Student Updates

BUMC Community Spreads Message of Inclusivity at March for Science

Determined to communicate their message of inclusivity and support for science, nearly 100 of BUMC faculty, staff and students braved the rainy, chilly weather to carry colorful -- and sometimes politically nuanced -- signs as they marched toward Boston Common for the March for Science on Saturday afternoon.

Although their motivations for participating were varied, they all hoped to share positive messages about the impact science has on their lives and the need to have their voices heard.

Linda Hyman, PhD, associate provost of the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, said she decided to march because it is important to communicate to the community at large that science is important, science saves lives and science is part of our everyday lives.

“What keeps me up at night is the training of the future leaders of the biomedical workforce,” Hyman said. “I am concerned that we are sending the message that science isn’t as important as it used to be.”

Ben Wolozin, MD, PhD, professor of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, said he was inspired to participate in the March for Science in order to stand up for what he calls “evidence-based policy.”

“I don’t see how a company can run without addressing facts, I don’t see how you can plan your budget at home without addressing facts, and I don’t see how the government or Americans can address the future well without addressing facts,” he said.

Wolozin, whose research focuses on the causes of, and potential treatments for, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, said funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health would have far-reaching effects.

“Just the threat of funding cuts to the National Institutes of Health has had an impact on science,” Wolozin said.

Jasmeet Hayes, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and research psychologist at the National Center for PTSD at the VA Boston Healthcare System, marched in order to speak up for military personnel and veterans.

“It is fundamentally important to support science,” Hayes said. “There are still a lot of treatments that don’t work for everybody, so we have to continue the scientific process and come up with the treatments that help as many people as we can.”

Hayes, whose research involves examining the effects of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury on the brain and cognition for military personnel and veterans, said she hoped marching would raise awareness that science can affect people on a personal, day-to-day level.

“The bottom line is if you support our veterans, you need to support science,” Hayes said.

PhD candidate Alicia Wooten was one of the featured speakers at the event. Wooten is deaf, and took the opportunity to discuss the importance of inclusivity in science.

“I didn’t need to hear a single thing to know that I could make a difference in science, despite other people’s doubt,” Wooten said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of disability you have, or the color of your skin or your gender. It is about what you can bring to the table. I am a scientist who just happens to be deaf.”

Brad Zehr, a fourth-year medical student, is concerned about the national dialogue surrounding science. He feels science is being disrespected on many levels. As a student looking forward to starting his residency, he said he could be especially impacted by potential funding cuts.

“Part of the responsibility of having the privilege of being so highly educated is to be very public about why we need to respect science and fund science,” he said. “Suddenly it’s very real to me when science is threatened because that is going to be my livelihood. We need to be the generation that stands up for science.”

See the Facebook album for more photos of the March.

April 13 Earth Day Festival

Thursday, April 13
11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Talbot Green

This year’s theme is #BUClimateAction, given the University’s current work to develop a Climate Action Plan that is integrated with its Strategic Plan.

The Earth Day Festival is an educational and dynamic event that brings together local businesses, nonprofits, BU departments, student organizations and more to share interactive and fun activities outdoors. The event draws a large crowd of community members to celebrate sustainability together.

Come learn more about how you can get involved with sustainability and climate action efforts on and off campus!

Learn about decreasing your local carbon footprint, cheer on the BMC Marathon Team, visit the City Hall To Go Van for important documents like getting a recycling sticker, and more!

Visit the BU Sustainability website for more information.

Nominations for 2017 BUMC Emerging Leaders Program

The Provost's Office is looking for candidates for the 2017 Medical Campus Emerging Leaders Program. The two-day workshop will be held on August 9 & 10 at BU’s Questrom School of Business (on the Charles River Campus) focuses on developing the leadership skills of some of our most promising junior faculty.

Sessions taught by faculty who teach in the health management MBA program will cover:

• Negotiating skills
• Leadership styles
• Financial decision making

Eligible faculty are:

• Late assistant professor or early associate professor with a full-time appointment at one of the three Medical Campus schools
• Willing to commit to attending both full days of leadership skills training
• Effective, innovative, reliable, and capable of mobilizing and energizing others

Interested? Please discuss this with your department chair or center director who should submit your name, CV, and a brief description of your promise as a leader (paragraph or two, no more than one page) by April 21 to ttran16@bu.edu.

Chairs/Center Directors: Two, diverse candidates from each department preferred.

Candidates will be chosen on the strength of their promise as a leader, balance across schools and diversity of candidates’ backgrounds and expertise.

Alumni Medical Library Offering Assistance to BUMC Authors

While preparing a manuscript for publication, one of an author’s chief concerns is plagiarism as even the accidental misuse of published material or the inclusion of insufficient citations can lead to serious consequences.

As a free service to authors on the Medical Campus, the Alumni Medical Library uses a program called TurnItIn to produce detailed Originality Reports, which flag each potential occurrence of plagiarism in the document along with providing an overall score indicating the possibility of plagiarism. The Librarians also provide context and commentary regarding these scores, as they can be a bit confusing to individuals unfamiliar with TurnItIn.

If you would like to make use of this service, please contact David Flynn.

April 17 Patriot’s Day Parking and Transportation Information

Patriot's Day will be celebrated on Monday, April 17.

Shuttle: No Daytime Service on Patriot’s Day for Boston University Shuttle. Late night service begins at 10 p.m.

MBTA: Commuter rail trains will operate on a regular weekday schedule. Buses will operate a weekday schedule. Some routes will be detoured at certain times during Marathon Monday to prevent disruption to the race or other Patriots’ Day events. For additional information on routes and schedules for Patriot’s Day, visit http://www.mbta.com/events/

Parking: All Parking facilities will be open. Employees should park in their assigned garages.

If you have any questions regarding this holiday schedule, please call the TranSComm Office of Transportation Services at 638-7473 or the Parking Office at 638-4915.