News
Exploring the Role of Citizen Science in Research and Community Engagement with Damon Hall
With the excitement of his recent publication, associate professor of Environmental Science and Public Policy, Damon Hall, met with me to discuss his research on the importance of citizen science. “Citizen silence: Missed opportunities in citizen science” can be accessed here. What initially sparked your interest in citizen science and its role in research? My […]
April 23, 2024
Predatory Crabs, Morphing Oysters, and Ocean Electrolysis: MES Undergrads lauded with PEAK awards to support their research
A record number of Northeastern undergraduates are pursuing PEAK project experiences this spring, including several motivated students within the Marine and Environmental Sciences department, including Grace Marnon, Kiran Bajaj, Nicole Mongillo, and Mark Teh. We caught up with each of these talented young scientists to learn more about their research! Grace Marnon received a Summit […]
April 18, 2024
Northeastern student researches dolphin behavior for a Greek marine conservation nonprofit during Mediterranean Sea co-op
Whether it was kayaking to small inlets in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea or spending overnight on a boat all in the pursuit of tracking the local dolphin population, Northeastern University marine biology major Francesca Russell was living — and working — the dream. Russell, now a fourth-year student, spent last spring on […]
April 11, 2024
This student spent co-op on an island helping protect sea turtles and other endangered species
A semester on an island in the Indian Ocean sounds glamorous. But Hans Van Der Sande’s co-op in the Republic of Seychelles, an archipelago nation over a thousand miles off the coast of Africa, was a lesson in conservation. Van Der Sande, a senior ecology and evolutionary biology major, has been interested in conservation work […]
April 10, 2024
Undergraduate Student, Mark Teh, is Bridging Biochemistry and Environmental Sciences
Undergraduate researchers are an integral part of the Marine and Environmental Sciences department and significant contributors to our labs’ scientific advancement. We caught up with undergraduate student Mark Teh to chat about his exciting research endeavors both within the MES department and with external partners. Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself, […]
March 27, 2024
This co-op at a Napa Valley winery teaches students about wine ‘from grape to bottle’
Grace Arents, a fourth-year environmental and sustainability sciences student, had never had a glass of wine before when she saw a posting for a co-op at a winery on NUWorks. Still, her interest was piqued and she applied to spend a semester learning enology — the process of making wine — in Napa Valley. Before […]
March 18, 2024
Being queen is all in this termite’s head. Really.
In the world of termites studied by Northeastern professor Rebeca Rosengaus, worker termites spend their few short months on Earth cleaning and feeding their enormous long-lived queen mother and tending to her eggs and their young siblings. Since termite workers and queens both possess a network of genes called the Queen Central Module, it has […]
March 18, 2024
Why unexploded ordnances pose physical — and environmental — risks
Two unexploded ordnance were fished out of the Charles River in Needham, Massachusetts, this week. A sweep of the river by the state police bomb squad and a marine dive team didn’t turn up any more munitions. Beyond the obvious safety risks, the old weapons and ammunition left underwater also present environmental risks, a Northeastern […]
March 14, 2024
Students dissect oysters and squid, learn about coastal ecology during the annual high school symposium at Northeastern
Students from a dozen area schools measured oysters, dissected squid and learned why plastic is called “ocean smog” during the annual High School Marine Science Symposium at Curry Student Center on Northeastern’s Boston campus. The 250 students got a chance to talk with fledgling and experienced scientists during the event, which was sponsored by Northeastern […]
March 08, 2024
We can’t combat climate change without changing minds. This psychology class explores how.
A new offering for the spring 2024 semester, PSYC-4660 is a seminar in cognition, a subset of psychology that covers how people encode, represent and process information from the environment in the brain, according to Coley, a psychology professor with a dual appointment in environmental science. Humans & Nature zeros in on how those things […]
March 07, 2024
Bowen to explore microbial activities in new $8.4M coastal marsh project
Dr. Bowen's work in this collaborative project focuses on using tools from molecular biology to understand how the diverse metabolisms of microbes affect the ecosystem services provided by marshes.
March 06, 2024
The largest body of water west of the Mississippi disappeared 130 years ago — now it’s back
The San Joaquin Valley of California, despite supplying a significant percentage of the country’s food, is nevertheless a dry, arid place. Fresno, at the heart of the valley, receives just over 10 inches of rain a year on average, according to the National Weather Service, and sometimes as little as 3. And yet, until the […]
February 05, 2024
New species of mussel that lives in an ancient undersea forest discovered by Northeastern marine scientist
A Northeastern marine scientist has discovered a new species of tiny mollusk that lives in an ancient, submerged cypress grove called the Alabama Undersea Forest. Dan Distel, research professor at Northeastern’s Marine Science Center, says the bivalve written up in the journal Deep Sea Research represents a new genus and species of mussel and offers […]
February 02, 2024
Was a baby great white shark caught on camera for the first time? Northeastern expert explains why it could be major discovery
What is believed to be a live newborn great white shark has been spotted on camera for the first time ever, potentially providing marine biologists with the best look yet at where the apex predator may give birth. Dan Distel, Northeastern professor of marine and environmental sciences, says the discovery could play a role in […]
February 01, 2024