Pardee School Hosts Conference on Boston Marathon Bombing
On April 11, 2018, the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University hosted “The Boston Marathon Bombing: Five Years On,” a conference featuring first responders, international scholars, legal experts, journalists and an historical exhibit on the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. The conference, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the bombing, was dedicated to the memory of Lu Lingzi, a Boston University student who died in the attack.
Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School John D. Woodward Jr., who organized the conference, delivered the introductory remarks at the conference and welcomed the slate of speakers and panelists.
Casey Sherman (COM ’93), author of Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy, delivered the first talk of the conference and provided an overview of the Boston Marathon Bombing.
Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Hill, Dean of Marsh Chapel and Professor of New Testament and Pastoral Theology at Boston University, delivered a talk entitled “Remembrances of the Marathon Bombing, 2013.”
Kelley Nee, Chief of the BU Police and retired Boston Police Department Deputy Superintendent, gave a talk entitled “A Boston Police Officer Remembers Boylston Street.” Nee discussed her role as a Boston Police officer coordinating security on Boylston Street during the bombing.
Joseph Wippl, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School, moderated a panel entitled “Terrorism on the March: From the Northern Caucasus to New England.” Panelists included Amb. Vesko Garčević, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Pardee School; Gayane Novikova, Lecturer at the Pardee School; and Simon Saradzhyan, Founding Director of the Russia Matters Project at Harvard University’s Belfer Center.
Ahmed Ghappour, Associate Professor of Law at the Boston University School of Law, moderated a panel entitled “Prosecuting Terrorists: The Boston Marathon Bombing Case.” Panelists included Rebecca Ingber, Associate Professor of Law at the Boston University School of Law; and Peter K. Levitt, Esq., (BU Law ’95), former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
Michele McPhee, Author of Maximum Harm: The Tsarnaev Brothers, the FBI, and the Road to the Marathon, gave a talk that explored the unanswered questions about the Boston Marathon Bombing. McPhee, an award-winning investigative journalist, was on Boylston Street in the hours and days after the bombing.
The conference also featured a historical exhibit on the Boston Marathon Bombing provided by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University. Following the afternoon of talks and panels, attendees heard closing remarks and participated in a networking session.
The conference was sponsored by the Pardee School of Global Studies, BU School of Law, Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, Marsh Chapel, BU Police Department, BU College of Communication, Pardee Graduate Council (PGC), and Boston University International Affairs Association (BUIAA).