira’s dynamic work within the department, and with collaborators across campus.

“As a founding faculty member, she has made significant contributions to the department to ensure our students have the technical knowledge needed in engineering, combined with a mindset focused on making the world a better place for all,” he said.

“This grant will help Avneet expand her impact to include middle and high school students.”

BC’s undergraduate Human-Centered Engineering degree is one of few programs that purposefully integrates a general engineering education with the full strength of the liberal arts experience to develop engineers focused on complex problems that impact society and the planet, added Gaudette: “Professor Hira’s work is well aligned with the vision for this innovative engineering program.”

“This honor recognizes Professor Hira’s innovative research and commitment to address the many barriers to students entering engineering and other STEM-related fields,” said Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles, the Deluca Chair of Biology. “The CAREER award supports the NSF’s mission to broadening participation in engineering.”

Biologist’s Diabetes Research Supported by Two-Year Grant

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Assistant Professor of Biology Emrah Altindis has received a two-year $275,000-grant from the Beatson Foundation that will enable his research team to explore the role of gut microbes and viruses triggering the autoimmunity of Type 1 Diabetes, or T1D. The funding will lead to a better understanding of the complex disease and potentially opening new avenues for therapeutic interventions including prevention, Altindis said.

“Our lab is extremely grateful for the generous funding bestowed upon us by the Beatson Foundation,” Altindis said. “The receipt of this grant has evoked a profound sense of both excitement and gratitude within our team. We recognize the significant impact this funding will have on our research endeavors, particularly in the field of Type 1 Diabetes.”

Currently, there is no cure or effective way to prevent T1D, a condition where the body mistakenly attacks and destroys

Emrah Altindis photo by lee pellegrini

cells that produce insulin, resulting in high blood sugar levels. Altindis’s research focuses on understanding why T1D occurs and finding potential ways to treat or prevent it.

“We suspect that a protein similar to

insulin, found in certain bacteria that reside in the human gut, may be triggering the onset of T1D,” Altindis said. “Specifically, we are interested in a small part of the insulin protein called insB:9-23. We have discovered a similar peptide called hprt418 in a bacterium called Parabacteroides distasonis, which is commonly found in the human gut.”

In previous studies, Altindis and his team have found that immune cells that target insB:9-23 cannot distinguish between the insB:9-23 peptide and the hprt4-18 peptide. When the researchers immunized mice with hprt4-18, their immune cells attacked insB:9-23, showing that T-cells (a type of immune cell) cannot tell the difference between the two. Additionally, when the researchers introduced Parabacteroides distasonis into the gut of mice that are commonly used in T1D research, they observed that T1D developed more quickly and there was increased inflammation.

Further analyzing data from children with T1D, Altindis and his team found a significant connection between the presence of the hprt4-18 peptide in their gut and

their risk of developing T1D. “Building on our previous work, we aim to investigate further whether hprt4-18 derived from the gut microbiota is a cause of T1D,” he said. “Our next steps involve creating a version of the bacteria without hprt4-18 and studying its impact on T1D in different mouse models. We will also use innovative sequencing methods and unique human samples to study how this bacterium affects the human immune response.

Lastly, we will examine the presence of immune cells specific to hprt4-18 in both T1D patients and healthy individuals.”

Altindis expressed “deep gratitude” to the members of his lab for their roles in the progress of the research, notably Khyati Girdhar and Qian Huang for “their valuable contributions and expertise” and graduate students Audrey Randall, Dogus Dogru, and Katherine Truelson.

“The collaborative spirit and collective contributions of these individuals have been instrumental in driving the success of this project. We are truly honored and appreciative of the Beatson Foundation’s recognition and endorsement of our work.”

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Chronicle

BC Professor’s Translation of Holocaust Poem Inspires Artist’s Book

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Maxim D. Shrayer with a copy of Harriet Bart’s I Saw It, inspired by his translation of a poem by the first Jewish-Russian poet to depict the Holocaust in occupied Soviet territories.

Inspired by Boston College Professor Maxim D. Shrayer’s English translation of a powerful poem by a literary witness to the Holocaust, award-winning conceptual artist Harriet Bart proposed a collaboration to create an artist book—a medium of expression in illustration, materials, and design that makes the volume an object of art.

