Schiller Institute Student Board is Prepared to Further Mission
by Maura Kelly
Too many Boston College students don’t know that the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society is very cool—or, at least, they don’t know about one of the coolest things that the organization does, according to junior Lily Fleming. They send undergraduates, grad students, and faculty to the United Nation’s annual Climate Change Conference—better known as COP—as part of BC’s delegation.
“This is an incredible opportunity that more students should be aware of and apply to,” Fleming says. She is helping to spread the word about not only COP but the institute’s work in general as a member of the newly-formed Schiller Student Board.
Creating the group seemed like the obvious move after Schiller’s staff members conducted focus groups with students, a process that began in the spring of 2022. The goal was “to better understand how students see the Schiller Institute as providing them with bridging opportunities,” says Jim West, Assistant Director of Programs for Schiller, “and to discuss the ways we can support students. The Schiller Student Board launched as the logical next step in deepening student engagement.”
To assemble the board, West and Greg Adelsberger, Schiller’s Director of Finance and Operations, reviewed an abundance of student applications. “We wanted to represent the diverse university population, so we tried to select a group that included a variety of disciplines, experience and cultural perspectives,” Adelsberger explains, noting that such representative diversity will continue to be a key element through the years ahead.
Fleming—a model of diverse interests, majoring in Elementary Education, Transformative Educational Studies, and Perspectives on Spanish America—applied to be part of the board after being encouraged to do so by her mentor, Associate Dean Julia DeVoy. “Dean DeVoy knows about my interest in climate justice and sustainability, and my desire to be involved as much as possible at Boston College,” Fleming explains.
Another board member—oceanographer and wetland scientist Jake Supino, M.Sc., who is pursuing a Ph.D. through the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences—was invited to apply by Schiller faculty members who saw him shine in Sharm el-Sheik, at COP27. “The Board provides leadership opportunities for exceptional students interested in energy, environment and health,” says West. He adds, “Their leadership allows Schiller to more fully realize its mission to support interdisciplinary work for students interested in our three focus areas.
”Student members began to meet in spring 2023. “The board's primary focus last semester was on working to establish a long-term board structure, procedures for recruiting additional members, and developing a pipeline mechanism for long-term viability,” says Adelsberger. The group also developed bylaws that “lay out optimal board size, the balance between undergraduate and graduate members, term lengths and limits, expected member commitments, decision-making processes, and more,” says Hayoung Cho, a third-year undergraduate who is double majoring in Chemistry and Human-Centered Engineering. They’ll vote to formalize those bylaws at this semester’s first meeting. Longer-term goals include developing innovative programming, communications channels, and engagement activities that increase student involvement in, and awareness of, the institute’s people and work.
“Schiller is really digging their heels into getting students on the ground, and involved in global issues, which is going to be so important for those entering the workforce soon,” says Supino. “Involving students with opportunities to go abroad and work on complex issues—and to work with the awesome faculty affiliated with the Institute—is going to be instrumental in making students global citizens who will be able to work towards a better future.”
Supino studies biogeochemical cycling in tidal wetlands as a way to assess ecosystem metabolisms, as a means of measuring alterations in tidal marshes due to climate change; his work also helps to predict how tidal marshes might change in the future, and to evaluate the efficacy of climate change mitigation techniques. His research, he notes, is fundamentally aligned with Schiller’s mission, in that it’s about applying scientific knowledge to real world problems. “Climate change and sea level rise pose a real rise to the livelihoods of people who live on the coasts,” he notes. “I'm particularly interested in how science, policy, and technology can change the future of climate change when we're able to work together.
”What do the board members most hope their group will accomplish? “I would personally love to see Schiller sponsor more interdisciplinary research opportunities and service learning experiences,” says Cho. “Both avenues not only foster academic growth but also encourage holistic development by integrating diverse fields of study and community engagement. I am particularly enthusiastic about the possibility of introducing more research conferences and increasing the availability of grants for both undergraduate and graduate students. Making grants more accessible would empower more students to pursue and delve deeper into their research interests, leading to greater innovation and understanding in various fields.”
Fleming had a similar answer. “I would love to see another climate or sustainability competition focused on design thinking methods,” she says. “I feel that it is our responsibility as a university to bring together innovation and humanitarianism, as that best reflects our Jesuit values as well as our academic prowess. Personally, I feel as though we should be doing more as a university to research sustainability and climate, so that we can be a part of positive change for the future.”