Professor Voices » Kira Jastive

Alum pledges $25 million to BU; largest gift in school history

Kira Jastive — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:45:48 +0000

Rajen Kilachand, a Dubai-based global entrepreneur, has pledged $25 million to Boston University, announced BU President Robert A. Brown. Kilachand’s contribution, the largest in school history, will support and rename the University’s Honors College in honor of his parents, whose full name will become the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College.

Kilachand, who earned an MBA from the Boston University Graduate School of Management in 1974 and is a member of BU’s Board of Trustees, is chair and president of the Dodsal Group, a multinational conglomerate that holds interests in engineering, mining, trading, and hospitality businesses.

“Rajen Kilachand is a person of extraordinary foresight and rare generosity. I am deeply grateful for his vision and his commitment to our Honors College, which serves our highest achieving students,” said Brown. “His magnificent gift will create an endowment for the Kilachand Honors College that will increase the quality of this innovative program and the range of opportunities it offers for all future generations of Boston University students. Equally as important as his gift, is his insightful understanding of the enduring importance of undergraduate education, both to him and to the University.”

For more information, read the complete press release here.

Arsenic in apple juice?

Kira Jastive — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:54:11 +0000

Joan Salge Blake, clinical associate professor of nutrition and a registered dietician, weighs in on the controversy surrounding how “The Dr. Oz Show” yesterday aired a segment about unsafe levels of arsenic in many brands of apple juice. The FDA, however, has called the show’s testing methods “erroneous” and “misleading” since they only looked at total levels of arsenic rather than distinguishing between the organic and inorganic types. The agency asserts that apple juice is safe and does not contain harmful levels of arsenic.

According to Salge Blake:

“Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment as well as from contamination by humans. Inorganic arsenic is the harmful kind, so just like with cholesterol, getting a measurement of total arsenic doesn’t say very much.

“The FDA has been tracking the potential contamination in apples and other juices for years and concludes that there is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking apple juice.

“However, on another note, children ages 2 to 18 years consume more than half of their fruit intake as juice. Unfortunately, 100% juice lacks the fiber in whole fruits and when consumed in excess, can displace other healthy beverages, such as fat-free and low fat milk. While 100% fruit juice can be part of a well-balanced healthy diet, the majority of American’s daily fruit intake, young and old, should be from whole fruit.”

Contact Salge Blake at 617-353-7470; salge@bu.edu.

Faculty and staff reflect on 9/11

Kira Jastive — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:11:11 +0000

In today’s edition of BU Today, several professors and administrators reflect on how the U.S. and world have changed in the decade since the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The story features Andrew Bacevich, professor of international relations; Thomas Robbins, BU’s chief of police and executive director of public safety; Neta Crawford, professor of political science; Kecia Ali, professor of religion; Jack Beermann, professor of law; Hillel Levine, professor of religion; Richard Cornell, professor of music and composition; Shahla Haeri, associate professor of anthropology; Joseph Wippl, professor of international relations; and Margaret Ross, director of behavioral medicine at Student Health Services.

Read BU Today’s complete 9/11 coverage here.

10 years later: The War on Terror

Kira Jastive — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:28:41 +0000

Professor Voices wraps up its “10 Years Later” series with Andrew Bacevich who takes a look at how the War on Terror has evolved in the 10 years since September 11th and where we are now.

Contact Bacevich at 617-358-0914; bacevich@bu.edu.

Earlier posts in the series:

Andrew Bacevich: Are we safer?

Robert Hefner: Islam Today

David Barlow: How are we coping?

David Barlow: Children in a post-9/11 world

10 years later: Children in a post-9/11 world

Kira Jastive — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:41:51 +0000

Our “10 Years Later” series continues with David Barlow, professor of psychology and psychiatry, and the founder and former director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD), who discusses the impact on children who have grown up in an anxious post-9/11 world and how parents and caregivers can help.

Contact Barlow at 617-353-9610; dhbarlow@bu.edu.

The series concludes tomorrow with Andrew Bacevich who will discuss where the nation is in the War on Terror.

Earlier posts in the series:

Andrew Bacevich: Are we safer?

Robert Hefner: Islam Today

David Barlow: How are we coping?

10 years later: How are we coping?