The letterpress limited edition, titled I Saw It, presents the poem of that title written by Ilya Selvinsky (1899-1968), the first Jewish-Russian poet to depict the Shoah (Holocaust) in the occupied Soviet territories. As a military journalist, Selvinsky witnessed the immediate aftermath of the massacre of thousands of Jews outside the Crimean city of Kerch, and composed and published his poetic reportage in early 1942.

I Saw It: Ilya Selvinsky and the Legacy of Bearing Witness to the Shoah is the title of a ground-breaking 2013 book by awardwinning bilingual author Shrayer, which introduces the work of Selvinsky based on archival and field research and previously

the poet’s sacred duty to bear witness,” he said. “As a frontline journalist and military officer, Selvinsky’s task was to report on the Nazi atrocities. What he saw defied any expectations: an anti-tank ditch filled with thousands of bodies of murdered Jews— mainly women, children, and the elderly— who had been annihilated by German and Austrian soldiers and officers and their local Crimean accomplices. Instead of a piece of journalism, Selvinsky wrote his peerless poem, which became the first nationally disseminated act of literary witnessing of the Nazi genocide of Jews.”

The project was of special interest to Bart: Her maternal grandmother, to whom she includes a remembrance in the book, was from Ukraine. The artist worked with noted typographer and fine-press printer Philip Gallo, who had introduced her to Shrayer’s work on Selvinsky, to design the volume.

unknown historical evidence.

Based on Shrayer’s book—and his translation of Selvinsky’s poem, which she called “haunting”—Bart approached Shrayer with the idea of creating the artist book, combining his text and her artwork and design.

“For me this is not only about a kinship between poetry and painting, but also about friendship and collaboration between authors and visual artists,” said Shrayer, a professor of Russian, English, and Jewish Studies, whose love of poetry and culture was fostered by his father, novelist and poet David Shrayer-Petrov. “I was both thrilled and deeply moved when Harriet Bart, whose work I admire greatly, approached me with the idea.”

The poem “is simultaneously about the way language is not equipped to speak of such incomprehensible violence and about

August 31, 2023

“The artwork I create for any given book is meant to add another dimension to the work and enhance or amplify the selected text,” said Bart. “It is more demanding to work with a contemporary writer/ translator, in this case Professor Shrayer, as it is important that he is pleased with the work.

“For the compositions that accompany the poem ‘I Saw It,’ I chose to work directly with scissors and black paper,” said Bart, whose work has been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, and is included in many museum, university, and private collections. “I hoped the immediacy of these stark, sharply angled cut images would amplify the brutality of the event and, perhaps, in some way augment the poet’s words for the reader. My goal is for the artwork to feel true to the text.”

“Illustrating such a poem is a challenge on multiple levels,” said Shrayer. “What Harriet Bart has produced in our book is not only great art but also an artistic embodiment of the very predicament of bearing witness to genocide. I’m grateful to her for her vision and her commitment to keeping alive the memory of the Shoah.”

Shrayer knew Selvinsky’s daughter, Tatyana Selvinskaya, an artist and a poet who bequeathed to him a trove of her father’s photographs and materials. “I believe she would have been very pleased with this collaborative project and with Harriet Bart’s starkly beautiful work,” he said.

I Saw It will soon be on display at the University’s John J. Burns Library. Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources and Burns Librarian Christian Dupont facilitated the recent acquisition of the volume for its collection.

Preview the volume at harrietbart.com/i-saw-it

NIMH Grant Will Aid Research on Anxiety Disorder Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Michael McDannald with (L-R) postdoctoral research fellow Mahsa Moaddab and graduate students Emma Russell and Amanda Chu.

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The Psychology and Neuroscience Department has been awarded a five-year, $3.25 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to study previously overlooked brainstem threat computation—research that may aid in the development of effective anxiety disorder treatments intended to reduce unwarranted fear.

Investigators have been studying neural circuits as a threat source for approximately 50 years, explained Associate Professor Michael A. McDannald, but the human brainstem has been ignored as a source of threat computation and a dysfunction site for disorders.

