Pardee Students Lead Inaugural Graduate Research Conference
The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University recently hosted its first annual Pardee Atlas Graduate Research Conference on April 19, 2024. The student-led conference, organized by the editorial team of the Pardee Atlas Journal of Global Affairs, brought together graduate students from across the Greater Boston area to present their research and engage in discussions around the theme of “Global Challenges and Solutions for the 21st Century.”
The conference featured a diverse range of presentations from students at institutions including Boston University, Harvard University, Brandeis University, and others. Topics spanned issues in global education, health, humanitarian crises, geopolitics, and security.
“When I first started my graduate degree, I wanted to see more engagement between graduate students and give my fellow colleagues the opportunity to share their work and views on global issues impacting us today,” said Manpreet Singh, Editor-in-Chief of the Pardee Atlas Journal and co-chair of the conference. “With the leadership of my fellow co-chairs Brooke Van Ackooy and Alexis Moran, I am excited to see this vision come to life through our inaugural conference.”
The conference provided a platform for interdisciplinary exchange, with presentations covering subjects like teacher shortages in the Philippines and Venezuela, cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination programs in Russia and Nigeria, impacts of the Taliban regime on gender and ethnic rights in Afghanistan, and the emergence of paramilitary organizations in post-Soviet Russia, among others.
“It was a pleasure working with both Brooke and Alexis as we built the foundation for future conferences,” Singh added. “Thank you to all the presenters for taking the time to share your work and engage in lively discussion. I also want to thank the Dean’s Office and Pardee School administrative team for their support in making this event possible.”
The conference organizers plan for this to become an annual event, fostering dialogue and collaboration among the next generation of global leaders and thinkers in the Boston area.
Participant Justin Dynia, LASMA ’24, reflected positively on the conference stating, “We all learned a lot from each other and the future feels brighter knowing about their dedicated efforts to make our world a better place.“
2024 presenters and their abstracts can be accessed here.