PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Season’s Greetings
NOVEMBER 30, 2023 VOL. 31 NO. 7
Hawkins Is Named Assoc. Director for Global Public Health Program BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College held its annual Christmas tree-lighting celebration Tuesday evening on the Plaza at O’Neill Library, featuring seasonal music (above) and refreshments, as well as a visit photo by caitlin cunningham from Santa Claus.
Boston College School of Social Work Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins, a social epidemiologist whose research interests include health disparities among women and children, has been appointed as the inaugural associate director of BC’s Global Public Health and the Common Good interdisciplinary undergraduate program. Hawkins will assume the post in January. “I am excited to join Global Public Health and the Common Good in a leadership role,” said Hawkins, whose association with the program goes back to its predecessor, a three-course sequence in public health introduced in 2014 by faculty in BCSSW, the Connell School of Nursing, and the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. “One of the hallmarks of the program is its crossdisciplinary focus, offering faculty and students the opportunity to explore some
Summer Hawkins photo by caitlin cunningham
of our most critical issues today from many perspectives. Social policy is health policy, and public health is the bridge that bring these areas together.”
Continued on page 4
NASA Selects BC Researchers to Lead Space Weather Center Sebastian Cota ’24
photo by caitlin cunningham
Senior Honored by CDC for Health Equity Project BY JOHN SHAKESPEAR SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has named Boston College senior Sebastian Cota as one of seven recipients of the 2023 Williams-Hutchins Health Equity Award, which recognizes outstanding projects by undergraduates in the CDC John R. Lewis Summer Public Health Scholars Program. Cota’s award-winning study compared the prices of four food staples at grocery stores and bodegas in Upper Manhattan to evaluate barriers to food access in the historically Dominican neighborhood of
Washington Heights, with the goal of preventing food-related chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. He conducted it while enrolled in the Summer Public Health Scholars Program at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, one of seven Lewis Scholars programs around the country. “In New York City, there are bodegas on every block, but supermarkets are not as common,” Cota said. “I wanted to get a sense of where structural inequalities prevent people from accessing quality and affordable fresh food, which impacts health outcomes.”
Continued on page 5
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Boston College’s Institute for Scientific Research (ISR) will lead an international team of researchers in a five-year, $10-million NASA-funded initiative to better forecast disturbances in the upper atmosphere and their impacts on global navigation and satellite communications technologies. The Space Weather Research and Technology Applications (SPARTA) Center of Excellence will use computer models to replicate space weather disturbances and use experiments, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to develop solutions to help improve the performance of satellites and other navigational technology in adverse conditions. “Our approach is to develop high fidelity physical models of the instability processes and validate their performance using ground- and space-based observations of
ionospheric turbulence,” said ISR Interim Director Keith Groves, SPARTA’s principal investigator. “We will seek to improve performance by ultimately replacing the physical models with deep-learning, or artificial intelligence, algorithms.”
Continued on page 5
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
Endeavor 2024 announced; Week of Dance grand finale.
3 Shaky Ground
Valencius co-leads study of oil/gas extraction and earthquakes.
8 Singing the Praises
University Chorale director relishing her first semester at BC.
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November 30, 2023
Around Campus
Endeavor Career-Exploration Program Returns January 10-12 Endeavor, Boston College’s annual career-exploration program for sophomores and juniors, returns January 10-12, featuring marketing expert Carolyn Murphy ’09 as the keynote speaker. Murphy, who graduated from Boston College with a major in English and a minor in Irish Studies, had extensive exposure to the field of marketing through internships with companies like Dunkin Donuts and the Boston Red Sox. She is now vice president of Americas of WARC, a key player in the world of marketing effectiveness. Murphy will discuss how she utilizes her past roles and experiences in her current position, and how Boston College helped propel her to the heights of success she has reached. Over the course of the three-day event,
organized by the Career Center, participants will be given the opportunity to connect with alumni in their fields and learn from students who previously participated in Endeavor. Alumni work with students in small mentorship groups or connect with them more widely in panel discussions. Students are also immersed in potential workplace environments through the liberal arts Career Trek into Boston. The program allows for many moments of reflection throughout the process, encouraging participants to think critically and deeply about the career paths they may embark upon, according to organizers. The main goal of Endeavor is that undergraduates gain the confidence that what they are learning in the classroom translates into potential careers.
