Schiller Institute names 22 faculty to new affiliates program

By Stephanie M. McPherson

The Schiller Institute has invited 22 faculty members to join the inaugural cohort of Schiller Institute Affiliate Faculty. This group includes representatives from colleges and departments across the university, and will help guide the Institute as it develops programs, searches for Schiller Core Faculty, and funds new interdisciplinary research around campus. 

“These affiliates are faculty who are researchers in the Schiller Institute’s key focus areas of energy, environment, and health, and who have demonstrated interest in working with the Schiller Institute to integrate disciplinary knowledge in new and interesting ways,” says Laura J. Steinberg, Seidner Family Executive Director of the Schiller Institute.“They are collaborative scholars who will help us explain and extend the work of the Schiller Institute within their schools, throughout campus, and beyond.”

The Schiller Institute has so far enjoyed the help of volunteers to further its mission of addressing critical societal issues in the areas of energy, health, and the environment. BC faculty have supported this by serving on search committees, planning data lunches, and reviewing grant proposals. 

“We relied on a lot of goodwill,” says Steinberg. “People find a great deal of enjoyment in going beyond the boundaries of their own departments in working with us. I'm always surprised by the generosity that our participating faculty have shown in working with us.”

Formalizing these relationships will bring benefits to all involved. Affiliates will act as a team of experts available as needed to provide their perspectives on future Institute programs and hires. They will be active for two-year terms, with the potential for renewal once the initial two years have ended. In return, they will have access to Schiller staff, who can aid in interdisciplinary grant writing and facilitating partnerships on and off campus. They will also have access to a reserve fund meant to support activities related to the mission of Schiller, and have the option to apply for use of the Schiller Convening space and housing of their research efforts of graduate and undergraduate researchers in 245 Beacon. 

“The folks affiliated with Schiller share a common vision to generate a new sort of intellectual community at BC and it has been enjoyable to be part of the effort,” says John Christianson, Chair of Psychology and Neuroscience, and newly minted Schiller Affiliate. Christianson’s investment in the Institute goes back to its roots – he was part of the team that made recommendations for what would eventually become the Schiller Institute. He had also previously participated in a search committee for new Core faculty in Climate and Health. 

Karen Lyons, another Affiliate, is a health psychologist and gerontologist in the Connell School of Nursing, studying the effect of climate change on the lived environment and mental health of the older generation and their families that care for them. The Institute presentations she has attended have opened her eyes to the possibilities of interdisciplinary research within and outside of Boston College. She was a co-investigator on one of the first SIGECS grants, acted on a search committee, and served as a grant reviewer. 

“It is a privilege to be part of this initial faculty cohort and one of the representatives for the Connell School of Nursing,” she says. “I am excited about …the rich opportunities provided to connect with other faculty across the campus from many different disciplines as we address the public health needs around health, climate, and the environment.”