“Our work will reveal threat signaling, prediction error computation, and specific fear behavior organization by brainstem networks—knowledge that is crucial to the advancement of therapies to treat severe, ongoing anxiety that interferes with a person’s daily activities,” said McDannald, the study’s principal investigator and head of the department’s McDannald Lab. “Fear in the face of danger is healthy, and helps us prevent harm. However, fear when a threat is unlikely, or when we’re actually safe, is

photo by caitlin cunningham

detrimental to our well-being, and is central to anxiety disorders.”

Co-investigators include postdoctoral fellow Mahsa Moaddab and graduate students Amanda Chu and Emma Russell.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States. More than 40 million

adults—approximately 19 percent of the population—suffer from an anxiety disorder, while approximately seven percent of children ages three to 17 experience issues with anxiety each year. Most people develop symptoms before age 21.

Occasional anxiety is normal, noted McDannald; people inevitably worry about health, money, or family problems, but

anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety, and various phobia-related conditions involve more than temporary apprehension or fear. For people with an anxiety disorder, the angst does not disappear and can worsen over time, frequently affecting job performance, schoolwork, and relationships.

“The ultimate goal of our research is a world in which everyone can experience healthy fear,” said McDannald.

“This new grant further bolsters our department’s longstanding interests in elucidating how individuals figure out what is good or bad, or safe or dangerous, in the world,” said Psychology and Neuroscience Chair Professor Elizabeth A. Kensinger.

“We are extremely fortunate to have faculty like Michael McDannald bringing cuttingedge neuroscience methods to bear on this important topic.”

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August 31, 2023

Jeffery Byers, Chemistry

9

OBITUARIES

Robert Faulkner, Political Science

Retired Professor Robert K. Faulkner, that distinguish the truly great leaders, such Professor of Chemistry Jeffery A. Byers, outstanding undergraduate students in the a longtime faculty member in the Boston as Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt, from an award-winning researcher in sustainable sciences.

College Political Science Department who lesser ones. chemistry who strived to inspire both budDr. Byers and departmental colleague was a universally respected Dr. Faulkner’s other books ding college- and high schoolProfessor Eranthie Weerapana included Francis Bacon and age scientists, died on August also established a pre-collegiate scholar of modern political philosophy and American pothe Project of Progress, in which 18. He was 45. summer institute for high litical and legal thought, died he cast Bacon as a key archiA visitation and celebration school students, known as on August 3. He was 88. tect of the Enlightenment and of life event for Dr. Byers will “P2P: Paper to Plastics.” The A memorial service is one of the seminal founders be held on September 10 from eight-week program brings of modernity.

3-5 p.m. in Gasson 112. high school students, predomi- planned for Dr. Faulkner on September 23 at 10 a.m. in Students’ appreciation for Dr. Byers, who joined the nately those underrepresented Gasson 100.

Dr. Faulkner over the years Boston College Chemistry Dein the sciences, to campus for As a political scientist, Dr. included praise for his “dypartment in 2011, focused his a program that combines mennamic lecturing style which research on novel or underdetoring, research, career explora- Faulkner—who joined the BC faculty in 1968 and continued makes what could be dry maveloped organotransition metal tion, and college preparation. to work as a research profesterial exciting and enjoyable” chemistry and its catalytic apP2P offers participants an opphoto by lee pellegrini and his interest in “students’ sor following his retirement plication to useful processes in portunity to work closely with photo by peter julian in 2014—focused on the thoughts on material and the fields of organic chemistry, undergraduates, who guide foundational, classical, and historical aspects what they’re doing outside of class.” inorganic chemistry, and materials science. them through the technical aspects of the reof the discipline. His research and writing He earned prestigious fellowships from A major area of interest in his laboratory was search and serve as role models to encourage the Ford, Mellon, Earhart, and Bradley the development of new synthetic techniques considering careers in science and technology. encompassed such topics as Abraham Lincoln’s prescriptions for liberal democracy; foundations and the National Endowment for the production of novel copolymers useful A native of Las Cruces, NM, Dr. Byers Thomas Carlyle’s ruminations on the hero; for the Humanities, and served as president as traditional engineering polymers, biodereceived a bachelor of arts degree in chemthe differences between Xenophon’s and of the New England Political Science Assogradable polymers, or polymers useful for istry Washington University in St. Louis Herodotus’s biographies of Cyrus the Great; ciation in 1985. biomedical applications. and a doctorate in inorganic chemistry from Aristotle’s doubts about executive power; Dr. Faulkner is survived by his son RobAs he explained in a 2015 interview with the California Institute of Technology. He John Locke’s republicanism and critique of ert, daughter Elizabeth, and three grandBoston College Chronicle, such polymers could completed his training with a postdoctoral religion; and Francis Bacon’s scientific meth- children. He was predeceased by his wife be strong enough to be used in everyday position in organic chemistry at the Massaod and use of the essay as a literary form.

