News
The Power of Thank You
We had a great time celebrating the Class of 2024 at Monday’s Commencement ceremony. BU President ad interim Ken Freeman was our keynote speaker. He spoke powerfully about three lessons: just say “yes”; arrogance kills; and the power of “Thank you!”. He offered personal anecdotes from his forty-year career in business to illustrate the three lessons. In exploring the third, he asked, “When a person says ‘Thank you!’ to you, do you appreciate it? Do you know anyone that doesn’t appreciate receiving a heartfelt ‘Thank you!’ for their efforts?” In a touching moment, he asked our seniors, seated closely together in rows on the stage, to turn to a classmate and say “Thank you!” for their friendship and support during their time at BUA.
At this time of year, I find myself grateful for many things, but particularly for my colleagues on the faculty and staff. I’d like to say “Thank you!” to them by sharing here what I said about and to them at Commencement.
One of my favorite days of the year is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, when BUA is in session but the colleges many of our student attend are already on break. So many young BUA alumni come back to the school – walking from classroom to classroom, office to office looking for their teachers and mentors. I work with a special group of people. They are so much more than experts in their subjects; so much more than excellent in their administrative duties. Every time they ask a student to “Say more about that.” after making a thoughtful comment in class; spend time with a student in an extra help session; write a challenging comment in the margin of a paper; show up on the sidelines of a game; share a joke with a student; suggest that a student try a new club; or just even use a student’s name and ask how they are doing – they signal to these young people: “I see you. I’m here for you. I believe in you. You can count on me.” I am not surprised that our college-age alumni come back on that Tuesday or that many of them stay in touch with their BUA mentors for many years.
Work in schools is hard. It is tiring. It is often underappreciated. It is also extraordinarily fulfilling when you do it the way my colleagues do. And it is among the most important work a person can do. I am very lucky to work with these extraordinary educators.
BUA Hosts First Annual Senior Thesis Symposium
This year, BUA introduced a new forum to showcase the high-level research of our seniors. On May 13, 2024, BUA hosted its first annual Senior Thesis Symposium. The 53 members of the senior class presented their work at a poster session in the GSU’s Metcalf Hall, followed by individual thesis presentations. The topics ranged from CRISPR to cowboys, Euripides to the universe, fashion to existential philosophy, white roofs to Elie Wiesel. The Symposium offered a stage on which to celebrate our seniors and their remarkable thesis research, the academic culmination of their BUA experience: identifying a question worth exploring, seeking out mentorship, researching deeply, applying a critical analytical lens, communicating conclusions to a non-expert audience, and fielding questions. Read the complete list of 2024 Senior Thesis titles below – and prepare to be amazed!
Class of 2024 Senior Thesis Titles
The History and Ethics of CRISPR
The Ethical Dilemma of Busing in Massachusetts: Interrogating The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity
Heterosexual Relationships and Existential Freedom
German Romanticism: Music and Poetry
Green Capitalism or Eco-Socialism? Debating Economic Systems and Solutions for Climate Change in the Transportation Sector and Beyond
A Statistical Analysis of the Value of a Stolen BaseForging a Future for Taiwan and its Independence
CRISPR Activation for SynGAP Upregulation in Haploinsufficient Mice
Neuroregenerative Applications of STEM Cell-Loaded Extracellular Vesicles in Biocompatible Hydrogels: Insights from Nonhuman Primate Mode
Cowboys, Reality, Reputation, and Replica
Representations of Urbanization in 19th Century American Art
My Alcestis: Translating Euripides for a Modern Audience
Analysis of experimental data to identify axion-like dark matter spectral signatures
An Analysis of Eastern and Western Foreign Investment with a Focus on the Balkans; The Stall and the Lack of Transparency of the Modern European Union
Patient Sex Drives Differential Transcriptional Regulation in Pancreatic Cancer
Investigating HIV Defective Viruses through CRISPR-Cas9 and Self Inactivating Vectors
Summertime Impact of White Roofs on Building Energy Balance and Air Conditioning Flux
Social Media and Indigenous Language Revitalization
Molecular gastronomy in the everyday kitchen
Suspiria: Female Bodies and Horror Cinema
The Use of Formal Versus Informal Pronouns In Standard German
Fostering Success for Minority-Owned Businesses
I Buy, Therefore I Am: How Existentialist Philosophies Have Influenced the Modern Marketplace