Kira Jastive — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:02:08 +0000

Today, “10 Years Later” turns to David Barlow, professor of psychology and psychiatry, and the founder and former director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD), to examine the ongoing effects of September 11th on the American psyche. Are we more anxious as a society? And, how can people cope with the lasting memories and images of that day?

Contact Barlow at 617-353-9610; dhbarlow@bu.edu.

The series picks up next Tuesday with Barlow again who will discuss the impact on children who have grown up in a post-9/11 world and how parents and caregivers can help.

Earlier posts in the series:

Andrew Bacevich: Are we safer?

Robert Hefner: Islam Today

10 years later: Islam today

Kira Jastive — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 14:18:50 +0000

In today’s installment of “10 Years Later,” Robert Hefner, an expert on Islamic culture and director of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), discusses the state of Islam and Muslim society in the U.S. since September 11th.

Contact Hefner at 617-353-2194; rhefner@bu.edu.

Tomorrow, we take a look at the residual psychological impacts of the 9/11 attacks with David Barlow, professor of psychology and psychiatry, and founder and former director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD).

10 years later: Are we safer?

Kira Jastive — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:42:18 +0000

This week and next Professor Voices will run a special video series called “10 Years Later” that highlights various angles of the upcoming anniversary of the September 11th attacks. We start today with Andrew Bacevich, a foreign policy expert and professor of international relations, who discusses whether the U.S. is safer now from the threat of terrorism than it was prior to 9/11.

Contact Bacevich at 617-358-0914; bacevich@bu.edu.

The series continues tomorrow with Robert Hefner, professor of anthropology and director of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), who will examine how Islam in America has evolved over the past decade.

Is Google+ the next Facebook?

Kira Jastive — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:22:15 +0000

Google+ has been gaining popularity as a new social network, but will it dethrone Facebook? According to Mina Tsay, assistant professor of communication at Boston University, the potential is there.

Tsay’s research focuses on the psychological and social effects of mass media, and the psychology of new and social media. Contact her at 617-353-3482; minatsay@bu.edu.

Experts available for comment on 10th anniversary of September 11th

Kira Jastive — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:48:23 +0000

With the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon approaching, the following Boston University experts are available to offer comment, insight and analysis on various angles:

Andrew Bacevich, professor of international relations and history, and a retired Army colonel, can offer comment on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the state of American power post-9/11. He is the author of Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanet War (2010). He can be reached at 617-358-0194; bacevich@bu.edu.

Stephen Prothero, professor of religion, can discuss the role religion has played in the 10 years since 9/11, including the state of Islam in the U.S. today. He can be reached at 617-353-4426; prothero@bu.edu; Twitter: @sprothero.

Kecia Ali, assistant professor of religion, can discuss the evolving state of Muslim/non-Muslim relations. Contact Ali at 617-353-4465; ka@bu.edu.

Robert Zelnick, professor of journalism and former ABC News correspondent, can discuss media coverage of the attacks and the subsequent War on Terror. He can be reached at 617-353-5007; bzelnick@bu.edu.

Nick Mills, associate professor of journalism and author of Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and Struggle for Afghanistan, can offer analysis on how U.S./Afghan relations have evolved since 9/11. Contact Mills at 617-353-3492; nmills@bu.edu.

Christopher Daly, associate professor of journalism and author of Covering America, can discuss media coverage of 9/11 and the wars it spawned. He can be reached at 617-353-4295; cdaly@bu.edu; blog: Journalismprofessor.com.

Neta Crawford, professor of political science, can discuss the “Costs of War” study which she co-directed. Contact Crawford at 617-353-4040 or crawfor@bu.edu.

Thomas Whalen, associate professor of social science and an expert on American politics and the American presidency, can offer comment on post-9/11 U.S. politics. He is a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 978-888-3131; tjw64@comcast.net.

Tracey Maclin, professor of law and an expert on Constitutional law, can discuss post-9/11 legal battles over rendition, wiretapping and torture. He can be reached at 617-353-4688; tmaclin@bu.edu.

David Barlow, professor of psychology and psychiatry and founder of the BU Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, can discuss post-9/11 terrorism-triggered anxiety and panic attacks. He can be reached at 617-353-9610; dhbarlow@bu.edu.

Thomas Cottle, professor of education and a sociologist and licensed clinical psychologist, can discuss child and adolescent psychology and the effects of growing up in a post-9/11 world. Contact Cottle at 617-353-6294; tcottle@bu.edu.