Margaret in 2016. products such as plastic bottles. The process chusetts Institute of Technology.

His widely acclaimed 2007 book The Burial was private. could ultimately help reduce the paper prodDr. Byers’ professional honors, appointIn lieu of flowers, please make donaucts waste stream and reduce the harmful en- ments, and memberships included the Sigma Case for Greatness: Honorable Ambition and Its Critics sought to recover, as he put it, tions to Boston College, Political Science vironmental impacts of less degradable plastic Xi Scientific Research Honor Society and “a reasonable understanding of excellence” Department, at https://give.bc.edu/camproducts, he said.

American Chemical Society. associated with the quality of ambition, paigns/15467/donations/new?a=3974040 Another area of interest for Dr. Byers Dr. Byers is survived by his wife, Crystal and direct to the Political Science Deand his team was the development of cross Shih Byers; his mother, Eleanor; sisters, Vick- which he argued had come to be regarded partment and in memory of Robert K. coupling reactions involving earth-abundant ie Byers and Jennifer Masters; and nieces and as a negative trait for leaders. According to Dr. Faulkner, too many modern accounts Faulkner. transition metal catalysts that are less expennephews. He was predeceased by his father, of leadership slighted such things as deterRead the full obituary at https://bit.ly/ sive and toxic than state-of-the-art catalysts, John Byers. robert-faulkner-obituary and the use of transition metal catalysts to Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/jeffery- mination to excel, good judgment, justice, and a sense of honor—the very qualities formic acid and/or methanol—a process that byers-obituary would provide a means to store and transport hydrogen, a leading candidate to replace fossil fuels as a sustainable and renewable energy A funeral Mass was celebrated on came from the heart, rather than a work Wyoming lodgepole pine. source.

August 18 at St. Gregory’s Church in order. In 1998, while taking part in a “It gives you a good feeling when you Dr. Byers’ work earned him coveted honDorchester for M. George Roper, a retired project to replace the original floor in St. make one of them,” he said. “When I see a ors: In 2015, he received a National Science carpenter for Boston College whose work Mary’s Chapel—built in 1917—he saved nice piece of wood with a beautiful grain, Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award—the a five-foot section of the old oaken floorI say, ‘That would make a marvelous cruagency’s most prestigious grant for junior fac- over four decades at the Heights often reflected, and expressed, his board between the sacristy cifix.’” ulty—and Cottrell Scholar Award from the deep and abiding Christian and altar. From it, he carved As part of its Ignatian Year celebration Research Corporation for Science Advancefaith. He was 88. a handsome crucifix that in 1991, the University honored Mr. Roper ment, America’s second-oldest foundation A native of Ballyshannon now hangs prominently in and 10 other BC faculty, staff, students, and the first devoted wholly to science. In the chapel foyer. and alumni as Companions of Justice, 2017, the American Chemical Society select- in the northwest of Ireland, Mr. Roper started out as whose conduct and contributions “both exed Dr. Byers for its PMSE Young Investigator Mr. Roper joined the carpentry staff in 1960 and praca carpenter while in Ballyemplify and enrich our cherished Ignatian Award. ticed his artistry with wood shannon, where he attended legacy,” said Fr. Monan at the award event.

