Boston College Chronicle

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The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs february 16, 2012 VOL. 20 No. 11

INSIDE •St. C gets callback to BC Idol, page 2

•Mike Mayock back at the Heights, page 2 •Dickson wins MLK Scholarship, page 3

•Economic justice panel, page 3 •Eagle EMS gets new wheels, page 3 •Three stories from Relay for Life, page 4

•Q&A with James Keenan, SJ, page 5 •Undergrads present research, page 6

•Chatting with HP’s Randy Seidl ’85, page 6 •Concerts a-plenty on campus, page 8

Four BC Faculty Members Win Sloan Fellowships By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

In a coup for a university without a medical or engineering school, four Boston College faculty members have received prestigious 2012 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Assistant Professor of Biology Michelle Meyer, Assistant Professor of Physics Ying Ran, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang and Assistant Professor of Psychology Liane Young were among the 126 researchers recognized by the foundation with the two-year, $50,000 awards, which are given annually to early-career scientists and scholars identified as the next generation of leading researchers. “It is unprecedented for a university of our size, without a medical or engineering school, to receive four Sloan Research Fellowships in one

(L-R) Michelle Meyer, Ying Ran, Dunwei Wang, Liane Young

year,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties Cutberto Garza. “This recognition is a testament to the caliber of researchers Boston College has hired in recent years.” With four awards, BC led Massachusetts colleges and universities, followed by Boston University (3), Harvard (3), MIT (3) and UMass Amherst (1). “Michelle, Ying, Dunwei, and

Big Brothers/Sisters Program at BC Gaining in Popularity By Melissa Beecher Staff Writer

Michael Wangen ’12 was excited to get involved in the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters Program at Boston College for all the usual reasons — to be a positive influence and role model in the life of a child. When he was paired up with 10-year-old Josh from the Franklin Field Housing Complex in Boston, he was thrilled. Then his phone started ringing. Three, four, five times a day. “It turned out Josh really, really wanted a Big Brother, too. He had called the organizers repeatedly trying to find out if he had been paired up with anyone. When they paired us up, he decided to start getting to know me right away with phone calls and texts,” laughs Wangen. “So from the very beginning we very much had a big brother-little brother relationship.” Over the past two years, the friendship has evolved and strengthened. “He’s goofy, like me. We enjoy the same things – math and science, movies, we’ve been ice skating and rock climbing. And I think I have had

Liane are each doing world-class research and together represent a remarkable cohort of talented junior faculty in Arts and Sciences,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley. “I’m enormously proud of their individual contributions and look forward to even greater things as their Boston College careers develop.” Drawn from 51 colleges and uni-

a positive impact on him – when we first met he had been suspended from school a few times. Now, his grades have improved and he doesn’t get suspended anymore,” said Wangen. “And I’ve learned a lot from him and Continued on page 6

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Place of Danger, and Death BC theologian sees messages about suffering and salvation in women’s efforts to combat violence in a Mexican city By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

The number of student-child pairings in “BC BIGS” has tripled in one year.

versities across the United States and Canada, the 2012 Sloan Research Fellows represent a variety of research interests. Meyer’s comparative genomics research focuses on computational biology, the discovery and validation of non-coding RNA, and the molecular evolution of RNA and protein structures.

Feminist theologian Nancy Pineda-Madrid remembers Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, before it became one of the most violent cities on earth. During her childhood, PinedaMadrid lived in El Paso, Texas, directly across the border from Juárez, which she recalls as “a bustling, active and vibrant city” with streets full of people. Her memories include shopping trips, weekly family dinners at a local restaurant, and a large high school graduation party that brought together families from El Paso and Juárez. “I had a connection and love for Juárez that was very significant throughout my childhood and young adult years. There was a real sense of community,” said PinedaMadrid, an assistant professor in the School of Theology and Ministry. So when she returned there last October for a conference on the high number of women murdered in Juárez, she was stunned at the emptiness she saw.

“It was eerie. You see a lot of buildings boarded up. It’s clear there is a fear in the city. Any woman walking around the streets of Juárez feels a sense of tension and anxiety.” According to international crime data, Juárez — with more than 3,000 murders in 2010 — is one of the most dangerous places in which to live. It is particularly unsafe for young girls and women, hundreds of whom have been systemically beaten, raped and murdered. The violence in Juárez against women — typically poor females aged 10 to 30 — is classified by many scholars as “feminicide” because it is a widespread killing based on gender, conducted in a very brutal and gruesome manner with impunity. In her new book Suffering and Salvation in Ciudad Juárez, PinedaMadrid takes a look at the violence against women in Juárez and seeks to identify messages about salvation that can be found in the actions of women who are resisting the violence. “Any experience of extreme sufContinued on page 5

“I wanted to be a doctor well before I got sick. Having cancer has only strengthened my desire, because of the perspective I’ve gained. Now, I have to become a doctor.” —Meghan Woody ’14, page 4


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