It’s been a busy academic year for Bowdoin faculty, and not just in the classroom and lab. From political science to neuroscience, from climate change to computer science, scholars from a wide range of disciplines have been tapped for their expertise by media outlets. Here’s a taste:
UKRAINE
Different aspects of the ongoing war in Ukraine elicited comment from a number of Bowdoin scholars:
Professor of Government Laura Henry, whose expertise includes contemporary Russian politics, coauthored a post in the Monkey Cage blog of the Washington Post on March 31: Putin called fleeing Russians “traitors.” Who’s actually leaving? On May 3, Henry teamed up with one of her former students, Laura Howells ’20, to write an article published on the website of the NYU Jordan Center for Advanced Study of Russia: Digital Authoritarianism at War: Controlling Russia’s Information Space.
Associate Professor of History Paige Herrlinger, who is also chair of the Russian department, discussed the geopolitical impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a guest on Maine Public Radio’s phone-in show Maine Calling on March 3.
Assistant Professor of Economics Matthew Botsch comments on the impact of sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in late February. He was quoted in a Portland Press Herald article on March 7.
Aliosha Barranco Lopez, Bowdoin’s Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Philosophy, shares insights from her research in an opinion piece for the Bangor Daily News on April 5. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows the real danger of echo chambers.
NATIONAL POLITICS
Political advertising, presidential power, and the January 6 Committee congressional hearings were just some of the big domestic political stories that Bowdoin faculty commented on over the past twelve months:
Associate Professor of Government Jeffrey Selinger was a guest on Maine Public Radio’s phone-in show Maine Calling on June 16, when he offered his analysis of the congressional hearings about the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government Andrew Rudalevige was quoted in the press several times, including a May 22 story on NECN/NBC 10 [Boston] looking at a leaked report claiming the Supreme Court could be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
LOCAL NEWS
Bowdoin scholars also provided input on a wide range of Maine-related issues, including politics, education, history, and the environment:
Professor of Government Michael Franz shared his insight with Maine Public Radio, talking about Maine’s Question 1, which proposed halting a planned energy corridor. Here's how CMP's “retroactive laws” message could unite groups against Question 1.
Professor of Education Doris Santoro has had a high media profile discussing the challenges facing educators, including teacher burnout. On July 31, 2021, she was featured in a College Fix article about a project she led last year on challenges facing teachers of color in Portland.
Associate Professor of Africana Studies and English Tess Chakkalakal was featured in several local media outlets in December, including the Times Record, for her work in curating an exhibition at the Maine Maritime Museum looking at Maine’s economic ties to slavery.
David Page, the Charles Weston Pickard Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Emeritus, was quoted in a Portland Press Herald article on March 27 about concern over PFAS “forever” chemicals in Maine fish. Page discussed his own research into the leakage of chemicals from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.
View a compilation of selected media mentions featuring Bowdoin faculty from the 2021–2022 academic year.