Through a $1.8 million award from the throughout the University trade school and worked as a In addition to his “expert craftsmanship,” NSF Center for Chemical Innovation, Dr. in a variety of settings. He cabinetmaker before moving Mr. Roper was recognized as a man whose Byers and fellow Chemistry Professor Dunfashioned large crosses used to the United States in 1956. “Christian ideals and deep belief in justice wei Wang joined a team of scientists to form His first encounter with BC shine in his life and work, a close companthe NSF Center for Integrated Catalysis. The at Masses on O’Neill Plaza and at Conte Forum; made a was not work-related, howion of Jesus who walks in the footsteps of expected scientific impact of this project will desk set for University Presiever: He came to campus for the Carpenter of Nazareth.” reach the catalysis community and chemical photo by lee pellegrini dent William P. Leahy, S.J., Irish ceili dances held reguMr. Roper is survived by his children, industry with applications based on a new and a commemorative plaque presented to larly in Campion Hall.

Ann, George, Sean, and Michael—all of paradigm in chemical catalysis.

University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, Whether at BC or at home, Mr. Roper whom graduated from Boston College— Along with his accomplishments as a reS.J., upon his retirement as president; built never stopped being a carpenter. In his and nine grandchildren. He was predesearcher, Dr. Byers was equally respected as a spare time, he carved wooden miniatures, ceased by his wife, Barbara, to whom he teacher and mentor who sought to encourage podiums used at Commencement as well as the stand used to hold honorary degrees; such as scale models of chairs or horsewas married for almost 55 years; donations young people to study the sciences. Among and more than once was called to repair drawn carts. But crucifixes were his spemay be made in her memory to the Althe courses he taught were Honors Modern the ceremonial University mace. He also cialty, and he often made them as gifts: He zheimer’s Association, 4780 Pleasant Street, Chemistry and Honors Organic Chemistry, constructed elaborate stage sets for plays fashioned one for his cousin, a former sign Watertown, Mass. 02472. both part of a program to introduce talented performed on Bapst Lawn and at the old painter at a chocolate plant in Dorchester Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/ STEM students to concepts in general, McHugh Forum on the occasion of the Mill, using wood from a demolished build- george-roper-obituary organic, and biochemistry. He also was on University Centennial in 1963. ing at the site; for his son Sean, a park the faculty committee for BC’s Beckman One of his most heartfelt endeavors ranger, Mr. Roper carved a crucifix from a Scholars fellowship program, which supports

George Roper, Carpentry

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Chronicle

August 31, 2023

Lowell Humanities Series Starts Sept. 13 Acclaimed novelists, journalists, poets, scientists, and others will showcase their work—and address questions of racial justice, inequality, and activism, among other topics—on campus this fall via the Boston College Lowell Humanities Series (LHS), now led by History Professor and Interim Director Sylvia Sellers-García, who has taken the reins from Associate Professor of English and Irish Studies James Smith, longtime former director.

“I’m truly honored to be directing this year because I believe so strongly in bringing the humanities to a broad audience,” said Sellers-García. “The ideas that emerge from scholars in the humanities are the ideas the move our world, and yet once they’re part of the public discourse they’re not always traced back to the thinkers and artists who launched them. I love how this series brings these people directly to BC and the public, so that we can learn from and be inspired by them.”

Sellers-García credited Smith for his role in putting together the 2023-2024 lineup of speakers who, she said, “have a strong global dimension and lean heavily on issues of social justice.”

The LHS fall semester events begin at 7 p.m. and take place in Gasson 100, with the exception of the first event on September 13, which will be held at Robsham Theater Arts Center.

September 13: Robert Samuels—An award-winning national political enterprise reporter and staff writer for The New Yorker, Samuels is the lead author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning landmark biography His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice, a poignant exploration of the life of George Floyd and how his tragic experience brought about a global movement for change. Inspired by the Washington Post’s award-winning series “George Floyd’s America”—on which Samuels collaborated as part of his 12-year tenure at the newspaper—the book metaphorically uses Floyd’s story to put into context America’s history of institutional racism. (Cosponsored by the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America and the African and African Diaspora Studies Program) September 27: Suzanne Simard—A University of British Columbia professor of forest ecology and a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence, Simard is the author of Finding the Mother Tree. Her work has influenced filmmakers (the Tree of Souls in James Cameron’s “Avatar”) and her TED Talks (including “How Trees Talk to One Another”) have been viewed by more than 10 million people worldwide. Her work on how trees interact and communicate using below-ground fungal networks has led to the recognition that forests have hub trees, or Mother

This fall’s Lowell Humanities Series speakers include (top row, L-R): Robert Samuels, Suzanne Simard, Matthew Desmond (bottom row, L-R) Linda Villarosa, Fintan O’Toole, Joy Harjo, and Kate Brown.

photo credits: annette hornischer (brown); nic villarosa (villarosa); barron bixler (desmond)

Trees, that play an important role in the flow of forest information and resources.