Modeling the Impacts of Climate Change on Tuberculosis
Dynamics of the PVC Flooring Market: A Comprehensive Analysis of American Sectors
Asian American Silence: Appealing to Whiteness
The Effects of Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 Inhibitors on Rat Cardiomyocytes
Rethinking the American Dream
Utilizing Machine Learning Methods in Genome Scale Stoichiometric Models of P. simiae with COMETS
Validation of pPDH as a marker for inhibition of serotonergic neurons
Looking Up: Shifting Views in Observational Cosmology from the Classics to the Contemporary Period
Activation of the Complement System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
The Effect of Fetal and Neonatal Environmental Exposures on Developmental and Degenerative Neurological Disorders
Characterizing Recruitment of CBP Binding Domains
Using Stellar Remnants to Understand How Often Massive Stars Form Planets
Cryopreservation Practices for Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Potential Effects During CpG Stimulation
Fashion Collection: Resilient Life
Race is a Roadblock, Even in Sports Journalism
A Case Study Analysis of Restorative Justice in Schools
Visual Representations of the Effect of Media on Teenagers’ Mental Health and Well-being
Visualizing Amyloid Fibrils: A Computational Chemistry Study
Developing and Applying an Inclusive Polygenic Risk Score to Alzheimer’s Related Traits
A Philosophical Approach on Realism: An International Relations Story
Nikhil Rich: “Playing Out:” Harmonic Freedom in Jazz Fusion Improvisation
A Brief Introduction to System Dynamics
Understanding Economics through Music Sentiment
Before the Boston Busing Crisis of 1974: Voices from the Freedom Schools
Predicting Oral Drug Elimination Half-life In Humans Using Regression Models
Drugs, Cults, and the Patriarchy: artistic and cultural understanding of the Maenads in late 5th-Century Athens Art
Modeling Rhizobacterial Colonization of Plant Roots in COMETS
Millcaster State
Improving vaccine uptake through machine learning: training and validation of a prediction model for seasonal influenza vaccine uptake
Teacher Appreciation
The coming days will be exciting ones for the whole school and include chances to celebrate the Class of 2024: Senior Thesis Symposium, Senior Dinner, Field Day, Senior Week events, Prom, and Commencement a week from Monday. While these goodbyes are bittersweet, we are looking forward to being together.
This week, we marked Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you to the parents who contributed the meals our teachers and staff enjoyed. Thanks to the students who offered their kudos. You might have seen the posts on social media where BUA students shared things they appreciate most in their teachers. Here’s some of what they wrote. “Their passion for learning brings me so much joy.” “They take the time to really listen to you and give you honest and helpful advice.” “They enable me to be excited to ask questions :)” “Their personalities” “Their incredible dedication and commitment to teaching” “They’re all show up first and leave last kind of people.” “They’re so willing to take time out of their day to help you, both academically and in life.” “They’re all super funny and relatable!” “Their genuine willingness to help students succeed!” As usual, they said it best.
Thank you to my colleagues for their dedication, hard work, creativity, partnership, inspiration, and commitment to knowing and caring for each student as an individual. Teaching is among the most meaningful and important work one can do, and BUA teachers do it extraordinarily well. We are lucky to have them.
Our Seniors
As the calendar flips to May, I’m thinking a lot about our seniors and everything they have brought to this community. We started together – they and I – in the height of the pandemic. Smiling behind masks and sitting six feet apart, they forged friendships that will last well beyond their time at BUA. They supported one another through the loss of a beloved teacher whom many of them carry in their hearts. The teams they played on brought trophies and, much more importantly, brought us all together. As seniors, they have made it their mission to deepen that community spirit. Part of their legacy will be a new tradition they, along with younger peers on Student Council, lovingly named the Federal Bureau of Intrepids (FBI) – a yearlong competition involving all students across the four grades; students are assigned to one of eight color teams, which vie for points in all kinds of contests. Several of our all-school meetings have been given over to FBI shenanigans and have been highpoints of the year. I hope that when the Class of 2024 comes back for its tenth reunion the FBI is still going strong. Our seniors are leaving BUA so much better than they found it. I’m looking forward to the many chances we’ll have in the next several weeks to celebrate them. And I’m starting to miss them already.