Keynote speaker Carolyn Murphy ’09
Through Endeavor, the Career Center creates a space in which students can evaluate the skills they already possess and understand how these can equip them to find
and excel in their careers. “Endeavor 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting iteration of the program as we plan to incorporate alumni in new ways and have recruited an impressive list of Boston-area employer partners to host our Career Trek,” said Career Center Associate Director of Career Education Julianne Smith. “With more than 260 registered students, nearly 100 alumni volunteers, and over a dozen employer partners, the program is beginning to come alive. After bringing this program back to its live, inperson format last year, we’re thrilled to be able to facilitate this incredible interactive experience for this year’s cohort. “Seeing students build confidence in themselves, the skills they are developing at BC, and the possibilities for their future is inimitable.” For more information, see the Endeavor website at bc.edu/endeavor. —Meghan Keefe is a senior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
BC Scenes
original photo by yiting chen
Student Groups Enjoy Week of Dance Creative choreography and performance take center stage during Boston College’s annual Week of Dance, which began on Monday and runs through Saturday. Presented by the Robsham Theater Arts Center, the Week of Dance features campus dance organizations that perform a variety of genres—including swing, tap, contemporary, step, Irish dance, hip-hop, modern, bachata, cumbia, and other Latin dances. Having spent the first part of the week offering workshops for BC students in the Bonn Studio Theater, the dance groups are preparing for a two-night showcase on Robsham’s main stage. “Week of Dance provides dance groups a dedicated space to showcase what they’ve been working on throughout fall semester,” said Isvarya Sylbert ’26, a member of Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company. “It’s the last opportunity that many groups have to perform their fall set, and always prompts an exciting and supportive environment. “Week of Dance workshops also allow exposure of the dance community to all BC students regardless of their level of experience, something I know dance groups and students alike appreciate,” added ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney EDITOR
Sean Smith
Multifaith Thanksgiving
Sylbert, a dance representative from the Art Council, which helps to promote the event. Tomorrow’s performance will feature: BC on Tap, BC Irish Dance, Dance Organization, Dance Ensemble, UPrising Dance Crew, Phaymus Dance Entertainment, Masti, VIP, Golden Eagles Dance Team, Fuego del Corazon, FISTS (Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step), AeroK, and Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company. Taking the stage on Saturday are: BC on Tap, Sexual Chocolate, BC Irish Dance, Dance Organization, Capital Dance Ministry, UPrising Dance Crew, Dance Ensemble, Phaymus Dance Entertainment, Golden Eagles Dance Team, Fuego del Corazon, and Full Swing. Both performances start at 7:30 p.m. Week of Dance, organizers noted, is made possible through the work of Robsham student employees, who act as stage managers, light designers, house managers, ushers, and box office representatives. For information on Week of Dance, see the BC Event Calendar [events.bc.edu]. Tickets are $12.50; go to bc.edu/tickets or call ext. 2-4002. —Rosanne Pellegrini
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Audrey Loyack Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
Chronicle
PHOTOGRAPHERS
www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu
Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini
photos by caitlin cunningham
The Office of Campus Ministry hosted its annual Multifaith Thanksgiving Celebration on November 16. Among those speaking were Associate Vice President and Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Tony Penna (left), Campus Minister Rev. James Hairston, and Michael Harris, director of the Office of Student-Athlete Academic Services.
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135. A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
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November 30, 2023
‘Consequences Below the Earth’ Historian examines link between oil, gas extraction and earthquakes
Professor of History Conevery Bolton Valencius: “We’re trying to write a book in earth sciences that will have as much relevance in a local grocery store as it does in the oil and gas industry.”
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
The link between earthquakes and oil and gas extraction-related activity in the United States has been endorsed by many scientists, notes Professor of History Conevery Bolton Valencius. Now, thanks to a recent National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, she and collaborator Anna Kuchment are closer to publishing research on the impact of such human-caused earthquakes—known as induced seismicity—and its long-range environmental implications. Valencius and Kuchment, a science journalist who is the Boston Globe health and medical editor, received a highly competitive $124,000 NEH Collaborative Research Grant in support of their project, “Shaky Ground: The Untold Story of the Greatest Earthquake Surge to Hit Modern America.” The pair are aiming to write about technical topics for a broad audience. “America’s production of fossil fuels has consequences below the earth,” Valencius explained. “We have to deal with the problems that result, as much as we would prefer not to. And these problems are complex and immense, so it’s imperative to have conversations at the community level, not just in corporate offices or government buildings. “That’s why we’re trying to write a book in earth sciences that will have as much relevance in a local grocery store as it does in the oil and gas industry.” A scholar of the history of science, medicine, and the environment, Valencius began researching the connection between energy production and earthquakes not long after publishing her 2013 book The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes, about a series of forgotten quakes that struck the Mississippi Valley in the 19th century. While working on that book, she had come across speculation that hy-
photo by caitlin cunningham
draulic fracturing, or fracking, would set off similar seismic activity in some parts of the U.S. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey implicates not simply fracking, but the disposal of the huge volumes of liquid waste from fracking and similar unconventional oil and gas production, she found. The central and eastern U.S. averaged 21 3.0-magnitude or higher earthquakes from 1973 to 2008; by 2015, the number of quakes was more than 1,000. Concurrently, the number of fracking wells for natural gas in the U.S. had shot up from about 26,000 in 2000 to 300,000 by 2015. Each of these wells generated significant amounts of wastewater, much of which gets re-injected deep underground through a disposal well. In 2021, almost 12 billion barrels of wastewater from oil and gas production were disposed of through injection wells that send this liquid waste to underground rock formations—with potential seismic consequences. In 2016, the USGS identified induced seismicity as a future earthquake hazard, with the greatest risk in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arkansas. “What makes this a serious problem is that many such quakes occur in regions
that don’t typically experience natural earthquakes, and aren’t built to withstand them,” said Valencius, noting that in 2016, Pawnee, Okla., endured a 5.8 magnitude quake that damaged buildings more than 300 miles away in Kansas City. On the other hand, she found, a series of earthquakes in Arkansas had stopped after wastewater injection sites were closed. “It was impossible to ignore the implications of that.” Valencius began working with Kuchment in 2017 while on a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, having connected with her through Radcliffe colleagues; Kuchment, whose experience includes editor/writer at Newsweek, senior editor for Scientific American, and science enterprise reporter for The Dallas Morning News, has covered connections between fracking and earthquakes for years. “Anna has been a joy to collaborate with,” said Valencius. “We found we have complementary areas of focus, so we could pool resources; she also has a great sense about how to use precise details to tell a story. Working with her really helped to move the project forward.” Doing the research for the project has involved reading scientific publications as
Snapshot
Forum on Ethics photo by lee pellegrini
Seasonal Fun at the McMullen Saturday As part of its annual holiday celebration, the McMullen Museum of Art will host festive activities this Saturday from noon-3 p.m. The museum will present live music, games, arts and crafts activities, hot chocolate and holiday treats, and tours of the exhibitions. This event is free and open to the public.
