SEPTEMBER 2023

NEWS FROM THE SCHILLER INSTITUTE FOR INTEGRATED SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

WELCOME FROM LAURA J. STEINBERG

One year ago, the Schiller Institute sent out its first newsletter. So much has happened since then, and we have much to tell you about the coming academic year. This issue describes some of our upcoming programs, and includes features showcasing our talented faculty and students. While our gaze is very much on the future, please take some time to read our annual report to get a sense of what we accomplished in the past year.

In this first issue of SchillerNow for academic year 2023–24, we announce our latest group of internal faculty seed grant recipients, who were awarded funding through our new SI-RITEA program and the third year of our SI-GECS grant program. And, we feature some of our past grantees discussing how they parlayed their Schiller grants into even more impactful opportunities.

On the student side, in June we welcomed back the first cohort from our community-engaged course when they returned from Cambodia. In this issue, you will also learn about our Student Board, who will be getting to work this semester promoting our mission through greater student engagement. Students should consider our special Climate Change Professional Dinner & Networking Night, which will be held on October 26 in partnership with the Career Center and the Alumni Association.

We will again offer several programming options for faculty, from interdisciplinary seminars from “lunch and learn” events to faculty mixers.

We are excited to see you at our programs and events in the coming semester. Please reach out and be part of our community.

Professor Laura J. Steinberg

Seidner Family Executive Director, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society

RESEARCH FOR SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACT SYMPOSIUM »

Join us on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 12:30 to 2 p.m., to hear Schiller faculty and students discuss their research about children’s well-being in Chelsea, MA, Afghan refugee health, virtue ethics in higher education, and creating sustainability-based video games. Lunch will be provided. Register for this and two additional research symposia here. »

GARY BRUDVIG, SCHILLER INSTITUTE DISTINGUISHED LECTURE »

Gary Brudvig, professor of molecular biophysics and biochemistry and the director of the Yale Energy Sciences Institute, will present a seminar titled "Water Oxidation Catalysis for Artificial Photosynthesis." This seminar will be of particular interest to faculty and students of chemistry, physics, and biology. More information. »

CLIMATE CHANGE PROFESSIONAL DINNER & NETWORKING NIGHT »

We’re partnering with the Career Center and Alumni Association to provide a networking opportunity for students to practice their networking skills with BC alumni working in climate change-related careers. Dinner and tips on networking included! Registration required (note: link opens in Handshake, which requires a student login). »

TWO GREAT LECTURES CO-SPONSORED WITH THE LOWELL HUMANITIES SERIES »

Schiller is co-sponsoring two upcoming talks in the Lowell Humanities Series. Join us as we welcome Suzanne Simard: “Finding the Mother Tree” on September 27 and Kate Brown: “The Interminable Cycles of Chernobyl’s Catastrophes: War, Accident, and War Again” on October 25. More information. »

New Schiller Seed Grant Awardees and a New Grant Program »

The third year of Schiller Institute grantees have begun work on their interdisciplinary co-led projects. Schiller also created a new grant program for BC faculty that aims to create and bolster community partnerships in the Boston area and study critical issues as experienced in the Global South. Read more »

Students Return from Life-Changing Experience in Cambodia»

The students in Schiller’s first community-engaged course have returned from their transformative experience in Cambodia. The two teams of students presented on their projects at the start of the semester and discussed how the experience changed them. Read more »

Schiller Institute Student Board Is Prepared to Further Mission»

Schiller now has a Student Board comprised of undergraduate and graduate students. The board seeks to promote the mission of the Schiller Institute, increase student engagement across campus, and provide greater opportunities through their leadership. Read more »

Grantees Extend Seed Funding for Deeper Impact

BC faculty who received Schiller interdisciplinary seed grants have deepened the impact of their important research through major conference awards, an Emmy nomination, and other avenues. Read more.

Program on Global Ethics and Social Trust Launches 

Schiller is proud to support BC’s new program on Global Ethics and Social Trust. This initiative convenes top scholars from around the world to address the ethical dimensions of urgent global issues and the implications for our academic, political, and religious communities. Learn more.

Award Granted to BC-affiliated Researcher

Clare Singer, an advisee of Schiller Core faculty member Yi Ming, received the prestigious NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellowship. The program's goal is to train the next generation of leading climate studies researchers.

NSF CAREER Award Granted to Avneet Hira

We would like to congratulate our colleague, Avneet Hira, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering, who was awarded an NSF CAREER grant, the institution’s most prestigious honor in support of a junior faculty member who exemplifies the role of teacher-scholar. Read more.

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