New Director for the Hariri Institute for Computing
On July 1, Ioannis Paschalidis became the new director of the Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering. Paschalidis, a College of Engineering Distinguished Professor of Engineering and of computing and data sciences, will oversee the institute’s move into a new, eye-arresting building (the largest on the Charles River Campus), the Center for Computing & Data Sciences. Paschalidis replaces Eric Kolaczyk, who is leaving BU after almost a quarter of a century.
Casey Brown Named Women’s Soccer Head Coach
Brown (CGS’08, COM’10), a former player and assistant coach, returns to BU as women’s soccer head coach. She replaces Nancy Feldman, who retired in April 2022 after a legendary career that included 27 years leading the program.
BU’s 149th Commencement Sizzles
Boston University’s 149th Commencement was held on a sweltering Sunday: May 22, 2022. Despite the heat and humidity, family and friends cheered on the 3,648 undergrads and 4,113 advanced degree candidates. This year marked the first traditional Commencement since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LAW Clinical Professor Awarded Metcalf Cup and Prize
Constance A. Browne wins the 2022 Metcalf Cup and Prize. She teaches in the Civil Litigation & Justice Program clinic, supervising students as they represent low-income clients in unemployment, disability, housing, and other cases through Greater Boston Legal Services. The winner receives the University’s top honor and $10,000.
CARB-X wins $370 Million to Fight Antibiotic Resistance
CARB-X, a nonprofit global partnership that channels funding and expertise to companies for new antibiotics, vaccines, and rapid diagnostics, is receiving up to $370 million in additional funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Wellcome, a global charitable foundation.
Men’s Lacrosse Wins First Patriot League Title
For the first time in program history, the men’s lacrosse team wins the Patriot League. The Terriers claim their first trophy just one month shy of the ten-year anniversary of head coach Ryan Polley’s appointment.
Jay Pandolfo Named Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach
Former Terrier star and Boston Bruin Jay Pandolfo (CAS’96) replaces Albie O’Connell (CAS’99) to become the 13th head coach of the men’s ice hockey program, after less than a year as associate head coach. Pandolfo returned to BU in July 2021 after five seasons as assistant coach with the Boston Bruins.
BU’s New Robotics Lab Fosters Student Innovators
BU undergraduates and master’s students will explore robotics at a new College of Engineering lab. The $8.8 million, 2,000-square-foot Robotics and Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center, at the site of the former CVS at 730 Commonwealth Ave., will open in summer 2023.
NASA Boosts BU-led Effort to Model Solar System’s Protective Bubble
The SHIELD (Solar wind with Hydrogen Ion Exchange and Large-scale Dynamics) DRIVE Science Center has been awarded a new five-year grant to advance its breakthrough work in heliophysics. The funding will also support the team’s efforts to diversify the field of space physics.
University’s Admission Rate Drops to 14 Percent
The Class of 2026 stands to be BU’s strongest ever, with just 14 percent of a record 80,794 applicants admitted to a class of 3,100 freshmen. Over the past decade, BU’s admittance rate has dropped from 46 percent in 2012 to 14 percent in this year’s admissions season.
