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In Memoriam: Nasim Parveen

January 10th, 2025

Nasim Parveen, wearing a fuchsia jacket, stands next to a large flowering plant. A green lawn and garden is in the background.

Last year, BU librarian Nasim Parveen passed away. In honor of our colleague, the BU Libraries share the below memorial written by Nasim’s family and closest friends:

The BU community, her family, and friends were shocked and profoundly saddened that Nasim Parveen, 66, passed away unexpectedly Friday, May 3, 2024. A longtime resident of Boston, Massachusetts, Nasim worked for 45 years at Boston University. Starting at Mugar Memorial Library, she eventually headed the Stone Science Library. She laid the foundation to build and grow Stone Science Library, starting with 250 books in 1989 and growing to 14,000 books. Nasim obtained reference materials inexpensively by setting up exchange programs with many universities and libraries across the U.S. and leveraged international sources as well. She established many faculty and staff relationships throughout her years at BU, so much that these authors and contacts entrusted only Nasim with photographs and reference publications to archive in her special collections. Geology, archeology, and remote sensing/GIS images and resources are stored there.

Emmy Award-winning author John O’Rourke wrote a story and interview posted on BU Today, which includes a video of Nasim: This BU Librarian Turned Her Backyard into an Urban Eden, One Plant at a Time.

Nasim was asked to speak on three different occasions by the United Nations to large audiences of 500 to 800 about the connection between her residential flower and tree garden and its benefits to public health. Her dream was to start a business where the garden could host small celebrations and patients from surrounding hospitals to help in healing. Read more about Nasim in this Member Spotlight.

Born in 1958 to Atiar Rahman Biswas and Shahara Begum in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nasim was one of four children, Shahriar Rahman, Neshat Reza, and Mustaque Rumi. Sadly, the family lost their mother in Bangladesh earlier in 2024.

Nasim attended Eden College and Dhaka University in Bangladesh. In 1978, she immigrated to Boston, U.S.A. and completed an undergraduate degree at Boston University in Computer Sciences, a Master’s of Library Science from Simmons College, and a Master’s in Education and Public Health at BU

On Saturday May 11, 2024, a Janaza prayer, wake, burial, and celebration of life reception were held. Hundreds were in attendance, and many were in shock. She is buried at Knollwood Memorial Cemetery in Canton, Massachusetts, close to Nasim’s BU colleague and friend Sayaka Yamaki’s residence (BU EdM, 2017, BU’s Department of Earth & Environment). The pair were introduced by retired Director of the Center for Remote Sensing, Dr. Farouk El Baz. When Sayaka and her husband Luis Bonilla decided to marry, Nasim offered her garden as a venue for their 2017 wedding ceremony. Nasim is survived by many other best friends, including Pamela Taylor (BU grad, who met Nasim working together at Mugar Memorial Library 1980) and Ela Martinez.

Nasim is survived by two children, Rajib Momen, UMass Boston alumnus, and his wife Julia Momen; Lamia Sun, BU alumnus with a BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her husband Jimmy Sun; and Nasim’s two grandchildren from Lamia and Jimmy, Aurora and Evelyn. Nasim doted on the grandkids and had a playhouse built for them at her home. Jimmy’s parents Lu and Lin Huang also mourn their 30+ year friendship with Nasim, which started well before their children Lamia and Jimmy began dating.

At a reception on July 18, 2024, Mark Newton, University Librarian, organized the BU community to join in remembering their colleague Nasim Parveen at Barrister’s Hall, School of Law, 765 Commonwealth Avenue. Staff and BU community members reflected and celebrated Nasim’s life and accomplishments.