Boston University College of Arts & Sciences

Algae, disease-bearing ticks, erratic snowfall, tainted oysters, costly insurance, extreme temperatures—are these all signs of how climate change is affecting New England? College of Arts & Sciences professors Pamela Templer, Michael Deitze, David Demeritt, and Bruce Anderson weigh in. Read more: https://bit.ly/4kKEcWN

Can extreme heat impact the speed at which you age? A new study published in Science Advances showcased that prolonged heat exposure can affect and modify human genetics. NPR spoke with the Director of the Center of Innovation in Social Science and A&S Distinguished Professor of Sociology Deborah Carr to further understand the impact of extreme heat on communities. "It's just a tremendous strain not only on their own lives and the lives of their families and caregivers, but also has a larger societal impact," — Deborah Carr, NPR. Read more at NPR here: https://n.pr/4iIUsWq

Students in the Core Curriculum spent their Spring Break abroad in London for an experiential learning trip with Professors Brian Walsh and Maria Gapotchenko— an exciting opportunity to experience a city that has long been central to the global imagination and that affords access to some of the world’s richest collections of art and artifacts and to some of the most important sites related to authors and thinkers, that feature in the Core Curriculum. Students visited Chawton House in Chawton, once owned by Jane Austen's brother and now an archive of early women's writing, the Tower of London, Big Ben, Southwark Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, and more. Read more about the Core Curriculum, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year: https://lnkd.in/en2F9yub

As a gemologist and jewelry historian, Anna Rasche (CAS’09) has investigated the provenance of jewelry in private collections and prestigious institutions. Now, her expertise has informed her debut novel, The Stone Witch of Florence, set in 1348 during the Black Plague, and centered around a young girl who can harness the power of gemstones. “Part of my original epiphany moment was, okay, we have these powers of stone. So my main character is going to be a healer. And what more dramatic historical moment to set a healer?” Rasche asks. “I knew the plague had been bad in Florence. So I put those together.” Read more about Rasche's debut novel: https://bit.ly/3Fs9iCo

Today, we celebrate the College of Arts & Sciences' Charter Day, commemorating the day the College of Liberal Arts (now Arts & Sciences) was founded. ?? Check out a piece of our history with Daryl Healea, assistant dean for curriculum & enrollment services and a campus historian, to get a glimpse of what the college was like in 1873!

?? Introducing the CAS EL Connector! ?? The Experiential Learning (EL) Connector is a resource for CAS undergraduate students to?navigate and access experiential learning at BU and beyond. Experiential learning is the process of learning by doing. It happens when students apply knowledge and skills from the classroom to the world outside it ?? — and reflect on the boundless possibilities of their liberal arts education. At Boston University’s College of Arts & Sciences, we believe in the transformative power of experiential learning for our students and for the broader world. We are committed to ensuring that every CAS undergraduate student engages meaningfully in high-quality experiential learning during their time in the college, and our programming empowers students to discover the real-world applications of their Arts & Sciences degree. Learn more on our website: https://lnkd.in/dMQfivBq #Welcome #ExperientialLearning #LiberalArts #BUCAS #BostonUniversity

Giving Day is April 9 — are you up for the challenge? Help us maximize our support for Arts & Sciences on Giving Day! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4imhKBB

Hulu’s political thriller TV series “Paradise” depicts a perfect, egalitarian society, one that Assistant Professor of Sociology Jonathan Mijs helped create as the show’s technical consultant. To help build the “perfect” world, Mijs provided a sociological perspective on inequality in a society. "What's really powerful about the show is how it visualizes a lot of these themes that social scientists have been thinking and writing about, and makes it so visceral." — Jonathan Mijs, abc7NY. Read more at abc7NY: https://7ny.tv/4iuwy0D

New research discovered through using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides insight into the complexities of gas giant atmospheres through researching the brightness of planetary mass object SIMP 0136. Clare Boothe Luce Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow Allison McCarthy speaks with NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration, https://bit.ly/3RhrIcH, Futurism, Popular Science, and Daily Galaxy about these new discoveries. “We already knew that it varies in brightness, and we were confident that there are patchy cloud layers that rotate in and out of view and evolve over time. We also thought there could be temperature variations, chemical reactions, and possibly some effects of auroral activity affecting the brightness, but we weren’t sure.” — Allison McCarthy, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Read more at these publications. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration: https://lnkd.in/eUZZm4ZV https://bit.ly/3RhrIcH: https://bit.ly/3Fa9GoR Futurism: https://bit.ly/41MbyNs Popular Science: https://bit.ly/4iwp3q0 Daily Galaxy: https://bit.ly/4iwoUms

In the wildly popular show Severance, people undergo a procedure that “severs” their memories between work and home. But could this happen in real life? BU neuroscientist Steve Ramirez (CAS’10), who is also a fan of the show, explains if the show's science fiction could become a reality. “From a scholarship perspective, I really love what everyone else loves about the show, which is this idea that you could have two completely separate worlds of experiences with the same brain, and that you only have access to half of them, depending on—in this case—whether you’re outside of work or inside of work,” Ramirez says. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eRHeGzBj (Photo courtesy of Apple TV+)