Photo: A large cast of people in costumes stand on a stage with a red background. They are wearing dresses and suits in various colors.

Alumni

CFA Alum Nominated for Tony Award for Best Sound Design on Into the Woods

Alex Neumann (CFA’09), a veteran of Broadway and off Broadway, calls sound design the “invisible medium” that audiences struggle to understand

June 7, 2023

SUMMER PUBLISHING SCHEDULE

BU Today will operate under a slightly reduced publishing schedule through mid-August. We will not publish an edition on Fridays, but if breaking news arises, we will cover it and post it. Our Saturday roundup email is also taking a break.

Latest Headlines

Alum’s New Memoir Chronicles Her Experience Coming Out at 38

Perfectly Queer details Jillian Abby’s journey to radical self-acceptance and happiness

June 7, 2023

Shared from
Communicating Science and Research—through Puppets

Cross-College Challenge class uses play and creativity to make science more accessible and improve researchers’ communication skills

May 16, 2023

Shared from
To Do Today: Bollywood Dance Performance

Enjoy performances inspired by the biggest Indian films

June 7, 2023
Unlocking the Power of Our Emotional Memory

Neuroscientists from BU show that it’s possible to turn the volume down on a negative memory by stimulating other, happier ones

2

October 3, 2022

Shared from

Photo: A man in a blue sweater sits on a modern leather couch staring out the window in NYC. Peter Shankman (CGS’92, COM’94), author of a new children's book on neurodiversity. Photo by Chris Sorensen for Boston University Photography.

Books

He Wrote a Book to Help Kids Deal with ADHD Better than He Did

Peter Shankman (CGS’92, COM’94) makes the most of neurodiversity

June 6, 2023

Photo: The LGBTQIA+ flag bellowing in the wind. The colors, from the right are white, pink, blue, brown, and black. They form a triangle pointing in. From the top, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.

PRIDE MONTH

Celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with These Events in and around Boston

From marches to drag bingo to movie screenings, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy Pride 2023

May 31, 2023

Photo: Gina Fiandaca, a white woman wearing a black shirt and light blue blazer, is shown looking at various screens of video footage of various MBTA stations.

Transportation

Gina Fiandaca Commuted to BU on the MBTA. Now, Her Job Is to Fix It

Questrom alum is new Massachusetts secretary of transportation

June 6, 2023

Latest Headlines

US Surgeon General Sounds the Alarm on Harmful Social Media Use among Youth during Visit to BU

Talking with US Senator Edward Markey (Hon.’04), Vivek Murthy says smartphones and social media apps exacerbate young people’s mental health challenges

June 6, 2023
To Do Today: Free Art Exhibition at the ICA Watershed

Take a healing journey through the artwork of Guadalupe Maravilla

June 6, 2023
Ibram Kendi, Joel Christian Gill Team up for New Graphic Version of Kendi’s Stamped From the Beginning

Collaboration offers a graphic history of American racism, intended for a broader readership

1

June 5, 2023
Pulitzer Prize–Winning Poet Carl Phillips Finds Inspiration in Mundanity

Alum describes getting lost on the page, and winning the most coveted prize in literature

June 5, 2023

Shared from

Today’s Close-up

Photo: Two young Black women smile and laugh as they wear golden and rainbow accessories. The table and room around them are decorated with rainbow flags and accessories, as well.

Celebrating Pride Month

Having fun with some props at the annual BU Pride Soiree for Faculty & Staff: Elana Harris, BU Arts Initiative staff administrative coordinator (left), and M.C. Damm, Newbury Center assistant director. The BU LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff and LGBTQIA+ Community Network held the event at the Dahoud Family Alumni Center on June 6.

Photo by Jake Belcher

View All Close-ups

Photo: Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano erupts in the background as Peter Schroedl, a person wearing black clothes, a face mask, orange neon vest collects specimens from volcanic rocks in the foreground.

Microbes

A Quest for Extreme Life—What Microbes Can Tell Us about Life on Earth and in Space

Boston University biologist Jeffrey Marlow visits the planet’s most hostile habitats to learn about how microbial communities form

April 24, 2023

Photo: Sheila del Bosque, a white-presenting woman wearing a yellow, blue, and white collared shirt and jeans, squats and poses with silver flute in left hand. She poses in front of large blue mural.

