{"id":63534,"date":"2026-04-27T10:45:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T14:45:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/?p=63534"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:45:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:45:12","slug":"students-present-research-in-pardees-first-public-defense-forum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/2026\/04\/27\/students-present-research-in-pardees-first-public-defense-forum\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Present Research in Pardee\u2019s First Public Defense Forum"},"content":{"rendered":"

On April 16 and 17, the Pardee School of Global Studies hosted the 2026 Defense Forum where students for the first time ever presented their research in a conference-style format. Departing from the traditional closed-door setup, students publicly defended their work before faculty advisors and an additional reviewer, with peers and supporters in the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
(from left to right) Bella Moreno (BAIR’26), Cristell Bacilio (BAIR’26), Mika Yao (MAIR’26), Aiden Long (BAIR’26), and Professor Noora Lori<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A total of 30 undergraduate and graduate students defended their theses, addressing key global issues, including the migrant crisis, eco-nationalism, and racial profiling. Each presentation was followed by feedback from faculty advisors and reviewers, and a Q&A session, encouraging open dialogue and discussion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Mia Knezevic (BAIR’26) and Sophia Sorcigli (BAIR’26)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond serving as an evaluation mechanism, this event was designed to be an inclusive, dynamic, and holistic academic experience that highlights student research in a broader intellectual community. By shifting away from high-pressure private examinations, the conference-style format created a celebratory and interactive environment for both students and faculty. With free flow of intellectual exchange and collaboration, students had a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other\u2019s work while enabling transparency and consistency, ensuring a fair evaluation approach.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Roshan Sivaraman (BAIR’26) and Madison Keefer (MAIR’26)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The forum also provided valuable professional development opportunities. By presenting in a public setting, students gained experience in articulating their research clearly, responding to questions, and engaging with a broader audience, skills essential for real-world academic and professional contexts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Defense Forum was the result of a collaborative effort among staff and faculty, including Lauren Thams, Academic Affairs Administrator; Claire-Sol\u00e8ne Be\u010dka, Undergraduate Academic Advisor; Sanne Verschuren, Assistant Professor of International Security; Kaija Schilde, Associate Dean of Studies; and Tim Longman, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
(from left to right) Professor Vesko Gar\u010devi\u0107, Sapana Joshi (MAIA’26), Hannah Mefferd (MAIA’26), Kabir Hasan Khan (MAIA’26), and Professor Paul Hare<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In developing the initiative, the group identified several limitations in the traditional defense model, including inconsistent scheduling, limited transparency, and significant logistical challenges. Through a series of discussions, they proposed a conference-style format aimed at enhancing both the student and faculty experience. After approval as a pilot program, Thams and Be\u010dka played key roles in organizing and executing the two-day event.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 2026 Defense Forum represents a significant milestone in Pardee\u2019s academic evolution. It underscores the power of collaboration between staff and faculty and reflects a shared commitment to creating meaningful, supportive, and forward-looking academic experiences for students.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Pardee’s first-ever Defense Forum, undergraduate and graduate student present their research in a conference-style setup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24850,"featured_media":63555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8416],"tags":[13471,13470,8972],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24850"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63534"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63561,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63534\/revisions\/63561"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/pardeeschool\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}