Her current research—on how these relationships contribute to forest resiliency, adaptability, and recovery—has far-reaching implications for how to manage and heal forests from human impacts, including climate change. (Cosponsored by the BC Environmental Studies Program, Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, Biology Department, and Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society) October 11: Matthew Desmond—A Princeton University sociologist and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Desmond was launched onto the national stage as an expert on contemporary American poverty with the publication of his Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. His latest book, the New York Times bestseller Poverty, by America—which Esquire called “another paradigm-shifting inquiry into America’s dark heart”—investigates why the United States has more poverty than any other advanced democracy, and introduces Desmond’s original and ambitious case for ending poverty: He calls on us to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and true freedom. (Cosponsored by the Boston College Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics and the PULSE Program for Service Learning) October 18: Linda Villarosa—A journalist and former executive editor of Essence Magazine, Villarosa is a New York Times Magazine contributing writer, covering race, inequality, and public health. She is the author of Under the Skin: The Hidden

Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation, a landmark book that tells the story of racial health disparities in America. Her 2018 New York Times Magazine article on maternal and infant mortality, “Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis,” caused an awakening. (Cosponsored by the Boston College Park Street Corporation Speaker Series) October 25: Kate Brown—The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Thomas M. Siebel Distinguished Professor in the History of Science, Brown is the author of several prize-winning histories, including Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters. Her latest book, Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future, translated into six languages, won the Marshall D. Shulman and Reginald Zelnik Prizes for the best book in East European History, and the Silver Medal for the Laura Shannon Book Prize. (Cosponsored by the Boston College History Department and The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society) November 8: Joy Harjo—In 2019, Harjo was appointed the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate—the first Native American to hold the position and only the second person to serve three terms. Her nine books of poetry include Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light, An American Sunrise, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems, and She Had Some Horses. She also authored the memoirs Crazy Brave and Poet Warrior and has edited several anthologies of Native American writing, including When

the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through—A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, and Living Nations, Living Words. (Cosponsored by the Boston College Poetry Days Series, American Studies Program, English Department, Creative Writing Discretionary Fund, and the BC Forum on Racial Justice in America) November 16: Fintan O’Toole—The appearance by O’Toole, one of Ireland’s leading public intellectuals, marks the opening of “Seamus Heaney’s Afterlives,” BC’s international symposium marking the 10th anniversary of the Nobel Prizewinning poet’s death. An Irish Times columnist and Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Visiting Lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton University, O’Toole recently was appointed Heaney’s official biographer.

O’Toole is a contributor to The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Observer (which named him one of “Britain’s top 300 intellectuals” in 2011), and other international publications. (Cosponsored by the BC Irish Studies Program and with the support of an Institute for the Liberal Arts Major Grant) The Lowell Humanities Series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Boston College, and the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties.

All LHS events are free and open to the public. The events will be on Eventbrite, an event management and ticketing website; there also will be the option to scan a QR code at the door. For more information, see www.bc.edu/lowell.

—University Communications

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Chronicle

August 31, 2023

BC in the Media The EPA’s approval of environmentally persistent, plastic-waste-derived fuels despite high estimates of associated cancer risk caused alarm among lawmakers and scientists, including Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., who talked about the issue with The Lancet (U.K.) Landrgian also wrote on the nature of artificial “turf” for CommonWealth Magazine and offered comments to the Huffington Post on keeping schools healthy.

Gaelic Roots performers include Frankie Gavin and Catherine McHugh (above), Niamh Parsons, and Kevin Burke.

Irish Studies’ Gaelic Roots Series Kicks Off Sept. 14 The Boston College Gaelic Roots series fall schedule begins September 14 with a concert featuring Frankie Gavin—one of two highly influential Irish fiddlers who will be on campus this semester—with pianist Catherine McHugh.

Organized by the Irish Studies Program, Gaelic Roots presents concerts, lectures, and performances that showcase Gaelic music and dance from Irish, Scottish, and American traditions.

