In the fast-paced and exciting months since I became dean of Arts & Sciences at Boston University, several things have become clear to me. First, this is an amazing place. Our classrooms and research labs are filled with motivated, inquisitive students, researchers, and professors working on issues that will touch millions of lives and affect society for decades to come. Our students—both undergraduate and graduate—are developing skills and ways of thinking that will enable them to become leaders in their fields. Second, we are on the move. Not only has Boston University climbed the rankings in recent years (going from 37th to 32nd among global research universities, according to U.S. News & World Report), but College of Arts & Sciences programs are also gaining strength.

I have identified several areas of particular promise in CAS, where I believe we can build on our strengths and serve as intellectual leaders: the study of inequality; computational thinking and the digital revolution; sustainability and climate change; and neuroscience. This issue of arts&sciences highlights exciting and meaningful research in each of these areas, areas in which CAS faculty researchers are making clear contributions to society.

Working with BU’s Initiative on Cities, computer scientist Azer Bestavros has led the creation of a new way to aggregate sensitive data, allowing advances in examining gender equity. This is particularly exciting to me, not just because of my own scholarly interest in inequality, but also because this example illustrates how computational thinking is bringing about an epistemological revolution in every discipline and nearly every occupation. In order to further strengthen this area of research leadership, we have launched targeted hiring efforts in several departments intended to expand our faculty expertise in the area of data science.

The lead story highlights Julie Klinger’s research into the politics behind the mining of rare earths, chemicals that play a key role in the manufacture of modern technological products. Through her work and that of other faculty members, BU is making valuable contributions to the national conversation on sustainability. Klinger is an assistant professor in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, which also announces in this issue the hiring of renowned terrorism expert Jessica Stern. CAS is also poised to become a leader in neuroscience research, an example of which is Angela Ho’s exciting research into how our brains develop, with applications to the study of autism.

This is engaged scholarship at its best. And it’s infectious. In the classroom, the laboratory, and around the seminar table, our students engage with faculty members and start to understand the role of scholarly inquiry in interpreting the world around us. I am particularly proud of the two students highlighted here: graduate student Lilly Havstad, whose research in Mozambique was supported by a Fulbright-Hays fellowship, and undergraduate Erin Miller, who was drawn to BU by the opportunity to work with the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies.

We have many opportunities for students to apply their learning beyond the classroom. The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program helps undergraduates get involved in research in all of CAS’ disciplines. Our students are able to apply their educations in the workplace as well, engaging in summer internships funded through the Santander Sophomore Internship Program and Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program, as well as international internships through Study Abroad. Closer to home, we have enlisted offices throughout the University to host CAS interns during the fall and spring semesters. This new program has proved extremely popular, with students competing for placements in offices such as Information Services & Technology and the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center. Because I believe deeply that a liberal arts education from CAS equips our students with the ability to succeed professionally, I am actively pursuing new opportunities for our students to gain workplace experience.

I enjoy learning in the Class Notes about where your BU education has taken you. When I read about David C. Roy’s career as an artist and Aaron Rasmussen’s exciting approach to online education, I was struck by how these two men are driven by the excitement of discovery and learning. Like our faculty and students, our alumni are engaging with the world in important ways.

When not in my office on Comm Ave, I have been traveling the country talking with alumni about our shared vision for CAS. I look forward to meeting you.