Published: March 2016
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A taste of victory, music for a cause, and a Big Data conclave—scenes from the past four weeks.
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February 17: To fulfill a promise tied to the outcome of the 64th Beanpot tournament’s championship game, in which the Eagles men’s hockey team defeated the Terriers of Boston University 1-0, the latter institution’s dining services delivered and served more than 400 pieces of Raising Cane’s chicken fingers (with secret sauce and fries) to Boston College students in the lobby of McElroy Commons.
Photograph: Lee Pellegrini
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February 22: At the invitation of the Irish Studies Program, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh ’10 spoke in Gasson 100 about the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. U.S. Representative Richard Neal of Massachusetts, seated in the front row, fifth from right, also addressed the theme.
Photograph: Lee Pellegrini
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March 1: Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, filmmaker, and immigration-reform advocate Jose Antonio Vargas delivered the Spring 2016 Chambers Lecture in Gasson 100. The program was sponsored by the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics and the Carroll School of Management.
Photograph: Justin Knight
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March 2: As part of the Ignatian Society’s Lunches with Jesuits program, Mark Massa, SJ (seated, center), dean of the School of Theology and Ministry, hosted (from left) Tommy Borah ’18, chair of the student-led program, Faye Hubregsen ’17, Martha Veroneau ’17, Adelene Egan ’18, Greg Gaillardetz ’19, and MaryEllen Krah ’17 in the Jesuit dining room of St. Mary’s Hall.
Photograph: Gary Wayne Gilbert
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March 3: Sarah Rooney ’18 sang Jon McLaughlin’s “Beautiful Disaster” at this year’s “Sing It to the Heights,” the American Idol–inspired competition that raises money for music programs at Brighton’s St. Columbkille Partnership School (pre-K through 8). Three Jesuits (from left), Ryan Duns, a Ph.D. candidate in theology, Fidele Ingiyimbere, a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy, and Campus Ministry’s Donald MacMillan, served as judges.
Photograph: Christopher Huang
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March 3: William Supple ’19 took first place in the “Sing It to the Heights” contest with a rendition of the country tune “Tennessee Whiskey.” Supple, a member of the Bostonians a capella troupe, was accompanied by Colin Cross ’19. This year’s event raised $7,100 for the music programs at the St. Columbkille School.
Photograph: Christopher Huang
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March 3: Wynnm Murphy ’18, winner of last year’s “Sing It to the Heights,” performed a mash-up of “Control” by Kevin Garrett and “Where Are Ü Now” by Justin Bieber. Ryan Bradley ’18 accompanied her on keyboard. Sponsors of the event included the Emerging Leader Program; the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs; the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs; and the Robsham Theater Arts Center.
Photograph: Christopher Huang
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March 4: Diana Larsen, assistant director of the McMullen Museum, watches as a crew from the fine art handling firm Artex installs Christ and the Moneychangers, an undated oil painting by Washington Allston (1779–1843), one of more than 25 pieces from the University’s permanent collection that will be displayed in the conference center adjoining the Museum’s future home at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue on the Brighton Campus.
Photograph: Gary Wayne Gilbert
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March 4: The crew from Artex positions another painting from the University’s collection, S.S. Glenogle (oil on canvas, 1884) by Antonio Jacobsen (1850–1921), in a first floor stairway. The building will open in September.
Photograph: Gary Wayne Gilbert
March 16: Marvin Chow ’95, senior director of marketing at Google Inc., delivered the keynote talk at a day-long, University-wide symposium titled “Advancing Research and Scholarship at Boston College—Big Data.” Speaking in the Heights Room, Chow offered Google’s self-driving car as an example of a recent evolutionary development in digital data—namely, machine-learning.
Photograph: Gary Wayne Gilbert
March 16: In addition to 15 faculty and alumni speakers, the annual event dubbed Research Day highlighted 13 student projects involving this year’s Big Data theme—from tracking the genetic transmission of asthma to stock market forecasting. Computer science majors Ryan Reede ’16 (left) and Cameron Lunt ’17 (not shown) demonstrated the sensors used in virtual reality headsets such as the Oculus Rift being tried out in the foreground.
Photograph: Lee Pellegrini
March 16: During the second of two sessions featuring faculty research, associate professor of economics Julie Holland Mortimer (right), spoke about the role of Big Data in analyzing the effects of social policy (e.g., advertising regulation) in a changing economic environment. Her fellow presenters were associate professor of computer science Sergio Alvarez, who talked about machine learning involving artificial neural networks as an emerging nexus in interdisciplinary studies; and psychology professor Elizabeth Kensinger, who described her work on neuroimaging of brain networks.
Photograph: Lee Pellegrini
March 16: The presentations concluded with a discussion of the ethical issues posed by Big Data, featuring (from left) Neal H. Patel, head of human/social dynamics at Google; David Johnson ’75 of the private equity firm Blackstone Group; James Keenan, SJ, Canisius Professor of Theology and director of the Jesuit Institute; and Kevin Swindon, M.S.F.’11, a supervisory agent with the FBI (not shown).
Photograph: Lee Pellegrini