A co-founder of iconic Irish group De Dannan, Gavin is known for the power and artistry of his playing (he holds the Guinness Book of World Records title as “the fastest fiddle player”), but also his respect for and interest in the different routes Irish traditional music has taken down through time, notably in 1920s America. His collaborations span all along the musical spectrum, including with Stéphane Grappelli, Yehudi Menuhin, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Costello. McHugh, a multiple-time All-Ireland music champion, has drawn on some of the foundational Irish pianists like Charlie Lennon and Carl Hession to develop an approach that goes well beyond simply playing rhythm.

Vocalist and self-described “carrier of tradition” Niamh Parsons, accompanied by guitar-

In a piece for The New York Times, Assoc.

Prof. of the Practice Matt Rutledge (Economics), a research fellow at the Center for Retirement Research, wrote that Gen X Americans will once again have to juggle paying off debt with saving for older age.

Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Jeffrey Cohen (Law) discussed the indictments against former president Donald Trump in interviews with The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, The Hill, and The Daily Beast.

Asst. Prof. Lacee Satcher (Sociology/ Environmental Studies) shared her views with WBUR News on how families were affected by Boston’s decision to close city pools during a summer of record heat.

Economics faculty member Brian Bethune wrote on an op-ed for MarketWatch on wage inflation, overall inflation, and the Federal Reserve.

Apps promise that learning a language will be easy, fun, and fast. Do they work? Asst.

Prof. Joshua Hartshorne (Psychology and Neuroscience), director of the Language

Learning Lab, discussed the topic on California Public Radio KQED. Writing for National Catholic Reporter, Libby Professor of Theology and Law Cathleen Kaveny looked at the summer’s blockbuster film “Barbie” through a theological lens.

Outside the classroom, students are constantly fed content they’re sure to like.

Inside, professors have a chance to nurture an analog culture of resistance, according to Assoc. Prof. Michael Serazio (Communication), in a piece for The Boston Globe “Ideas” section.

Imagining yourself as the main character of a heroic adventure might help make life feel more meaningful, according to a study

by Asst. Prof. Benjamin Rogers (CSOM), whose research on the meaning of work and narratives in the workplace was profiled by TIME magazine.

Assoc. Prof. Richard Sweeney (Economics) spoke with American Prospect for a story on how offshore wind companies along the East Coast are seeking to re-trade deals with state governments.

Prof. Shaun M. Dougherty (LSOEHD) discussed inequalities in education, racial wealth gaps, and the teaching of Critical Race Theory, in a Q&A with WalletHub. Assoc. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) discussed the consequences of a growing political generation gap in an interview with The Signal.

Jobs photo by colm keating

ist Graham Dunne, will perform on October 12. The Dublin native began her professional career in 1990 and is regarded as among a select group of performers who helped establish a new, high-profile role for women in Irish music. She has six studio albums and one live album to her credit, and recordings with the bands Arcady and the Loose Connections.

On November 9, Gaelic Roots will host Kevin Burke, who helped bring County Sligo’s storied fiddle tradition to a worldwide audience. Burke was a mainstay in London’s Irish music community as a teenager, but a chance meeting with Arlo Guthrie brought him to the United States. While in the U.S., he befriended several Irish expatriates who inspired him to take up music full-time. He eventually wound up in Dublin, and became a member of the groundbreaking Bothy Band, going on to equally rewarding stints with Patrick Street and the Celtic Fiddle Festival.

All events take place at 6:30 p.m. in Connolly House (300 Hammond Street). See events.bc.edu/group/gaelic_roots_series for details and updates.

—Sean Smith

The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.

Assistant Equipment Manager Assistant/Associate Leadership Giving

Director,

Parent

Software Release Analyst Patrol Officer Dining Services Assistant Manager Content Development Specialist Resident Director Research Assistant

Speech & Language Pathology Assistant Assistant or Associate Director, Organizational Effectiveness Service Center Representative, School of Theology & Ministry

Assistant Director, Graduate Career Services

Facilities Assistant

Life Skills Coordinator

Associate Director, Athletics Communications

Public Safety Dispatcher Student Affairs Administrator Procurement and Vendor Specialist Assistant Director, Housing Operations Teacher Assistant

Assistant Director, Admissions

Assistant Director, Counseling Practicum Experience Nurse Practitioner Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

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Chronicle

August 31, 2023

BC Arts

McMullen Exhibition Explores Himalayan Art

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

A traveling exhibition opening September 5 at the McMullen Museum of Art introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures.

