Campus Currents

Febuary 23, 2026

Astronaut Bob Hines


Meet the Astronaut: Bob Hines

Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, 12:30 p.m., McCarthy Center Forum

Come meet NASA Astronaut Bob Hines! Bob has served as a mission specialist on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission, having logged a total of 170 days in space during Expedition 67 and 68 aboard the International Space Station. 

Hear from Bob reflect on his personal experience, flight experiences and a Q&A.

President Niemi Open Office Hours

Have something you'd like to talk to President Niemi about? Take advantage of her Spring Open Office Hours - no appointment necessary. First-come, first-served.

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 9:30-10:30am
Thursday, March 26, 3:00-4:00pm
Wednesday, April 29, 1:30-2:30pm 

Black Excellence Expo (B.E.E.)

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 1:30 p.m., Center for Inclusive Excellence

Celebrate Black-owned businesses in Massachusetts and the entrepreneurial work of BIPOC students at FSU. Join us for a vibrant showcase uplifting Black excellence and innovation.

Community Stargazing

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m., outside May Hall

** CLOUD DATE: Thursday, February 26, 6PM-7PM **

Use telescopes to observe the night sky! McAuliffe Center staff are available to answer your questions about telescopes and our Universe.

FREE - no registration required. Drop by event.

Conversations on Race and Community Building with Black Student Union & Office of Residence Life

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., Center for Inclusive Excellence

An open, student-centered space for dialogue on race, identity, and community-building. Students are encouraged to share experiences, ask questions, and explore ways to strengthen belonging and support across campus.

English Language Programs Study English with us this Spring!

The new six-week Saturday session starts on March 14
Register now! We welcome students of all languages and backgrounds.

FSU’s Bee Campus Advisory Committee is looking for new members! 

Are you passionate about protecting pollinators? Would you like to support FSU’s efforts to enhance pollinator habitats and education on campus?  Then join FSU’s Bee Campus Advisory committee!  Faculty, staff, and students are welcome.  The commitment includes attendance at our advisory committee meetings once per semester and occasional volunteer opportunities to support garden maintenance.  Our spring semester meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 25 at 11am.  Contact the committee co-chair, Megan Mayer (mmayer1 [at] framingham.edu (mmayer1[at]framingham[dot]edu)), for more information and to join.  
 

Framingham History Center shares the story of Henry Knox

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez, Publications Intern

Anna Tucker, the executive director of the Framingham History Center, shared the history of Henry Knox and the role he played during the American Revolution. Knox was a bookseller in Boston when he witnessed the Boston Massacre, she said.

“Knox reports that he actually tried to deescalate the situation. He certainly comes at it from a patriot perspective, so to speak,” Tucker said. 

He had a lifelong love of reading, and through reading military guides as a teenager he became self-taught in military tactics, she said.

“He was really known for having this military-tactics interest from an early, early age,” Tucker said.

Knox met his future wife, Lucy, when she visited him at the bookstore, Tucker said. She had spotted him previously outside and wanted to meet him. But Lucy was from the Flucker family, which was wealthy and loyal to the British crown, she added. Lucy’s father, Thomas Flucker, was the last Royal Secretary of Massachusetts. But the initial reason he didn’t approve of Knox was because of his lack of social connections and wealth, rather than conflicting political interests, Tucker said.

“It seems that Henry Knox maybe kept that away from his future father-in-law’s attention, at least initially,” Tucker said.

Eventually Thomas Flucker allowed the marriage because he decided that the family was already rich and could even help Knox out, she said. Knox and Lucy married in 1774. The Flucker family later pushed Knox toward joining the British forces but he refused, eventually fleeing with Lucy to a colonial encampment in April 1775, Tucker said.

During the Siege of Boston, it was clear that long-range artillery was needed and Knox was sent to gather it, she said. He moved the artillery from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to Framingham, Massachusetts through an abnormally cold December and January, she said.

“Framingham was kind of this perfect space where it was just close enough to Boston so there could be quick deployment but just far enough away that the British wouldn’t immediately see all of this artillery,” Tucker said.
 

Additional Events