Laura Steinberg, executive director of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, announced she will step down after almost six years to focus on research.
“There’s a lot of a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time, I think that the time is right for me, personally, to renew my work—my own work—on environmental issues and public policy,” Steinberg said.
Steinberg will leave her post at the end of the fall semester and take a one-year sabbatical before returning to Boston College as a researcher.
Steinberg emphasized pride for the institute she helped create and excitement to return to researching.
“I feel quite wonderful about what we built at the institute,” Steinberg said. “We built this from scratch with the help of the Provost’s Office, with the help of so many faculty and staff, and we brought a vision—a somewhat diffuse vision—to fruition here.”
Steinsberg explained that she was especially proud of the “Working For and With Communities” curriculum, which brings students to Chile to work with local populations to solve a problem.
“[The curriculum] is focused on project-based learning and intercultural competencies,” Steinberg said. “Last year, we worked with an international NGO which operates facilities throughout Santiago, Chile, to promote quality of life, to provide a gathering place for intellectually challenged adults.”
Steinberg hopes her work successfully inspires agency with her students, especially those in her course titled “Entrepreneurial Leadership in Energy, Environment, and Health,” where she aims to give her students tools to use in business and social settings.
“I wanted to teach them not to wait for the world to give you opportunities, but that you have the power to make them yourselves,” Steinberg said.
After her yearlong sabbatical—a period Steinberg plans to use to develop connections with other environmental researchers and organizations across Boston—she will return to BC to conduct research, with a particular focus on environmental issues and public policy.
“Boston has a tremendous ecosystem of researchers and NGOs who are working in this space, and I’m really excited at this point to have time to engage with them as a researcher and a problem-solver,” Steinberg said.
Reflecting on her time at BC, Steinberg hopes that she helped students make the most of their skillset.
“I hope that a big part of my legacy here is helping to train students to practice those skills and get out in the world and make the most of what it is and make the most of their capabilities,” Steinberg shared. “We need everybody.”
Avneet Hira, an assistant professor in the engineering department, praised Steinberg’s contributions.
“She’s a very accomplished researcher and has been very supportive of interdisciplinary work and scholarship here on campus,” Hira said. “She’s an all-around great person who cares, I think, for the right issues and the right people.”
Steinberg expressed pride in working at BC and excitement about returning, both as a researcher and a member of the community.
“I consider it a complete privilege to be able to be at Boston College,” Steinberg said. “I’m really looking forward to coming back to campus and working with the students and the faculty again in a year.”