2023-2024

Presented the keynote address, "A Nuclear Reckoning," at the International Affairs Forum at Northern Michigan College in Traverse City, Mich.

Served as a panelist for "National Dialogue: Toward Democracy in Afghanistan," at the Herat Security Dialogue in Dunshanbe, Tajikistan on Nov. 28.
Was the lead author of a written testimony to House Foreign Affairs Committee on the situation in Afghanistan which was presented on Nov. 14.
Served as a panelist and coordinator--along with Sibghatullah Ghaznawi, former deputy minister of municipal affairs for the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, and Hosna Jalil, former deputy minister of the interior for the Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan--of the event, "Pragmatic Engagement with Afghanistan: Can the International Community Promote Human Rights?" hosted by Columbia University on September 22.

Won an Honorable Mention, Distinguished Book Award from the Ethnicity, Nationalism, & Migration Studies (ENMISA) of the International Studies Association (ISA), for her book, After Violence: Russia’s Beslan School Massacre and the Peace that Followed, Oxford University Press (2023)
Launched the Open Access publication, Russia in a Changing Climate, WIREs Climate Change, in collaboration with 17 Russia specialists who are part of the PONARS Task Force on Russia in a Changing Climate. The piece is intended as a "one stop shop" for up-to-date research on how climate change is affecting Russia, and how Russia is affecting climate change, including via its war against Ukraine.

Participated in a panel that took place in Israel on Jan. 11 of the Forum of the Day After the War, on Israel, Hizbullah, Lebanon and UN Resolution 1701. The presentation is in Hebrew.

With Gerard F. Powers, attended the 2023 Catholic Korea Peace Forum, "DMZ to Hiroshima: The Role of American, Korean, and Japanese Religion for Peace in Northeast Asia," held in Paju, South Korea and Hiroshima, Japan, October 24-29. George presented "Economic Sanctions Repurposed for Peace, Denuclearization, and Human Rights" and Jerry participated in the three-nation roundtable, "Peace in North East Asia and the Church". He also facilitated an evening book discussion of his co-edited book, Peacebuilding.

Has been appointed to serve on the new International Research Working Groups of the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA). FBA is the Swedish government agency responsible for peace, security and development. The working groups are expected to strengthen FBA’s ability to respond proactively to emerging trends in the field of peace and security.

Served on the panel, "Lessons of 9/11 for October 7," at the Research Institute of the Law Faculty, Democritus University of Thrace on Dec. 14. The panel was moderated by Professor Constantine Antonopoulos, faculty of law.

With George A. Lopez, attended the 2023 Catholic Korea Peace Forum, "DMZ to Hiroshima: The Role of American, Korean, and Japanese Religion for Peace in Northeast Asia," held in Paju, South Korea and Hiroshima, Japan, October 24-29. Jerry participated in the three-nation roundtable, "Peace in North East Asia and the Church." He also facilitated an evening book discussion of his co-edited book, Peacebuilding.

Served as a panelist at the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) Central Region Conference. “The Time is Now! For Considering Safer Street Design: Implementation and Lessons Learned.” Chicago. September 2023.
Presented “A Sociology of Movement: Using Mobility to Unveil Racial Knowledge” at the Association for Black Sociologists Annual Conference. Philadelphia, PA. August 2023.
Presented “Transit’s Physiology: The Stories Our Mobile Bodies Tell” at the Transport Chicago Annual Conference. June 2023.

Presented at the RISE Action Guide Launch Symposium in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 17. A recording of the lecture can be found here, and Schirch's presentation begins at about 1:19:00.
Presented an online lecture July 7, "The Digital Anatomy of Bridging Divides," for the Institute for Peace Studies as part of its series, "Global Challenges to Peace in the 21st Century."

Served as a consultant for Fork Films, a production company founded by Abigail Disney and Gini Reticker, for a potential documentary on the Anthropocene. The initial meeting took place over Zoom on July 21.
Gave the inaugural lecture for the Center for Asian and Transcultural Studies (CATS) on July 14 at Heidelberg University in Germany.
Presented keynote lecture, "Framing the Future: the Environment, Climate Change, and the Anthropocene in Asia," at the Seventh Conference of East Asian Environmental History (EAEH) in Daejeon, Korea, which took place from June 25 to July 3.

Presented the keynote lecture, “Global Cascade of Repression Against Transnational Activism,” for the New York Southeast Asia Network's conference on Democracy, Youth Resistance, and Activisim in Southeast and East Asia at Pace University on November 10.
Presented the lecture, “Global Cascade of Repression Against Transnational Activism,” for the Future of Hong Kong Studies conference at the Wythes Center on Contemporary China at Princeton University on November 4.

Was recognized, along with other members of the editorial board, by The Review of Politics for his work of regularly reviewing the journal, which publishes high-quality original research that advances scholarly debates in all areas of political theory.