Boston College Trustee Navyn Salem ’94 H’12 spoke at Robsham Theater Monday evening as part of a Forum on Ethics for undergraduates sponsored by the Portico Program, Carroll School of Management, and Boston College Career Center. Salem is the founder of Edesia, a non-profit social enterprise that aims to treat and prevent malnutrition in developing countries. Her honors include the 2022 McNulty Prize—given to breakthrough leaders for their moral courage, bold vision, and deep, lasting impact—and Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year/New England in 2018.
well as tracking social media posts by citizens and other observers concerned about the effects of fracking. It’s also necessitated “buying steel-toed boots,” quipped Valencius: She and Kuchment have hiked out to remote areas to watch geologists install monitoring equipment in areas prone to, or at risk of, quakes. There have been unforeseen delays in finishing the book, in part because of the pandemic—Valencius, in fact, endured a case of long COVID. The complexity of the material they had to learn has been challenging, said Valencius: Above all, she and Kuchment want to get their facts right—because, they say, that’s what the scientists they study have been trying to do. “A lot of the story comes from moderately paid, hardworking state geologists and academic researchers, who against strong headwinds have been seeking to find out what’s going on, and to keep people safe,” said Valencius, who last year was named a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for outstanding contributions to the history of seismology and American health and the environment, and for excellence in communicating the history of science to the public. “Anna and I have been struck with the power of public science, and the integrity and commitment demonstrated in working for the public good. We want to honor that commitment by making sure we have the precise details.” Valencius credits her work with the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society as having contributed to her understanding of seismology-related principles and concepts. She also co-taught a Core Curriculum course with Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences John Ebel, Powering America, on the production, distribution, and use of energy in the U.S., and its technological, economic, and environmental impacts. “I’m very grateful for the skills I’ve been able to gain at BC, especially through the interdisciplinary focus of the Schiller Institute. The experience has given me an expanded perspective and a broader language to use.”
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November 30, 2023
Deese Studies Shipping, Aviation Climate Impact BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Global efforts to manage the climate crisis are endangered by the rapidly growing emissions from international aviation and shipping—sectors weakly regulated by two obscure agencies for nearly three decades—according to Controlling International Shipping and Aviation Emissions: Governing the Global Climate Crisis, a new book by Professor of Political Science and climate policy expert David Deese. Many greenhouse gas reduction mandates fall under the United Nations’ Paris Climate Agreement. But since the Kyoto Protocol of 1997, the regulation of airline and shipping emissions has been assigned to separate UN agencies: the International Maritime Organization in London and the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal. “These two sectors and international agencies tend to operate ‘under the radar,’” Deese said. “Each is relatively understudied and poorly understood. Thus, it is urgent to understand why this regulation has failed to date, and how their emissions can be slowed and reach net zero by 2050 [the target year specified in the Paris Agreement].” While much of the focus on greenhouse gas emissions is placed on automobile traffic and industrial activity, air pollutants
Prof. David Deese (Political Science) photo by lee pellegrini
from international shipping and aviation rival those of entire nations among the top ten greenhouse gas producers, according to Deese. More than 50,000 merchant ships transport about 90 percent of global goods, and their total emissions have been equivalent to those from Germany. By 2022, aviation had emitted at least 13 percent of all carbon dioxide from transportation sources, but that share is expected to grow as air travel passengers increase by as much as 100 percent by 2038, according to the International Aviation Transport Association.
“Unlike all of the emissions from sources reported and regulated by national authorities, these two sectors are essentially unregulated,” Deese said. “Because the member states of these agencies have been unable to agree on the required regulations, these two sectors alone could undermine global management of the climate crisis.” Deese’s book reveals why the two UN agencies have largely failed in their efforts and highlights the most promising emerging and feasible technologies to control and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the ships that ply the seas and aircraft that travel the skies. During the course of his research, Deese found the agencies remain almost deferential to industry and government sway. The agencies were originally designed to favor industry data and expertise, he said. In addition, they take input from government transportation representatives, rather than officials with environmental expertise. To correct these faults, external pressure must be directed in order to accelerate agency processes, Deese says, and firms and governments must emphasize alternative and parallel technologies and solutions to rapidly slow greenhouse emissions. “It is essential to have U.S. and EU global climate leadership focus on persuading China, Brazil, India, and like-minded developing states to support the standards setting processes required to slow these
emissions.” Reducing the use of fossil fuels poses a number of challenges both in the air and at sea. But there is a growing body of research on potential solutions, according to Deese, who has partnered with Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair Dunwei Wang to examine the feasibility of “green hydrogen” as one potential pathway to decarbonize global shipping in particular. Deese said he was surprised to see how little attention is paid to these sectors. There has been excessive reliance on an emissions offset program enacted through the International Civil Aviation Organization, yet existing aviation regulation neglects emissions above an altitude of 3,000 feet, a layer of the atmosphere where primary global warming effects take place. Deese said there needs to be a push to pursue parallel and alternative pathways to controlling growing emissions in these areas, such as the development of sustainable fuel stocks. “That is going to require bringing more direct, consistent attention to the necessary international agency standards and regulations, and applying greater pressure to these agency processes by environmental groups, government delegations, and progressive industry actors. I see this book as playing a part in reporting out to attentive audiences the major new developments in alternative pathways.”
