News and Events at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Summer 2007

Better Fuel: New Eatery Planned for October
The College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will unveil a new full-service eatery in the basement of its main building, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, this October, following a summer-long renovation of the formerly dark and gloomy cafeteria. Einstein Bros. Bagels will anchor the space, serving breakfast and deli sandwiches, paninis, salads, and, of course, fresh bagels and coffee from early morning to 8 p.m. The space, with wireless internet connection, central air conditioning, and a modern decor, will be glassed-off from the corridor outside. Seating options will include booths, tables, and tall chairs at a bar that will run along the window that looks out onto the hallway and computer kiosks opposite.

Languages Divide and Conquer more information >>

Spring 2007

T.S. Eliot Comes Home to Boston more information >>

Summer 2006

GRS Student Wins Fulbright more information >>

April 2006

Graduate Research Abroad Fellowships Spring 2006 Recipients Announced more information >>

Four Guggenheims for Arts and Sciences Faculty
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has announced the winners of its 2006 fellowships. Of the 187 winners from the U.S. and Canada, four are from BU—and all of those are from Arts and Sciences. The winners are Thomas Barfield, professor and chair of anthropology, for his project titled "Political legitimacy in Afghanistan"; Frank Korom, associate professor of religion and anthropology, for "The impact of modernity on traditional Bengali scroll painters and singers"; Richard Primack, professor of biology, for "Climate change in Thoreau's Concord"; and Julian Zelizer, professor of history, for "National security politics from the Cold War to the war on terrorism."

The 2006 David Shepro Lecture
April 19, 4 p.m., LSE Auditorium, 24 Cummington Street, no cost
" The microvasculature: Not just nucleated cellophane tubes" by Dr. Patricia D’Amore, GRS'78, of the Schepens Eye Institute
Patricia D’Amore received her Ph.D. in biology from Boston University and was a postdoctoral fellow in biological chemistry and ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Medical School before becoming an assistant professor of ophthalmology. In 1981, she moved to the Children’s Hospital in Boston as assistant professor and is currently a research associate in Surgery there. In 1998, she became professor of ophthalmology and pathology at Harvard Medical School and a senior scientist at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. She is currently the associate director of research at the Schepens and the Ankeny Scholar of Retinal Molecular Biology. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanism of vascular growth and development. The David Shepro Lectureship was created In honor of Professor David Shepro's retirement in 2005 through the generosity of his family, friends, colleagues, and former students.

February 2006

From Scholar to Novelist
February 13, Barnes & Noble Kenmore Square, Fifth Floor Reading Room
Associate Professor of Anthropology Jenny B. White, a scholar of Turkish history, politics, and culture, and the author of numerous nonfiction works, has now written a novel (a historical thriller) set in 19th-century Istanbul. She'll read from her new book, The Sultan's Seal, at Barnes & Noble at Boston University. Publisher's information >>

Robert Lowell Memorial Lecture Series
February 15, 7:30 p.m., Photonics Center Auditorium, 8 St. 8 St. Mary's Street. Reception and book signing to follow.
A reading by poet Eavan Boland, Creative Writing Visiting Professor David Ferry, and Creative Writing alumna Maggie Dietz.

Calling Egyptologists!
February 28, 7:30 p.m., BU School of Education, 605 Commonwealth Avenue, Room 130
Come hear a talk by Professor of Archaology Kathryn Bard, who with her team has been making remarkable excavations over the past two years at the ancient pharaonic seaport at Wadi Gawasis, Egypt.

November 2005

Graduate Research Abroad Fellowships Fall 2005 Recipients Announced More information >>

NSF Award for BU Earth Scientist
Assistant Professor Ethan Baxter and colleagues in the Earth Sciences Department have received a $591,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will allow for the development of a Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) facility at Boston University. The facility, to be directed by Professor Baxter, is expected to be operational in 2006, greatly expanding opportunities in geoscience research for faculty and students at BU and for scientists elsewhere in the region. More information >>
Professor Baxter's Faculty Page >>

"Now Say, Have Women Worth?" Anne Bradstreet, the First American Poet
A lecture by Dr. Charlotte Gordon, presented by the Luce Program in Scripture and Literary Arts at Boston University, November 8, 5:30 p.m., Boston University School of Management, Room 412.
Born in England in 1612, Anne Bradstreet came to America on the first ship of the great Puritan migration in 1630. At first a reluctant migrant, Bradstreet eventually embraced her new home and founded three towns: Cambridge, Ipswich, and Andover, Massachusetts. She also authored the first book of poems in the New World. This remarkable gentlewoman of frail health raised eight children in the wilderness and wrote poems at a time when womenís intellectual abilities were scorned. Her poems of courage, faith, and grace are not only historically valuable; they offer a compelling vision of America still relevant today. The lecture will be followed by a light reception. This event is free and open to the public.For more information, contact Cristine Hutchison-Jones at 617-358-1754.

September 2005

Boston University Life Sciences Symposium to Feature
Internationally Renowned Speakers
Celebrating the new Life Science and Engineering Building
Boston University will celebrate the academic inauguration of the newly opened Life Science and Engineering Building on October 12 with a day-long symposium on the future of the life sciences. The University’s life sciences faculty—from the departments of Chemistry, Biology, and Biomedical Engineering and the Program in Bioinformatics—will play host to distinguished scientists from across the country, including a stellar roster of featured speakers...more >>

Chemistry Education Symposium Set for November
Boston University will host a Chemistry Education Symposium to celebrate the 44-year career of Professor Emeritus Morton Z. Hoffman, who retired from BU last year. The symposium speakers who will honor Professor Hoffman are leaders in the field of chemistry education and include Glenn Crosby (Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and Materials Science at Washington State University), John Moore (Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin and editor of the Journal of Chemical Education), Jerry Bell (Senior Scientist, American Chemistry Society), Zafra Lerman (Distinguished Professor of Science and Public Policy, Columbia College Chicago), Richard Zare (Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University). The symposium is open to the public and will be held from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 18, 2005, in the Seminar Room of Boston University’s Life Science and Engineering Building (basement level, 24 Cummington Street). For information, please contact Katinka Csigi at 617-358-2838.

A Fortieth Anniversary
The Graduate School helped Martha Wellman Khan celebrate a remarkable milestone in August: her 40th anniversary at Boston University. Martha, who is the records officer in the Graduate School, has helped thousands of students over the years make sure they’ve met the requirements needed for their graduate degrees. View photos from the celebration >>

Internet Kiosks Installed
Ten Internet kiosks were installed in the Arts and Sciences building over the summer, providing handy access to e-mail or quick research. Look for the sleek, flat-screen kiosks in the basement level hallway, where 6 of them were installed directly across from the eatery, and on the second level, where 4 more were installed near the Tsai elevator bank.

Dean’s Suite Revamp
The offices of Dean Jeffrey Henderson and Senior Associate Dean Susan Jackson were remodeled over the summer in a move to increase the efficiency of the suite and refresh a dated floor plan. You’ll notice a new and more welcoming entranceway and reception area of Room 106, and roomier waiting areas for guests of both deans.

More Arts and Sciences Renovation
Several other areas of Arts and Sciences underwent cosmetic renovations over the summer, including the Art History Department, the Political Science Department, and the Math Department. And in a major renovation project, the graduate student space in the basement of the Economics Department was overhauled and redesigned.

June 2005

Prestigious Award for Biologist
Paul Barber, an associate professor in Boston University’s Marine Program, received a 2004 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers at a ceremony at the White House in June/ The honor recognizes Barber as one of the country’s most promising young researchers.
More information >>

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