Find session slides, video recordings, and other materials from past events related to research on people and society.
Research on Tap: The Biology of Aging (2025)
How does aging work at the biological level? What can we do to promote health as we grow older? And what is the latest science on extending human vitality? As the global population ages rapidly, with those over 60 expected to double by 2050, the need for breakthroughs in aging research is more urgent than […]
Research on Tap: Tackling Cancer Through Multidisciplinary Research (2025)
Cancer remains one of the most complex and pressing challenges in medicine, requiring innovative approaches that span disciplines and perspectives. Advancing our understanding through research is critical to unlocking new prevention strategies, breakthrough treatments, and improved outcomes for patients worldwide. This Research on Tap will showcase the breadth of expertise driving progress in cancer prevention, […]
Research on Tap: AI and the Humanities (2025)
Artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of our lives, raising urgent questions about its implications for ethics, identity, and the health of our political and economic systems. At the same time, AI is opening new frontiers in humanities research—reshaping how we analyze complex texts, uncover historical insights, and approach critical fields like anthropology. At this […]
Research on Tap: How Social Policies Shape Our Lives from Birth to Old Age
Across the globe, governments are grappling with how to design policies that meet the needs of diverse and aging populations, address widening inequalities, and promote overall societal well-being. In the United States, debates over health care, economic safety nets, and education underscore the critical importance of evidence-based policy decisions. In this Research on Tap, we […]
Research on Tap: Addressing Health Inequities with a Health Economics Lens (2024)
From where we live and work to the education and income we receive, countless factors determine our health. These inequities aren’t random; they are rooted in the systems that govern our daily lives, including health care structures, employment markets, and public policies. Understanding how these drivers compound across individual, community, and societal levels and identifying […]
Research on Tap: Women’s Health and Cultivating a Research Community at BU (2024)
For much of the 20th century, clinical research predominantly involved male participants, with the assumption that findings would apply equally to women. Concerns about hormonal fluctuations and reproductive health risks led to the exclusion of women, particularly those of childbearing age. This exclusion resulted in a significant lack of data on how various diseases and […]
Research on Tap: Climate Change and Clean Energy (2024)
Fossil fuels have provided major benefits to populations in affordability and well-being but also created large impacts on the health of people and the planet. In the face of climate change, new and ongoing research aims to understand the interconnectedness of energy, society, and the environment and to develop new technologies and policies that drive […]
Research for Change: Social Justice Scholarship from BU Graduate Fellows (2024)
In celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the BU community is invited to a presentation of research talks highlighting scholarship from changemaking student researchers. Every year, Boston University awards a small number of prestigious graduate fellowships (honoring Clare Booth Luce, Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, Jr., and Lu Lingzi) to a select cohort […]
Research on Tap: BU and Africa (2024)
BU and Africa: Culture, Development, Health, Environment, and Governance Some are calling our times “the African Century” given the profound implications of the continent’s demographic transitions for African peoples and the world at large. By 2050, 2.5 billion people, more than 25 percent of all of the world’s population, will live in Africa, a number […]
Research on Tap: The Global Housing Crisis (2024)
The Global Housing Crisis: Lessons on Displacement, Affordability, and Homelessness Co-hosted by the BU Initiative on Cities In August 2023, the United Nations published a new report warning of an unsustainable affordable housing crisis, reaffirming their commitment to housing as a human right. This housing crisis is global, and it’s directly affecting Boston, a city […]