Hawkins Inaugural Assoc. Director for Global Public Health Program Continued from page 1
The first academic initiative of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Global Public Health and the Public Good—a partnership between BCSSW, CSON, and the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences—was launched in 2019 as a six-course, 18-credit undergraduate minor, and this fall became a 12-course, 36-credit major. The program, under the direction of Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D. ’63, focuses on education, service, and research to support the next generation of public health leaders. It is rooted in the Boston College liberal arts curriculum, grounded in science, and committed to social justice. “Summer is the ideal person for the associate director’s job,” said Landrigan. “Her experience co-founding the original trio of courses in public health, along with her involvement in Global Public Health, is enormously valuable, and she brings a very useful disciplinary balance as an epidemiologist from the social work field. She’s experienced, she knows BC, and she knows how to run a program—all important factors as Global Public Health and the Common Good enters an exciting new phase.” Global Public Health was the eighth most popular undergraduate minor in the 2022-2023 academic year, with 106 students. There are currently 25 Global Public Health majors, and the number is expected to rise to 50 by the next academic year. The creation of an associate director position reflects the program’s consider-
able growth, said Hawkins, and the need for teaching and curriculum development; Global Public Health also will hire its first tenure-track faculty member in the coming year. “We want to make sure the courses in Global Public Health are cutting edge and complementary,” she said. “It’s enlivening to expose undergraduates to the concept of public health, and to talk with faculty members who have ideas about teaching GPH-related classes. So it’s important that we have a process in place to make sure that the program meets the high expectations we’ve set for it.” Hawkins said students are drawn to GPH in large part because it combines scientific and humanistic principles in a social justice context, offering the opportunity to make an impact on other lives. “We have a responsibility to think about health not just on an individual level but in terms of community, and about health disparities not only in the United States but globally. Students really seem to understand that, and are motivated to use the skills and perspectives they develop to change the world.” Several areas of focus lie ahead for GPH, said Hawkins, such as considering whether to seek accreditation through the Council of Education for Public Health, and working with Tufts University on establishing a “four-plus-one” program through which BC students who graduate with a degree in Global Public Health can
take a fifth year in the Tufts Master’s of Public Health degree program. GPH also is developing its senior capstone project in which students would conduct research or public health practice in the community, such as through volunteering or working with a non-profit. University administrators expressed praise for Hawkins, who joined BCSSW in 2012, and is assistant director of BC’s Institute of Early Childhood Policy; she has published in prominent peer-reviewed public health journals on such topics as tobacco and cannabis use, maternal morbidity and mortality, infant feeding practices, and preventive health services. “Summer Hawkins has helped shape the Global Public Health and Common Good program from the very beginning,” said CSON Dean Katherine Gregory. “We are eager for her to share in the leadership of this program and help it thrive into the future. Professors like Summer have a natural ability to work across disciplinary lines, which not only leads to cutting-edge research that makes an impact on public health, but also leads to novel academic programs like Global Public Health and Common Good. Her enthusiasm, dedication to our students, and colleagueship as a faculty member will help ensure that the program is a vibrant and successful one for years to come.” BCSSW Dean Gautam Yadama noted that the establishment of Global Public Health and the Common Good is in step
with the findings and recommendations of the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health. The commission’s chair, Sir Michael Marmot, “famously underscored the need for public health to focus on the cause of causes, meaning social determinants of health outcomes,” said Yadama. “This cross-school initiative signals that ‘social’ is not incidental to understanding and intervening to improve the health and well-being of the many billions around the globe and in our communities here in the U.S. Summer Hawkins will bring such sensibility to the program along with BCSSW faculty like Theresa Betancourt, Kirsten Davison, Praveen Kumar, Whitney Irie, Maria Piñeros Leaño, Erika Sabbath, Cathy Taylor, and William Byansi.” Added Schiller Institute Seidner Family Executive Director Laura Steinberg, “I’m very excited for Summer to be stepping into this role. She was integral to starting the global public health curriculum at Boston College, and has been a key member of the program’s faculty as it has grown from a three-course sequence to a minor and finally a major. I can’t think of a better person to be the inaugural associate program director, and I look forward to working with her.” For information on the Global Public Health and the Common Good program, see bc.edu/bc-web/centers/schiller-institute/sites/ global-public-health.html.