Lobstah Bots Robotics Team Nets Honors at New England District Championships
BUA's robotics team, the Lobstah Bots, participated in the FIRST Robotics New England District Championships in Springfield, MA in early April 2024. Although the team fell short of qualifying for the world championships, it performed at a high level on the field: on the final day of competition, the Lobstah Bots won the FIRST Innovation in Control Award, which is given to a robot with an “innovative and unique” control scheme that is “integrated with the machine, human players, and strategy” in both concept and execution. Its practical and sleek mechanical design, paired with impressive auto-align and LED signaling in software, made the team's robot -- dubbed "The Woodpecker" -- stand out from the crowd.
This has been one of the team's most competitive and successful seasons in its history. In February, the Lobstah Bots were invited to present their work and robot at the International Society for Laboratory and Automation Screening Conference (SLAS 2024), held at the Boston Convention Center. The team showed off their robots to attendees, explored the exhibit hall, and learned a lot about biology and lab automation automation along the way. The event served as a great opportunity for the team to network with companies and see what robotics can look like in a professional industry.
Over March break, the Lobstah Bots competed in two district competitions. At their first competition, they clawed their way to 4th place out of 36 teams after the qualifying matches, and captained the 4th-seed team in the playoffs. The team also earned the Quality Award for the construction and design of their robot. At their second competition, the team was the 1st pick of the 5th-seed team for playoffs, and won the Judge’s Award for their branding and robot design. As one judge noted, "This team is so well rounded you’d think they're on a roll. In the last few years they’ve made a 'splash' in terms of branding, recognition, and robot design. Their robot may be small, but they’re mighty in a pinch.” Drive team member Kendree Chen '25 was named a FIRST Robotics Dean’s List District Championship Semi-Finalist. The Dean's List award is presented to just 10 students in the entire league for their leadership, contributions to their team, technical expertise, and passion for robotics.
Thanks to the tireless leadership of team captain George Baltus '24; the mentorship of Veronica Hui from BU's College of Engineering; and the cheerful and unwavering support of faculty advisor Marie-Claire Guidoux, the Lobstah Bots built a supportive, passionate, hardworking culture that took the team far. As captain George Baltus said, “While I’m sad to graduate and leave the team this year, I couldn’t choose a better group of people to continue leading it into the future!”
Congratulations to the entire Lobstah Bots team on a claw-some season!
An Admissions Thank You
We are wrapping our admissions season – and what a season it was. We received more applications than ever in the school’s history. We were more selective than we’ve ever been. We are fully enrolled for the fall. We extended financial aid funding to every student we felt should be here, again maintaining no financial aid waitlist – a testament to our values and a product of the philanthropic generosity of our community. Most importantly, in the fall we will welcome an extraordinarily talented, kind, curious, diverse group of new students. I can’t wait for you to meet them!
I’m writing to thank all of you who played a role in this year’s admission season. It is the work of many hands. Thank you to the dozens of BUA alumni who conducted admissions interviews and participated in panels. Thank you to our parents who shared their experiences at events, reached out individually to prospective families, and spread the good word about BUA in their communities. Thank you to our extraordinary student tour guides, panelists, and revisit-day hosts for showing our applicants and their families who we are. Thank you to our faculty and staff for welcoming admitted students into their classrooms, offering master classes online, and following up with applicants with a passion in a particular area. And thanks to the members of our admissions team, whose personal approach, warmth, and professionalism really set us apart. They – and all of you – are a key part of how we perpetuate this culture we are so proud of. Thank you.
Getting Down to Work
Last Sunday, many of our families celebrated Easter, with others set to celebrate in early May according to the Orthodox calendar. I wish you all a happy and blessed Paschal season. I also extend warm wishes to our Muslim families who mark Ramadan this month and Eid next week. Eid Mubarak.
With their teacher away from school attending a national art educator conference, I had the pleasure of covering a first-period painting class this morning. Before class, I sat at the teacher’s desk clicking away at my keyboard, focused too much on clearing my inbox and looking up every few moments to greet students as they settled in. At 8:55, the bell rang to mark the start of class. I closed my laptop screen, stood up, and found ten students seated around the room. They had brushes in hand, paint palettes on trays in front of them, and heads down engrossed in their work – nearly photo realistic oil paintings of fruit. I felt a little bad interrupting them to praise them for their focus and initiative! The experience is not limited to art. I’ve been in similar situations watching students initiate discussions in English class themselves when the teacher had to step out or students in math working on problems up at the board even before the start bell rings.