Organized by the Rubin Museum of Art, “Gateway to Himalayan Art” features 101 objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements—audio, videos, essays, maps, and more—from the Rubin’s recently launched educational initiative, Project Himalayan Art [projecthimalayanart.rubinmuseum. org], a resource designed to support the inclusion of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia.

The McMullen Museum is the first New England venue to host “Gateway to Himalayan Art,” which will be on view in the Daley Family and Monan Galleries through December 10.

Members of the University community have been invited to the McMullen Museum Members’ Virtual Lecture on September 9 from 11 a.m. to noon. Register on Zoom at https://bit.ly/mcmullenmembers-lecture. “‘Gateway to Himalayan Art’ will engage visitors, especially students, with a multitude of new approaches, ranging from aesthetic and spiritual to technical, for understanding works of art from Bhutanese, Indian, Tibetan, and Nepalese cultures,” said Nancy Netzer, Inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the McMullen Museum and Professor of Art History. “The McMullen is honored to present the Rubin Museum of Art’s exhibition, comprising more than a hundred objects from its outstanding collection, accompanied by their exemplary didactics,

“Chakrasamvara with Consort Vajravarahi Kham,” left, and “Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha” are among the objects in the “Gateway to Himalayan Art” McMullen Museum exhibition. photos by gavin ashworth (left) and david de armas

digital platform, and publication.”

“Gateway to Himalayan Art,” which is modeled on the Rubin Museum’s cornerstone exhibition of the same title, invites visitors to enter into the art and cultures of the greater Himalayan region—Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Tibetan—and the interrelated Mongolian and Chinese traditions. Much of Himalayan art is informed

by Buddhist, Hindu, and Indigenous religions, and images play a prominent role in cultural practices.

The exhibition highlights the fundamental visual language and meanings of Himalayan art, the materials and techniques used, and the purposes for the creation of these objects, often in the context of religious and secular well-being. It also

includes voices from Himalayan artists and contemporaries, along with connections to related digital content to provide more information.

“Gateway to Himalayan Art” features traditional scroll paintings (thangka), sculptures in various media, medical instruments, and ritual objects. Among the featured installations are in-depth displays that explain the process of Nepalese lostwax metal casting and the stages of Tibetan thangka painting.

“Gateway to Himalayan Art” is an integral component of the Rubin Museum’s Project Himalayan Art, a three-part initiative that also includes the publication Himalayan Art in 108 Objects [shop.rubinmuseum.org/books/himalayan-art-in-108-ob-

jects/] and a digital platform, a hub for the study of Himalayan art. Together they provide introductory resources for learning about and teaching Himalayan art, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center, and Buddhism as the thread that connects these diverse cultures.

“Project Himalayan Art has been over three years in the making and is a capstone in the Rubin Museum’s efforts to expand awareness and appreciation of Himalayan art and cultures on a global level,” said Rubin Museum of Art Executive Director Jorrit Britschgi. “We are thrilled to bring the ‘Gateway to Himalayan Art’ exhibition and its accompanying rich resources to Boston College and for students, teachers, and visitors from the surrounding community to discover and deepen their understanding of Asian art.”

In-person and virtual public programming is planned for the general public and museum members. For more information, and to sign up for those events that require advance registration, see the McMullen Museum Events Calendar [mcmullenmuseum.bc.edu/about/events.html]. More events will be added leading up to the exhibition; visit the McMullen website [mcmullenmuseum.bc.edu] and subscribe to the McMullen mailing list for programming updates.

Leadership support for Project Himalayan Art is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation.

Project Himalayan Art has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Boston College and the Patrons of the McMullen Museum have provided major support for the McMullen Museum installation and programming.

BC Scenes

A Moving Experience Boston College’s student-staffed Welcome Wagon was on hand to help members of the Class of 2027 move into their residence halls on Newton Campus last week.

photos by caitlin cunningham