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November 30, 2023
Cota Wins Prestigious Health Equity Award Continued from page 1
Hispanic populations in the United States are at risk when it comes to foodrelated chronic diseases. According to 2018 data from the U.S. Office of Minority Health, Hispanic adults in the U.S. are 70 percent more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes and 1.2 times more likely to be obese. Access to healthy and nutritious food—and the time and money to buy and prepare it—is crucial to preventing these diseases. “The most effective way to treat these diseases at scale is through prevention,” Cota explained. “To make sure patients can live their healthiest lives, we need to look at both the affordability and quality of the food near them.” During his summer program at Columbia, Cota completed a six-week internship at the School of Nursing’s Center for Community-Engaged Health Informatics and Data Science, located near the part of Washington Heights known as “Little Dominican Republic.” When designing his Lewis Scholars project, Cota chose to focus on the prices of four staples of Dominican cooking: eggs, milk, cooking oil, and mayonnaise. He recorded the prices of these items at 38 bodegas and 40 supermarkets and compared the results using an independent samples t-test (a statistical test that is used to compare the means of two groups). On average, he found, groceries were significantly pricier at bodegas than supermarkets, which tended to be in more affluent areas. These results are telling, but “just
ISR Grant
Continued from page 1
The team will also apply machine-learning methods to identify the reasons for performance shortfalls so that deficiencies can be quickly addressed. The BC team will be joined by researchers from Cornell University, MIT, Boston University, the University of Colorado, Canada’s University of New Brunswick, Aerospace Corp., and Space Dynamics Lab. SPARTA puts the renowned ISR at the forefront of one of three Centers of Excellence created by NASA, in collaboration with the United States Department of Commerce, to develop a forecast system that will better specify and predict ionospheric irregularities and associated radio wave scintillation, or rapid wave fluctuations. “This system will supplement a gap in scientific understanding and help address the challenges of this critical space weather impact,” according to a NASA statement announcing the awards last summer. An important phenomenon in the field of space weather consists of instabilities that cause turbulence in the ionosphere, that layer of the upper atmosphere that begins approximately 60 miles above the earth and continues upward approximately 500 miles. “The ionosphere contains charged particles, such as ions and electrons, and
a starting point,” said Cota. “Anybody can highlight a disparity, but we can’t just blame individual bodega owners and walk away,” he said. “The important thing is thinking about the next steps to making people’s lives better.” In Cota’s presentation, which he gave at the Lewis Scholars Summer Showcase and
fore returning to his hometown of Los Angeles to practice as a physician in the community where he grew up. “In my career, I want to combine public health with my practice as a provider,” he said. “If you’re working in a neighborhood that’s medically underserved or in a food desert, you need to understand the context
“In my career, I want to combine public health with my practice as a provider,” says Cota. “If you’re working in a neighborhood that’s medically underserved or in a food desert, you need to understand the context to provide effective care.”
photo by caitlin cunningham
Expo in July, he focused on several possible directions that future research could take. “We need to do more qualitative analysis to hear the stories of both community residents and the bodega owners,” Cota said. “What are the barriers to providing affordable groceries, and how can we use what owners tell us to advocate for policy change? What do community members need, and can we respond by creating more food pantries or free cooking classes?” He fully intends to take some of these next steps himself. After graduation next May, he plans to attend a public health master’s program and medical school be-
to provide effective care.” Cota, who is Mexican American, grew up in southeast LA and is the first in his family to attend college. His interest in public health emerged from his own experiences seeing members of his community struggle with food insecurity and linguistic, social, and financial barriers that affected their health and access to care. In high school, while volunteering at the county hospital, he witnessed these disparities daily in one of the nation’s busiest emergency rooms. “Patients would regularly wait 10 to 15 hours to be seen and then be unable to af-
when subject to turbulence they affect the propagation of radio waves, causing their amplitude and phase to fluctuate rapidly,” Groves said. These fluctuations, technically referred to as scintillations, are similar to the “twinkling” of distant stars caused by optical effects that atmospheric disturbances produce in the light we see from the ground. “From the standpoint of satellite-based communications and navigation, strong scintillations may cause complete outages for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), which encompasses the more familiar global positioning satellite (GPS) system. Forecasting these instabilities and the resulting impacts on space-based technologies is central to the work the Institute for Scientific Research has been doing for the last 50 years.” Accurate forecasts should provide situational awareness to users of space-based navigation and communications systems, such as the aviation industry, Groves said. While these disruptive natural processes cannot be stopped, providing warnings can allow users to consider alternate sources of communications and/or navigation information, or to adjust the schedule for specific activities—similar to the way people modify their plans based on terrestrial weather forecasts readily available through print, broadcast, and electronic media. “At this time, there are no reliable forecasts for these ionospheric processes,”
Groves said. The team is focused on delivering a forecast capability with known uncertainties to the space-based user community via National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. “We also want to deliver a roadmap for how to improve forecasts in the future, a very important product,” said Groves. “We
ford basic care or insulin,” Cota recalled. “Seeing that level of injustice, both in the hospital and in my community, was deeply frustrating. I just felt that it was not right.” This sense of injustice sparked a mission. Before he even enrolled at Boston College, Cota reached out to Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., director of the Global Public Health and the Common Good program, about the possibility of studying public health. At the time, there was no such major at BC, but Cota worked with Landrigan to create an independent course of study and became one of the first students to enroll in the Global Public Health and the Common Good major this fall. In addition to winning the CDC Williams-Hutchins Health Equity Award— named for the first African American man and woman to complete 30-year careers in the U.S. Public Health Service—Cota’s Washington Heights study also won first place in the pre-med category at the 2023 Latino Medical Student Association National Conference in September. “It truly is a blessing to have these opportunities,” Cota said of this second honor, which came as a surprise. “Only six percent of U.S. physicians are Latinos, and it’s so important and inspiring to meet peers and mentors who can guide me and share their experiences with me.” John Shakespear is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications
are already working with NOAA under another grant to help improve their specification capabilities for scintillation.” The immediate next steps are to map out the core research objectives with the team and implement an effective collaborative approach across all of the institutions that make up the SPARTA Center of Excellence, Groves said. A kick-off meeting is planned for this coming mid-January.
Boston College student athletes and staff members helped load Thanksgiving food donations as part of a “Stuff the Truck” event held at Alumni Stadium on November 13. photo by lee pellegrini
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November 30, 2023
BC Students, ACC Peers Show Design Thinking Prowess BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Boston College regularly competes against Atlantic Coast Conference athletic teams, but at the fourth annual Design for ImpACCt (DFI) Summit, BC students collaborated with teammates from three ACC schools to solve complex, real-world problems. On November 17, for the fourth consecutive year, the Heights hosted teams of undergraduate and graduate students from Clemson University, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, and BC, each tasked with addressing the Stanford Center’s Longevity Challenge, a global competition that inspires students to design products and services to improve well-being across the lifespan. Sixteen BC students participated this fall, all of whom had been previously introduced to design thinking through the Experience Reflection and Action (ERA) First-Year Program, the Cyberstrategy Innovation and Formative Development undergraduate summer course, or the Introduction to Design Thinking undergraduate course sections. “Our DFI program and the summit’s final project presentations truly represent the integration of science and society in tackling relevant, real-world human challenges,” said Julia E. DeVoy, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development associate dean of undergraduate programs and students, who led the BC contingent. “It’s clearly a model for reflecting humancentered design and social innovation in the context of science, technology, and society.” Design-driven thinking is an interdisciplinary set of tools used to approach problem solving within academia and industry at the field’s pioneering companies such as Apple, Uber, Airbnb, and Pixar.