What’s different about the kids here? Their motivation is intrinsic. They own their learning. I know I speak for all of my colleagues when I say how much of a joy it is to work with these young people and how proud we are of the culture we have built together.
Purpose through Research and Action that Matter
This week, we heard from two BUA alumni at all-school meetings. Dheekshita Kumar ‘16 spoke about her career as an entrepreneur and the ways her BUA experience set her down that path. She told us about the time when she and her friends published a book of poetry as high schoolers with the support and guidance of their English teacher, who demystified self-publishing. She described the process of envisioning and launching BUA’s middle school model UN tournament (BUAMUN), which has now become an institution. The confidence she gained from her experiences bringing an idea to life at BUA gave her a lifelong I-can-do-that attitude, which has translated into entrepreneurial success at an early age during and after college doing socially meaningful work.
We also heard from Jon Freeman ’04, the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Jon is a professor and researcher at Columbia University studying social psychology, combining that field with neural imaging to better understand decision-making broadly and implicit bias more specifically. He has also done some important data-gathering work related to LGBTQ+ representation in STEM. He described the BUA roots of his passion for psychology and neuroscience, having had a chance to explore those fields in BU courses as a high schooler. He has found a way in his adult life to take those areas of academic passion and produce insights and data that are changing the way we think about stereotype, bias, and a range of related – sometimes life and death – issues.
BUA’s strategic vision challenges us to help students “find purpose through research and action that matter.” We know that having a sense of purpose is one of the central components of emotional well being. Purpose is different than passion; it involves finding ways to contribute to something important and bigger than ourselves. I am delighted that we have graduates like Dheekshita and John who model that and inspire today’s BUA students to start on their path to purpose while they are here with us.
Global Trips and the Wall-Less Classroom
In just a few hours, 50 BUA students, guided by trip leaders from the faculty and staff, will be heading off on three place-based intellectual adventures. One group is off to Istanbul, where they will build on their BUA study of classical history, modern politics and culture, and geometry through Ottoman architecture and ornamentation. Another is off to Paris for a hands-on literary experience, visiting the places that so many of the expat writers from their American Literature course frequented and engaging in daily writing assignments while there. The third group heads to New York City for an art-focused whirlwind – jazz clubs, museums, operas, plays, and more – supplementing the work they do every day in the BUA studio, theater, and music room. These are not sightseeing trips. They are a wall-less version of the BUA classroom. I am grateful to all the faculty and staff members who have worked so hard to create these opportunities and to our students for choosing to learn together in this adventurous way over break. I wish them all wonderful trips!
Asking Good Questions
Yesterday, our 10th graders took part in a lunch talk with Dr. Ingrid Anderson, the Associate Director of BU’s Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies. Dr. Anderson, who received her doctorate at BU, took many classes with Elie Wiesel when he was a professor here, worked closely with him, and has done a great deal of research and writing focused on Wiesel and his work. The students are in the midst of a unit in their history course exploring the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel. They recently read Elie Wiesel’s Night, the famous memoir of Wiesel’s experience at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during the Holocaust, and will be reading Wiesel’s Dawn shortly, a fictional work set in the immediate postwar period. Dr. Anderson shared personal stories about what Wiesel was like as a teacher and mentor, explored his views on morality and politics, described the hundreds of pieces of correspondence he received daily, and celebrated Wiesel’s lifelong advocacy for human rights. How rare and special to get this kind of first-hand view into the life and mind of such an important historical figure.
The talk made a powerful impression on me. So too did the students’ questions. They asked about the line between morality and politics; how Wiesel might react to contemporary events in America and in the Middle East; what his relationship with God was like and how it changed as he went through life; how he squared the horrors he had experienced with his faith; his connection with the Book of Job; and more. The ability to ask good questions is a critical skill, particularly now – in an era where misinformation and disinformation are rampant, social media feeds and news outlets cater to our points of view, and society and politics push us into ideological silos. BUA’s curriculum has always had critical thinking – and questioning – at its core. It was inspiring to see that in action.