News

Zohran Mamdani '14 sworn in as NYC mayor/Associated Press photo

Zohran Mamdani ’14 Sworn In as Mayor of New York City

Zohran Mamdani ’14 was sworn in as New York City’s mayor just after midnight on January 1, 2026, at once becoming the city’s first mayor of South Asian descent, its first Muslim mayor, its first Bowdoin alumnus, and the youngest leader of America’s largest city in more than a century.

Lasting Local Impact

Twenty Five Years of the Common Good Grant Program, Bowdoin’s Engine for Student Philanthropy

One of the McKeen Center’s most popular and longest-running programs—and one that has made a significant impact on local communities and Bowdoin students—is celebrating its twenty-fifth anniversary this year.
Supporting Student Research

Kirstin Hayes ’26 Researches Her Family’s Church at a Critical Point in American History

The Bowdoin senior has always enjoyed her history classes, but her curiosity tends to sharpen when she can see her own family’s past woven into larger historical events and reflected in the social forces that shaped them.
Model for Hope

Bill De La Rosa ’16 Wins National Fellowship to Build New Universal Representation Program in Arizona

After receiving one of the country's most prestigious public-interest law fellowships, Yale Law School student Bill De La Rosa ’16 will embark on his most far-reaching project yet.
Student-Centered Research

Bowdoin Among 2026 Beckman Scholars Program Awardees

The Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has announced that Bowdoin is among the US colleges and universities receiving funding from its Beckman Scholars Program, which is part of the foundation’s mission of supporting basic research in the chemistry and life sciences.
Bowdoin in the News

New York Times Review: Katie Benner ’99 Book “Miracle Children”

Award-winning New York Times correspondent and Bowdoin trustee Katie Benner ’99 broke the news that the T.M. Landry College Preparatory Academy was in fact a scam. Now, Benner and fellow NYT reporter Erica L. Green have taken an even deeper dive into the scandal in their book, Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises.
Human Actions Leave Traces

Plastiglomerates: How Humanity Is Entering the Geological Record

For his latest book, visual arts professor Michael Kolster took his camera to Hawaiʻi to explore a possible new addition to the fossil record. Plastiglomerates are formed when marine-borne plastic washes up on a beach and, when heated by campfires, fuses with lava to create a new kind of “stone”—a lasting reminder of man’s presence on the earth.
Finding Identity Through Film

Pulling Focus on Australian Aboriginal Cinema

Anthropologist Willi Lempert draws on years of field experience in Australia for his latest book, which explores the importance of filmmaking to the country’s Aboriginal communities.
Distinguished Honor

Shawn Jiminez ’27 Receives John Lewis Youth Leadership Award

Shawn Jiminez ’27 has been awarded the 2025 John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, presented annually to a young person in Maine who demonstrates leadership abilities and a passion for social justice while working to improve the quality of life in their community.
Recognizing Excellence

Scholarship Boosted by Faculty Grants Through Fall 2025

From cinema studies to German, from biology to Russian, Bowdoin faculty from across the academic spectrum were rewarded for their excellence in research and teaching during the fall semester with funding awards from external sources.
”Proteins and Prayers”

Larah Gutierrez-Camano ’26 Blends Biochemistry and English in Close Reading of a Rare Birthing Girdle

Combining literary and laboratory analyses for her honors project, Gutierrez-Camano is using protein-testing techniques alongside close reading to investigate the text, images, material, and biological residues of historical birthing practices left on a medieval manuscript.
Sharing Faculty Achievements

Creative and Scholarly Excellence: Faculty Highlights from the Past Semester

Through published works and prestigious recognitions, international opportunities, and artistic pursuits, Bowdoin faculty members complemented their campus instruction with scholarly and creative endeavors during the fall semester.
Food Independence

Asher Savel ’26 Digs into Maine's Trailblazing Food Sovereignty Law

An environmental studies and government major is spending his senior year researching Maine’s groundbreaking food sovereignty law, which was passed in 2017 to protect people’s right to food and support small farmers.
Three Decades of Mentorship

Celebrating 30 Years of Bears and Cubs

After thirty years of providing mentorship through the Bears and Cubs program, Bowdoin College students and the McKeen Center for the Common Good were recognized with a Big Impact Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Bath/Brunswick.
“Stigma-free storytelling”

Turning Uncertainty into Audio: Kate Rusk-Kosa ’20 and Frank Kosa P’20 Create a New Podcast about Mental Illness

A Bowdoin grant brought a daughter and father together to work on a long-term project to help end the silence around mental illness.