Teams comprising students from Boston College and other ACC schools gave presentations at the Design for ImpACCt Summit, held on campus earlier this month. photo by lee pellegrini
Due to the methodology’s human-centered nature, design-driven thinking is a pivotal mechanism and vehicle for incorporating empathy and social justice into a complex problem-solving process, explained DeVoy, the ERA director. Launched in 2020, DFI is an interdisciplinary, project-based course offered each fall semester at the four ACC schools to provide students with an immersive, design-thinking experience. DFI integrates BC liberal arts undergrads with students from Clemson’s School of Architecture, the NC State Department of Graphic and Industrial Design, and Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering to form the interinstitutional teams. Each institution’s faculty co-teach the class via hybrid, in-person, and remote modes, while students are clustered into four- or five-member cross-disciplinary teams to tackle a different design challenge each year, and present their solutions at the
summit. “This course blends the unique perspectives of industrial design, architecture, engineering, and liberal arts to create solutions with a significant societal impact,” said DeVoy. “It empowers students to apply their academic strengths to real-world challenges, fostering a culture of actionable innovation.” Lynch School student Kathryn Mattocks ’26 explained that the lifespan problem her group addressed was transitioning to a life that accommodates a chronic disease or disability. “Our proposed intervention is a remodeled, universally accessible kitchen. Using dementia and Alzheimer’s patients as a case study, we determined that the important aspects include open shelving, cork flooring, color markers, a tablet, kitchen smart sensors, and a calendar system. Our design aims to not only accommodate individuals with memory issues but also ensure longev-
BC Scenes
Veteran’s Remembrance
The University held its 23rd Annual Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony on November 10, at the Boston College Veterans Memorial on Burns Library Lawn. This year’s guest speaker was United States Army Brigadier General Guillaume N. Beaurpere ’94 (at right).
photos by lee pellegrini
ity and quality of life.” Carroll School of Management sophomore Peter Coquillette and his team decided to address the challenges faced by incarcerated individuals returning to employment following their prison terms. “As lifespans increase, the number of prisoners making this transition will also grow. Our product, called Key Connections, is a starter kit designed to link those leaving prison with the necessary resources to find success post-incarceration, and also outlines the steps required to obtain proper documentation to do so.” Lynch School junior Eunice Lee’s group focused on the 18- to 24-year-old cohort, and the related age problem of leaving home. “We redesigned a table that has all of the kitchen components in one space, with the purpose of making cooking a communal experience. Our product would be used to benefit individuals who are moving from home for the first time, to find community, become acquainted with a new location, and have the opportunity to learn cooking skills from professionals.” BC student participants universally raved about the program. “I loved engaging in design thinking with a human-centric focus. Creating something that could potentially help others has been super impactful and rewarding,” said Mattocks. “I also loved meeting and forming new relationships with classmates from different schools, and traveling to Clemson and NC State was absolutely incredible.” “Being a part of Design for ImpACCt was an excellent experience,” said Coquillette. “It allowed me to be around talented and intelligent students from different schools with backgrounds and expertise different from those of BC students.” Lee underscored that teamwork has been a critical aspect of her process. “Knowing what skills I have, and how they best work in a team with such a wide variety of talents, working processes, and experience is crucial. It’s also been great to see how other teams navigate this process in a way that works best for their team dynamic.” Lynch School student Peri Durbin ’26 characterized her DFI experience as “phenomenal.” “I loved the opportunity to work with a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students,” she said. “It’s not often that we get to partake in a class that emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary work on such a large scale. This was further emphasized by our travels to both North and South Carolina, which were lovely experiences.” The DFI Summit was founded in 2019 by the ACC Academic Leadership Network team, and BC’s participation is supported by the offices of the Provost and Dean of Faculties, Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning, and Associate Vice Provost for Design and Innovation Strategies.
Campus Event to Accompany Premiere of Film on Irish Musician Next week, Boston College Libraries and the BC Irish Studies Program will celebrate the international premiere of a documentary on the life and legacy of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, a groundbreaking Irish composer, musician, and academic who was a key architect of BC’s acclaimed Irish music programs. As a complement to the December 3 screening of “Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin: Between Worlds” at West Newton Cinema— presented by BC Libraries and Irish Studies in partnership with the Eire Society of Boston—BC will be the setting on December 4 for a retrospective on Ó Súilleabháin that will include personal and professional reflections from his family, a talk by the filmmaker Maggie Breathnach, and an appreciation of his contributions to Boston College. The event will be held in Devlin 101 at 6:30 p.m. Ó Súilleabháin, who died in 2018, was notable for his exploration of the connections between classical and traditional Irish music, as a pianist, arranger, and composer. He developed a distinctive keyboard interpretation of Irish tunes that blended with his own compositions, which contained traditional Irish idioms and encompassed jazz and classical influences. He recorded 12 full-length albums and his collaborators included the Irish Chamber Orchestra, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, and Van Morrison. Ó Súilleabháin established the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick, which offered highly innovative postgraduate and undergraduate degree programs in areas such as music therapy, contemporary dance performance, Irish traditional music performance, ethnomusicology, and ritual chant and song. In 1990, Ó Súilleabháin—then a member of the University College Cork faculty—came to BC as a visiting professor in ethnomusicology, along with his then-wife, singer Nóirín Ní Riain. During his semester at BC, he organized a major Irish fiddle festival and inspired the creation of Burns Library’s Irish Music Archives. “Between Worlds” features footage shot in Boston and around the BC campus, including interviews with several BC faculty and staff members. “From the early days of Irish Studies at BC, co-founders Adele Dalsimer and Kevin O’Neill sought ways to add music to the program,” said Irish Music Librarian
BC in the Media A bill before the Massachusetts Labor and Workforce Development Committee proposes to give a tax credit to businesses that explore the possible benefits of a shorter work week. Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology), who recently led a global research project on the subject, offered comments about the impact of such a change to CBS Boston. Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) spoke with The Washington Post on the ongoing lawsuit against Donald Trump and his business by New York’s attorney general.
Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin performing at BC in 2006. He was a visiting scholar in 1990. photo by justin knight
Elizabeth Sweeney. “In the spring of 1990, through collaboration between Irish Studies and the Music Department, Mícheál taught courses in Irish music, brought guest artists to the classroom, and organized a landmark fiddle festival in Gasson Hall. From the audio tapes of the festival’s final concert he produced a critically-acclaimed CD, ‘My Love is in America,’ and he helped establish an archive of Irish music. The momentum that he created during just six months at BC would continue to inspire future programs, courses, and archiving projects.” “Since Mícheál laid the foundations for our Irish Music Archives in Burns Library, as well as the Gaelic Roots concert series— which we record and preserve—we are very proud to host the international premiere of this wonderful documentary film on his life and legacy in partnership with the Eire Society of Boston,” said Burns Librarian Christian Dupont, who along with Sweeney was among the BC faculty and staff interviewed for the film. Both the December 3 screening at West Newton Cinema and the December 4 event at BC are free and open to the public. While tickets are not required for the screening, those who register in advance at https://bit.ly/between-worlds-film will receive event reminders and additional details. —University Communications
Final Days for Fall Exhibitions Two fall semester exhibitions at Boston College are entering their final days. “Gateway to Himalayan Art,” at the McMullen Museum of Art, will close on December 10. This traveling exhibition—the McMullen is its first New England venue— introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and traditions of Himalayan art and cultures. “Gateway to Himalayan Art” features 101 objects from the Rubin Museum’s collection as well as multimedia elements— audio, videos, essays, maps, and more.
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“On the Road: Catholic Faith in China,” presented by the University’s Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History, is on display through December 22. This powerful exhibition documents the lives of Catholics in rural China, comprising 60 images taken between 1992 and 1996 by world-renowned photographer Lü Nan. Fifty images are on view at the School of Theology and Ministry Library Atrium; 10 are displayed at the O’Neill Library Gallery. See events.bc.edu
Prof. Emerita Maria Brisk (LSOEHD) was among the experts who talked to The Boston Globe about the role of bilingual education in developing students’ identities as multilingual, multicultural individuals. Prof. of the Practice Richard Spinello (CSOM), author of The Genius of John Paul II: The Great Pope’s Moral Wisdom, was interviewed by the National Bank of Poland about the pope’s legacy for a cover story in its magazine, Obserwator Finansowy.
people’s perceptions of it. He also spoke with Yahoo! Finance for stories regarding the efficacy of a global billionaire tax proposal and factors that hinder the rise from middle to upper middle class. Prof. Heather Cox Richardson (History) spoke about how America’s current divisions compare to the past, and how we can overcome them, in an interview with “PBS NewsHour,” and in a New York Times “Inside the Best Seller List,” made a powerful case for studying the past. Why is Elon Musk obsessed with casting X as the most “authentic” social media platform? Assoc. Prof. Michael Serazio (Communication) gave some insights in an essay for The Conversation. Carroll School of Management Seidner University Professor Paul Romer discussed the United States economy and the fallout from higher yields with Bloomberg TV’s “Wall Street Week” and, in a related blog post, elaborated on how seasonality matters for inflation.
Many 2023 writers to the Boston Globe Globe Santa program cited the effect of inflation on their lives, noted a recent Globe piece. Brian Bethune, a part-time Economics faculty member, provided some context.
In an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, Augustus Long Professor of Education Marina Umaschi Bers shared her own experience at BC, and called for faculty members across the U.S. to work with their own diversity offices, within their own academic structures, to provide support and community for Jewish academics.
Woods College of Advancing Studies Associate Dean Aleksandar Tomic, director of graduate programs in applied economics and analytics, was interviewed on KNXFM (Los Angeles) about the disconnect between the health of the economy and
Americans’ faith in institutions has been sliding for years, and the current chaos in Congress isn’t helping, said Moakley Professor of Political Science Kay Schlozman in an interview with the Associated Press.