Things-to-do

To Do Today: Summer Concerts at Kendall Center

Free performances in Cambridge’s Galaxy Park return as part of the Berklee College of Music’s Summer in the City series

June 5, 2023

Music

What’s Hot in Music This Month: Local Concerts, New Releases

June brings new albums from Janelle Monáe and Niall Horan, as well as local shows from Bryan Adams and Ed Sheeran

June 1, 2023

Photo: A composite image of a horizontal shot of a peak on Mt. Everest. Snow covers the ground and the elevated areas while the sun is shining bright in the background. The layered image is of a white woman with a tangerine-colored snow jacket and blue snow pants. She stands with her arms relaxed, smiling for the camera. There is a white border frame around the image.

Alumni

Alum Who Climbed Everest Says She Grappled with “Grief, Loss, Friendship”

Rebecca Long (CAS’16) describes her trip this spring during one of the deadliest climbing seasons as “life-changing”

3 June 2, 2023

Photo: Spectators hold rainbow flag and cheer on the marchers as the Gay Pride Parade proceeds up Sixth Avenue in New York City on June 24, 2018.

Pride Month

POV: Celebrating Pride Month Amidst a Context of Gains and Setbacks for LGBTQIA+ Rights

We need to recognize the challenges the community still faces

June 1, 2023

Football

New BU Study Finds Tackle Football at Young Age Raises Risk for Brain Decline Later

Researchers discover playing football for more than 11 years is tied to less white matter in the brain, could lead to poor impulse control and thinking problems

5 March 6, 2023

Photo of a women wearing an athletic crop top and leggings punching the air as she speaks into a wireless headset on a bright, sunny day. A group of people in athletic wear can be seen copying her punch as they stand on the green lawn behind her. City buildings can be seen looming in the distance.

Things-to-do

To Do Today: Seaport Sweat

Back for its eighth season, Boston’s biggest free workout series hosts outdoor fitness classes throughout the summer

June 1, 2023

Photo: Fallou Ngom, professor of anthropology, poses for a photo on November 22, 2022. A black man wearing a grey medium-brimmed hat, light pink collared shirt, and navy blue blazer, poses with hand on chin and a soft smile as he sits in a chair.

Linguistics & Language Sciences

Unearthing a Long-Ignored African Writing System, One Researcher Finds African History, by Africans

BU anthropologist Fallou Ngom discovered Ajami, a modified Arabic script, in a box of his late father’s old papers

19 December 21, 2022

Photo: Mature woman is feeling bad during the heat wave in city

Climate and Health

Human Health Is Suffering Because of Climate Change

Public health experts at BU and Harvard are teaming up to diversify and expand the global network of climate and health researchers to reach better solutions

Alex Neumann (CFA’09), a veteran of Broadway and off Broadway, calls sound design the “invisible medium” that audiences struggle to understand

Latest Headlines

Perfectly Queer details Jillian Abby’s journey to radical self-acceptance and happiness

Cross-College Challenge class uses play and creativity to make science more accessible and improve researchers’ communication skills

Enjoy performances inspired by the biggest Indian films

Neuroscientists from BU show that it’s possible to turn the volume down on a negative memory by stimulating other, happier ones

Peter Shankman (CGS’92, COM’94) makes the most of neurodiversity

From marches to drag bingo to movie screenings, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy Pride 2023

Questrom alum is new Massachusetts secretary of transportation

Latest Headlines

Talking with US Senator Edward Markey (Hon.’04), Vivek Murthy says smartphones and social media apps exacerbate young people’s mental health challenges

Take a healing journey through the artwork of Guadalupe Maravilla

Collaboration offers a graphic history of American racism, intended for a broader readership

Alum describes getting lost on the page, and winning the most coveted prize in literature

Today’s Close-up

Boston University biologist Jeffrey Marlow visits the planet’s most hostile habitats to learn about how microbial communities form

Free performances in Cambridge’s Galaxy Park return as part of the Berklee College of Music’s Summer in the City series

June brings new albums from Janelle Monáe and Niall Horan, as well as local shows from Bryan Adams and Ed Sheeran

Rebecca Long (CAS’16) describes her trip this spring during one of the deadliest climbing seasons as “life-changing”

We need to recognize the challenges the community still faces

Researchers discover playing football for more than 11 years is tied to less white matter in the brain, could lead to poor impulse control and thinking problems

Back for its eighth season, Boston’s biggest free workout series hosts outdoor fitness classes throughout the summer

BU anthropologist Fallou Ngom discovered Ajami, a modified Arabic script, in a box of his late father’s old papers

Public health experts at BU and Harvard are teaming up to diversify and expand the global network of climate and health researchers to reach better solutions

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