Jobs 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 Director, Corporate Sponsorships Assistant/Associate Director, Parent Leadership Giving Physician/Assistant Director, Sports Medicine Conservation & Preservation Manager
Design & Prototyping Manager
Research Associate
Academic Support Assistant
Food Service Worker
Senior Assistant Director, Financial Aid
Emerging Technology Analyst
Special Education Teacher
Medical Assistant, University Health Services
Speech & Language Pathology Assistant
Assistant Director, Data Management
Assistant or Associate Director, Organizational Effectiveness
Admissions Assistant, School of Social Work
Senior Construction Manager
Public Safety Dispatcher
Assistant Director, Graduate Recruitment & Admissions
Programs/Faculty Support Assistant
Senior Gift Processing Specialist
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BC Arts
Chorale Director Relishes a New Beginning BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
“Be bold, be curious, be open, and sing.” For teaching artist, conductor, and singer Riikka Pietiläinen Caffrey, who is wrapping up her first semester as director of the University Chorale of Boston College, the quote—which she posted on a global choral professional networking website—reflects both her passion for music and her approach as leader of the venerable BC vocal ensemble. In rehearsals, she encourages Chorale members to try new things: “In addition to learning the repertoire, we work on vocal technique. Only through experimenting we can find what works best for us as the University Chorale,” she said. “I have asked the singers to breathe together and start a piece, sing a song with their eyes closed, or work on a song without a conductor. Process and learning take time, and we can all learn from each other to build on the experience, not just as singers, but also as respectful members of this community.” An associate professor of the practice and director of choral and vocal performance in the Music Department, Caffrey explores research interests such as holistic choral experience, cross-disciplinary artistic collaborations, redefining the choral canon, and equity and inclusivity in music education. “We extend the warmest of welcomes to Riikka Pietiläinen Caffrey as she takes up the reins of the University Chorale, an ensemble whose foundation is almost as old as BC itself,” said Music Department Chair and Professor Michael Noone. “We are delighted to have Riikka as a colleague.” Caffrey succeeds long-time director John Finney, who retired in May. Next semester, she will teach Fundamentals of Music Theory in addition to her University Chorale leadership and oversight of the Music Department’s vocal performance ensembles and private voice lessons. With credentials such as a doctor of musical arts degree from the University of Colorado and five years directing choirs at
BC Scenes
‘RENT’ Hits Robsham photos by lee pellegrini
The Robsham Theater Arts Center and Boston College Theatre Department presented the Tony Award-winning musical “RENT” November 16-19. The production was directed and choreographed by interdisciplinary theater artist Larry Sousa, the 2023-2024 Monan Professor in Theatre Arts.
Bunker Hill Community College, Noone said, “she brings to the BC community a wealth of experience as a singer, a choral conductor, and a classroom instructor.” This weekend, University Chorale voices will ring out during four “Christmas on the Heights” concerts in Trinity Chapel, a holiday tradition which will also showcase the Boston College Symphony Orchestra (BCSO). Caffrey said she and BCSO Director Anna Wittstruck have joined forces to create an event that will include both joint and separate BCSO-Chorale performances. “It will be a mix of the wonderful tradition John Finney established, with some new ideas,” said Caffery, who hopes the concerts—which will feature a student conductor—draw BC community members including alumni. Caffrey is impressed with the dedication and talent of University Chorale members. “Despite their rigorous academics and commitment to multiple outside activities, the singers come diligently to rehearsals and all events we have, in addition to concerts. Our academic setting brings an expectation to perform at our best, and share polished, well-sung programs with our audiences. With every program I want my singers and audiences to learn something new— whether it is about themselves, the music, composers, concepts, or the community and world that surround us.” The Finnish-born Caffrey lauded “BC’s commitment to the service of others,” which she said “was definitely a strong reason why I was interested in this position.” Her dedication to social advocacy includes service as the Back Bay Chorale community engagement coordinator; in that role, she leads a weekly ESOL Chorus at the Boston Public Library. “As an immigrant, I feel a strong sense of belonging; we all speak multiple languages and have two or more home countries. This group is not just about singing, it is also about community, and a sense of belonging when most of our families are far. “I strongly believe that music should not just exist in concert halls for customers who can afford to buy tickets,” she contin-
ued. “Well-performed musical experiences should be available at no cost for all people, in libraries, schools, shelters, and community organizations. Not everyone has the luxury of attending concerts, we need to bring music to people.” Her five-year goal, she said, is to facilitate group singing in homeless communities and for immigrants and refugees in
Prior to Boston College, Caffrey held academic positions at American University in Beirut, Whitman College in Washington state, and Bunker Hill Community College. An active member of the Advocacy and Collaboration Committee of the American Choral Directors Association, she also chairs the Advocacy Committee for the International Alliance for Women
Riikka Pietiläinen Caffrey will conduct the University Chorale of Boston College this weekend at the “Christmas on the Heights” concerts. photo by caitlin cunningham
New England. In her native country, Caffrey sang and toured with the acclaimed Finnish choir Philomela. She immigrated to the United States to pursue music studies, earning a bachelor of fine arts degree in jazz performance from the City College of City University of New York, and both master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees in choral conducting from the University of Colorado. Caffrey founded and conducted a women’s chamber choir at CCNY, Las Sirenas, which premiered works by American and Finnish composers. She is part of the collaborative trio The String Only She Could Play—which incorporates music and poetry written by women, and blends styles from Baroque to jazz—with two Berklee College of Music faculty.
in Music. Caffrey’s recent collaborations include a project with Dominican-American poet Rhina Espaillat—who donated her archive to Burns Library in September, and gave a talk prior to the University Chorale’s fall concert at which her work was performed. The artistic director of Boston-based chamber ensemble Coro Ignis, Caffrey will make her Carnegie Hall debut in the spring of 2025. For more on the “Christmas on the Heights” concerts—which will be held in Trinity Chapel on Newton Campus on December 1 at 7:30 p.m., December 2 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and December 3 at 2 p.m.—including ticket information, prices, and purchase, see choralebc.com/tickets. Tickets will not be sold at the door, according to the University Chorale website.